In late 2009, Ara and his father, Richard Chackerian, visited Armenia where their family immigrated from. During that trip, the father and son were introduced to an orphanage, which was full of potential but lacking in resources. After visiting the center, Ara and Richard determined there was an unfulfilled need for mentoring with the local orphans. Upon their return, the Chackerians developed a business plan to solve the lack of accessibility in support systems, as well as educational resources for orphans. It was this trip the was the catalyst for finding Nor Luyce (New Light).
Nor Luyce, a mentoring program, was created to assist young women on their transition from being an orphan to a self-supporting adult. The organization has had a remarkable track record of success and continues to help transition adolescent females into constructive members of the community. Ara sits on the organizationโs Board and has been the primary funding source for the program since its inception.
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Each of us carries a story. So does Nor Luyce NGO. We invite you to read below the story that is behind the creation of the name of Nor Luyce…
“Nor Luyce which stands for New Light in Armenian drives from the name Arshalous, a name of an Armenian woman. Now you will ask: “Who is or who was Arshalous?” Arshalous was born in Constantinople, Turkey, in 1908. Alongside her parents and four siblings, she migrated to the United States in 1920. Like many other Armenians at the time, they were escaping the genocide.
Arshalous was very independent, and she had been this way from a very young age. Despite making the difficult assimilation into another culture, she never forgot her homeland and often told stories about what life was like in Constantinople. She loved to describe the journey between Constantinople and the Golden Horn – Armenians werenโt allowed to sit on certain ferry deck benches, but Arshalous had a clever way of getting around this. She would wait for a foreign visitor to sit down and then sit next to them, knowing that the Turkish authorities would never force her to move in the visitorโs presence.
The majority of her life she spent tirelessly managing the familyโs household, and she was known for her astuteness when it came to managing the finances of the house and of her fatherโs small grocery store. She could often be found saying that if it wasnโt for her managing the money, everyone would be wondering where the next meal would come from.
In spite of her tough exterior, Arshalous was a very caring person who would always go the extra mile to help an isolated individual in need of help. These heroic acts she always did quietly, never needing credit from others for her good deeds.
And this kind-hearted, brave, and motivating woman was the mother of the president and co-founder of Nor Luyce NGO: Richard Chackerian, as well as the grandmother of the main donor of the organization: Ara Chackerian.”