Organization of Istanbul Armenians
The Organization of Istanbul Armenians was established in 1976 at St. Sarkis Church in East Los Angeles, California and the first General Assembly consisting of 36 members elected the following representatives as their first Board of Directors:
Berc Mihcian – President (deceased), Onnik Balyan (deceased), Aram Amirhanian, Manuk Yilmaz, Yervant Balci (deceased), Avedis Tekolian, Gulbenk Movsesian, Mihran Sasounian, and Setrak Chiftchian.
The original purpose of the Organization was to provide help in finding housing, jobs and assist in basic necessities, such as translation services, to newly-arrived immigrant Armenians from Istanbul and other parts of Turkey back in the ’70s and ’80s.
Once people were settled and comfortable in Southern California, OIA decided to offer financial aid to deserving Armenian Students to attend Armenian Schools, and to this day, need and merit-based Scholarship Assistance remains its most important mission.
Many people have opened Endowment Funds within the OIA, mostly to honor their loved ones who departed, to support education, as well as assistance to the needy, sports, and cultural activities.
The Ladies Auxiliary was the first sub-committee to operate within OIA and was followed by Getronagan Alumni, Scholarship Committee, Esayan Alumni, Sports Committee, YGIA, Akhtamar Dance Ensemble, Cultural Committee, Mkhitaryan Alumni, Hye Ties, YAN, Kids Club, Dance Club, and Entertainment and Social Events Committees.