Home | Français | Careers | Contact Us | Newsroom | Donate Now!

MEDIA ADVISORY: MEMORIAL SERVICE

Celebrating the Life of Vatche Arslanian:
Canadian Red Cross Delegate Killed in Iraq

Vatche Arslanian, a Red Cross worker from Canada, lost his life on April 8 in Baghdad when the vehicle he and other International Red Cross staff members were traveling in was caught in cross fire.

Humbled by the strength in the human spirit and motivated by the difference the Red Cross makes in people's lives, Vatche Arslanian was committed to the Red Cross Mission.  He went to Iraq to provide vital assistance; working alongside his local colleagues during the worst of the fighting to deliver urgently needed supplies, in particular to hospitals and water-treatment plants. 

The Canadian Red Cross extends an invitation to Vatche Arslanian's friends, colleagues, the public and media to participate in a memorial service in honour of Vatche.

Date:

Tuesday, April 15, 2003
10:00 a.m.

Location: 

Monument to Canadian Aid Workers
Rideau Falls Park, 50 Sussex Drive 
Ottawa, Ontario 

The brief ceremony, which will include tributes and a time for reflection, is being held simultaneously with memorials in Geneva, Switzerland; Oromocto, New Brunswick; and Toronto, Ontario.
 

-30-

For further information please contact:
Suzanne Charest   
Communications Officer, Canadian Red Cross   
Tel:  (613) 740-1928  
Pager:  (613) 594-7405