2024 ACYOA Bishop's 5K Walk/Run
The Fifth Annual ACYOA Bishop's 5K Walk/Run is coming to a community near you in April 2024! His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan is excited to join us on Saturday, April 20 in Southfield, MI and Saturday, April 27 in Watertown, MA for our annual program promoting spiritual and physical health. The ACYOA encourages you to join us for our Fifth Annual 5K no matter where you are in the world! All donations collected from this year's 5K will be split equally between an upcoming Ayo! project and future ACYOA programs and ministries.
​
Registration Live For Fifth Annual ACYOA Bishop's 5K!
The ACYOA Central Council is pleased to announce that registration is live for the 2024 ACYOA Bishop's 5K Walk/Run! This year, His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, will be joining us for our Fifth Annual 5K in two parish communities:
Saturday, April 20: St. John Armenian Church, Southfield, MI
Saturday, April 27: St. James Armenian Church, Watertown, MA
​
Between Sunday, April 14 and Saturday, April 27, the ACYOA and Bishop Mesrop invites all ACYOA members, alumni and friends of ALL ages and abilities to also register and participate in our 5K remotely in your local communities! Organize a walk, jog or run with your ACYOA chapters, friends and families and get outdoors with us!
​
All funds raised from the 5K will be split equally between the ACYOA and an upcoming Ayo! project, #PutDownRoots.
Should you not be able to physically participate, we are accepting donations in place of a registration. All registered participants and donors will receive a Fifth Annual Bishop's 5K t-shirt, in appreciation of your support.
​
#PutDownRoots aims to introduce therapeutic horticulture practices in Armenia by establishing a special experiential garden and implementing a program for 500 displaced youth from Artsakh. The program, based on proven therapeutic gardening principles, will promote cognitive development, physical health, emotional well-being, and communication skills. Our contribution will enable the Yerevan Botanical Gardens to cultivate the space, building a raised beds for plants, tables for seedlings, irrigation system, and more, and establishing interactive activities and gardening classes! Once created, this special section of the garden will be available for children and youth to explore for years to come.
For more information about the Bishop's 5K, please contact Jennifer Morris at jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org or by phone at 248-648-0702, or the ACYOA Central Council at acyoacc@gmail.com.
​
The ACYOA Bishop's 5K was started in 2019 in partnership with former Primate of the Eastern Diocese, His Grace Bishop Daniel Findikyan, who envisioned the program as a platform to promote physical and spiritual health. A 5K is equivalent to 3.1 miles. All proceeds from the Bishop's 5K go towards the development of future ACYOA programs and ministries. The inaugural ACYOA Bishop's 5K in Summer 2019 - held in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois - fully funded the 2020 ACYOA Mission Trip - sending over 20 young adults to Atlanta in February to help construct a house through Habitat for Humanity, and connect with the Armenian Church of Atlanta mission parish. In 2020, the 2nd Annual 5K - held virtually - raised over $13,000 for humanitarian relief efforts for the Republic of Artsakh.