Statue of Armenian Genocide missionary will be erected in Canada

PanARMENIAN.Net - A series of activities honouring Canadian nurse and humanitarian Sara Corning, who helped rescue and care for thousands of orphans during the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923,is planned for the weekend of September 14-15 in Yarmouth, Canada, including the unveiling of a bronze statue of Corning.

Born in the village of Chegoggin, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1872, Corning made it her life’s mission to help others. In her mid-twenties, she moved to the United States for training and worked in New England for almost 20 years, before returning to Nova Scotia to help the 10,000 victims of the Halifax Explosion.

In 1918, at the age of 46, Sara was certified by the American Red Cross and joined Near East Relief—an organization created to help civilians affected by the Great War. Landing in Constantinople (Istanbul) soon after, she helped rescue and care for thousands of Armenian and Greek orphans, often risking her life in the process, for more than a decade.

In 2016, nearly a century after Corning’s heroic decision to dedicate her life to help genocide survivors, David and Jennifer Chown of Nova Scotia founded the Sara Corning Society, which honors the nurse’s life and humanitarian work. A number of activities honoring Corning, including the unveiling a statue dedicated to her, will be taking place this weekend in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.