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Philoptochos

About Philoptochos

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos society is the official philanthropic women’s organization of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and one of the largest Christian women’s organizations in America. The name means “friend of the poor” being derived from the Greek words philo(friend) + ptohos (poor). Established in 1931, this non-profit organization is comprised of over 25,000 members in more than 480 chapters nationwide. The Holy Apostles chapter is one of the largest chapters nationwide with about 200 members.

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote charitable and philanthropic outreach by aiding the poor, the hungry, the sick, the orphaned and the victims of disasters.

The Holy Apostles Chapter

More than 50 years of Philanthropic Endeavors
This chapter supports a variety of philanthropic and charitable organizations as well as programs that benefit our parish.
Our volunteers assist year-round with projects and fundraising events to benefit the local community and national and international communitites.
The Holy Apostles chapter has donated over 250,000 over the last 5 years to charitable causes.

Holy Apostles Philoptochos Society- 2017 Board

Board of Directors for 2019-2021

Officers

President – Cynthia Stathopoulos

1st Vice President – Anne Theophilos

2nd Vice President – Antella Thiakos

Treasurer – Nia Kouchis

Asst. Treasurer – Eleni Poteres (Programs)

Corresponding Secretary – Emily Rehn

Recording Secretary – Tina Dillon

Advisor - Faye Adams (Philanthropy)

Board Members

Chrisie Alex (Membership)

Aleka Ernst (Programs)

Wanita Loupakos

Cathy Magas (Pillars & Rocks)

Aleka Mandelaris (Pillars & Rocks)

Patty McKay (Philanthropy)

Evelyn Paleothodoros

Terry Parafink

Maria Patt (Publicity & Technology)

Anthoula Pomrening

Bess Shizas (Sunshine)

Margo Tomaras (Philanhropy)

Sundy Urban (Membership)

Message from Our President

Holy Apostles Philoptochos Calendar (2019-2020)

National Philoptochos

Upcoming Events:

The National Philoptochos Society presents:

The 17th Children's Medical Fund Luncheon

Hosted by the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos

Saturday, November 16th

Chicago Marriott

525 North Michigan Avenue

Reception: 11am Luncheon: 12 noon

Tickets: $125 per person

The Children's Medical Fund provides assistance to critically ill children whose families are unable to afford appropriate and necessary medical treatment. The fund provides grants for innovative research programs to pediatric hospitals and to organizations with programs that care for children with critical illnesses.

Luncheon reservations must be received by October 21st. Raffle tickets are also available for purchase at $10 per ticket or 3 for $25. To make a reservation with the Holy Apostles group or to purchase raffle tickets (winner need not be present), please contact Faye Adams at (704) 425-2530 or geofaye.adams@gmail.com.

Please click here to see the list of the raffle prizes.

Thank You to Fay Demakis and her Kindergarten Class for supporting the Children's Medical Fund Luncheon with a yummy Crispy Creme Donut Sale on Sept 29th.

The children raised $395!!!

Thanksgiving Food Drive

November 1st-17th

Philoptochos is once again partnering with Loaves and Fishes to provide holiday meals to those in need. Please bring your non-perishables to the collection bins set up in front of HARC. Please click here for a list of most needed items.

Collection Drive for Needy Children

November 17th-December 1st

We will collect monetary donations after the Divine Liturgy on Sundays from November 17th-December 1st to purchase items for the Family Shelter Service, which supports victims of domestic abuse. Philoptochos volunteers purchase toys, books, gift cards, clothing, outerwear, and school supplies with the money collected and deliver them to the shelter. Client parents can then shop for free for their families at the shelter's annual Holiday Shoppe in early December. For many of these families, the items selected here are the only gifts they will receive for Christmas.

To contribute, look for the Philoptochos table after church or send your donation to the church office. Please make checks out to Holy Apostles and mark the envelope to the attention of Dolly Panton. To assist with purchasing items or for more information, please contact Angela Karras Neboyskey at (773)719-2619 or arkarras@hotmail.com.

Mark Your Calendars:

General Meeting and Christmas Party - Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00pm in the multi-purpose room

Christmas Breakfast- Sunday, December 15th after the Divine Liturgy and Christmas Pageant

Past Events:

An Afternoon in Provence

Thank you to all that made our annual fundraising event such a success! We are so grateful to all that worked on a committee, to our many donors, and to all the guests that attended the event. Attendees enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship, delicious food, beautiful fashions, and fabulous raffle prizes. The majority of the proceeds of this event support the DuPagePads medical respite program and the St. Iakovos Retreat Center. The remainder of the proceeds will fund our various philanthropic endeavors throughout the year.

A special thanks to our Co-Chairs, Anthoula Pomrening and Jen Govostis, for their tireless efforts!

We appreciate your support!

Membership Night (2019/20)

Our annual Membership Night was held on Tuesday, September 17th at LaBarra in OakBrook. Attendees were treated to a seasonal appetizers and a pizza buffet. Philoptochos Chairs outlined their plans for the upcoming year. Representatives from our two primary Fashion Show beneficiaries, DuPagePads and the St. Iakovos Retreat Center, were the keynote speakers.

Rise and Shine Food Drive

September 1st-September 29th

Philoptochos collected non-perishable breakfast food items to benefit the People's Resource Center Food Pantry in Wheaton.

286 pounds of food were collected, which roughly translates to 238 meals.

Thank you to the Holy Apostles Community for your generous donations!

Holy Apostles Vespers & Feast Day

Vespers - Saturday, June 29th and Feast Day - Sunday, June 30th

Thank You to all who donated, baked, or assisted with setup, serving, or cleanup!

(L to R) Evelyn Paleothodoros, Presbytera Michelle Georgiou, Maria Patt, Emily Rehn, Wanita Loupakos, Margo Tomaras, Sundy Urban, Aleka Ernst, Cynthia Stathopoulos, Antella Thiakos, Eleni Poteres and Faye Adams assist with preparations for the Holy Apostles Feast Day reception on Sunday, June 30th, 2019.

Collection Drives

Thank you to all who donated to our collection drives this year. Holy Apostles collected 103 pounds of food for HCS Family services in March. This translates to roughly 86 meals. From September through the HCS Food Drive in March, a grand total of 680 pounds of food, or roughly 567 meals was collected for those in need. Other recipients included the People's Resource Center and Loaves & Fishes.

We also collected 136 blankets and 615 children's books for the Peoples Resource Center in February. PRC gives each of their clients who is expecting as well as clients with infants a layette. The blankets we collected will be included in these layettes. The books we collected are used in multiple ways. Some of the books are part of birthday bags that are given to each child. Other books are available to children whose parents are taking classes offered by PRC throughout DuPage County. PRC was extremely grateful for this very generous donation!!!

Feed My Starving Children

Holy Apostles volunteers packed specially formulated meals for children in need at the Feed My Starving Children facility in Aurora on Saturday April 6th. They packed 24 boxes of food!

Poised for Success Collection Drive

We collected one rack of gently used professional clothing and accessories for Poised for Success in May 2019. This non-profit organization provides professional clothing for women in need to wear

Feed the Hungry

Holy Apostles Philoptochos sponsored the annual Feed the Hungry commitment at the Annunciation Cathedral in Chicago on May 14th. Holy Apostles volunteers provided the food and drinks, served the meal, and provided socks and baseball caps.

General Meeting

Chicago area award-winning author Paula Renee Burzawa discussed her new book, Eternal Stones and Other Memories of Greece on Thursday, May 16th in the multi-purpose room. Philoptochos Board elections were also held that night. Please click here for a detailed book description and author biography.