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Ladies Philoptochos Society
Philoptochos News St. Eugenia Chapter
Frederick, Maryland
Despite the record breaking snow blizzards this winter, the Sts. Peter & Paul Ladies' Philoptochos continues to support our church parish as well as the local & global community through its philanthropic works!
Upcoming Events - Mark your calendar
| June 16 |
Time: 6:30 PM
General Meeting - Mangia Bevi In Urbana |
Past Events - A special thanks to our supporters
| May 13-16 |
Spring FestivalAs in years past, the Ladies Philoptochos will again be in charge of the Bake Sale. Since we will be open for four days, WE NEED YOUR HELP! An assortment of pastries and baked goods will be needed the week of the festival May 10-16th. Last year we sold a record number of pastries! We are asking each family to bake pastries and donate them to the Bake Sale. WE ALSO NEED HELP to package the pastries, set up tables, or work during the festival.  |
| January |
Haitian Relief Effort
In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12th, the Philoptochos passed a try to be donated to the Haitian Relief Fund. Also, thanks to the generosity of so many in our parish, we were able to assemble over 130 personal hygiene kits that were sent to IOCC to be distributed directly to the Haitian victims. You may continue to donate to Haiti either by sending your Philoptochos Chapter contribution to the National Philoptochos Society marked for the National Philoptochos Haiti Disaster Relief Fund at 7 West 55 Street, NY, NY 10019 or donate through our Chapter's treasury. You may also pay by credit card through the IOCC's website credit card: https://www.sagepayments.net/sagenonprofit/shopping_cart/forms/donate.asp?M_id=785466237868. No dollar amount is too small. |
| November |
Care Packages for Troops OverseasService members are away from home and protecting our freedom. As of November 2009, the National Philoptochos is renewing its commitment to supporting our troops overseas. We will collecting and shipping donations of any size to our troops overseas. Servicemen and women are often away from their base for 30 days or more, without any sanitary facilities. Simple items such as wet wipes, socks, cushioned insoles, lip balm, sunscreen, medicated powder, anti-fungal cream, nail clippers, and hand sanitizer are luxuries. Care packages from home demonstrate our support and lift the troops' spirits. A list of needed items can be found on the Philoptochos table - please take a copy home with you. Donations are now being accepted in the collection box located under the coat rack in the church social hall. Another way to donate is through the Operation USO Care Package website www.usocares.org. At this site, individuals and groups can make donations in $25 increments and ready-made care packages will be forwarded to the troops with a personalized message from the sender.  |
| February |
Go Red Sunday
Sunday, February 14th was "Go Red Sunday". You may have noticed that many ladies were wearing red that day and the Philoptochos was giving out red carnations. This was to raise awareness of women's heart health and to promote healthy lifestyles in accordance with the American Heart Association guidelines. Please take a few moments to visit www.GoRedForWomen.org and learn how to make heart-healthy choices every day! |
We are very grateful for....
The on-going generosity & support of our church members enabling us to collect funds for the children of St. Basil's Academy, IOCC, Hellenic College, the ministry of the St. Photios National Shrine, Holy Cross Academy, the Children's Agape Foundation and many other Philoptochos charities.
Local Outreach
CareNet Pregnancy Center of Frederick
As part of our Focus on the Family we are continuing the "baby drive" for the CareNet Pregnancy Center of Frederick this year. All types of new or gently used baby items are being collected, as well as diapers. Kindly bring your donations to the collection box located under the coat rack in the church social hall. The empty box is ready to be filled up again!
The Center's goal is "to serve the whole person. In addition to providing limited medical services, this includes offering practical, emotional and spiritual support. All of [their] services are free and confidential, and are provided with compassion and respect. [The Center's] desire is to equip and empower women to make choices that will impact their lives in a positive way." Medical services offered at Care Net include free pregnancy testing, physician consultation. The Center's medical services are provided by a board-certified female OB/GYN and other licensed professionals. For more information about the Pregnancy Center go to www.carenetfrederick.org.
Salvation Army Christmas Stockings
In December, we were proud to deliver 30 over-stuffed Christmas stockings to the Salvation Army for needy children in the Frederick area! Thank you to all the families who made this possible!
Philoptochos Way Station Presentation and Q&A
Francy Williams (Way Station Coordinator of Wellness and Family Liaison), and Peggy (Enrollment Specialist) spoke to us about their new outreach project to members of the spiritual community.
The goal of the presentation was as follows:
- To reduce stigma around mental illness through education so that those with a mental illness may feel more comfortable to become a productive member of their faith community.
- To express how spirituality has affected clients in their journey toward recovery.
- To express how spirituality has guided staff and families that work and live with those with mental illness.
- To raise awareness to others in the community who may be struggling and need guidance and resources.
The Way Station, Inc. (headquartered in Frederick, Maryland) is a private, non-profit behavioral health organization that provides a broad range of services in a variety of settings to meet the needs of children, adolescents, adults, and families. It is dedicated to promoting the health, community integration and achievement of purposeful goals of people by providing behavioral health and employment services. The Way Station has programs in four counties in Maryland and employs about 400 employees. There are approximately 200 clients coming and going on any given day. They stay in the program(s) 6 months - 30 years depending on how long they need support and if the state will provide assistance.
Philoptochos News
Annual Vasilopita Bread Offering
Our new year started off with the annual Vasilopita Bread offered to the entire parish after Liturgy on January 10th, 2010. Two lucky parishioners, Claire Philipopoulos and Perry Samothrakis, received the gold coins along with special blessings! We wish both of them and their families a blessed and healthy 2010!!
Washington Area Metropolitan Area Tea
January proved to be an exciting time when several ladies from our chapter attended the Washington Area Metropolitan Area Tea at Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Annapolis, MD. The tea was to benefit the Agape Foundation which provides medical funding for children in need. A speaker from Whole Food Market enlightened us with interesting information about organic foods & Mediterranean diets! For more information visit www.agapefoundationdc.org.
Cooking Classes
In February, after a week of snow, thirteen ladies were happy to get out of the house and into the kitchen at Sts. Peter & Paul for a COOKING CLASS! Teacher Renee Hyrkas taught her students how make the filling and layer the filo for galatoboureko, a delicious Greek custard dessert. By the end of the afternoon the ladies had a wonderful time working together to end their "fear of filo" and each carried home a small pan of the delicious and creamy dessert to share with their families!
On April 9th, Father Anastasios taught another great group of people how to make rizogolo (Greek rice pudding) and graciously sharing an old family recipe. Everyone took home a tub of rice pudding. What an appetizing way to spend a Friday evening.
Future cooking classes will be held either upon request and as people volunteer to share their Greek cooking expertise.
2010 Membership - Everyone Welcome
Don't Forget to Join Or Renew Your Membership for 2010!
This time of year marks the beginning of our annual Philoptochos Membership Drive. The mission of the Philoptochos is "to promote charitable, benevolent and philanthropic outreach, to preserve the sanctity of life and family, and to promote our Orthodox faith and traditions." Simply put, the Philoptochos is dedicated to serving the needs our church family, our local community and the world around us with love and compassion. Not only is it a wonderful opportunity to share your gifts and talents while serving others but also a great way to make new and lasting friendships while doing God's good work. All women (& men) are invited to join this worthy ministry of our church. 2010 membership forms can be found on the Philoptochos table at the bottom of the stairs in the church social hall or you can send in the application found in this newsletter. Current and past members are encouraged to renew their membership. New members are always welcome. We meet on the first Wednesday of each month from September-June at 7:15pm in the church board room. Annual dues are only $20.00.
Why Join Philoptochos?
"As the philanthropic heart of the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Philoptochos symbolizes the basic characteristic and teaching of Christianity, which is charity in all of its forms. Philanthropy is a tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church that dates back to the Byzantine Empire. It is identified with love and active feelings of benevolence toward any person, independent of the person's identity. We, the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, have held fast to this tradition of philanthropy, and we have fervently strengthened the sen se of love and compassion for all individuals that are in need. Thus, joining Philoptochos really means actively living and practicing our Orthodox faith. It also means being an important part of a truly dynamic force of humanitarian outreach, whose impact is, simply stated, tremendous in scope and widespread in breadth. There can be no better response to the question of why join Philoptochos than to say your membership is the manifestation and witness of your faith as an Orthodox Christian. As our Society evolves, our members experience the satisfaction of participating, giving and sharing in our most worthy philanthropic endeavors, as friendships are made and a connectedness between individuals is nurtured. Let us encourage all of our friends to become a part of this enriching and fulfilling experience." - Georgia Skeadas, National Philoptochos President, National Philoptochos Convention July 2004
Contact Us
Marie Carras (President) 301-293-3409 | mmcarras@aol.com
Visit the National Philoptochos Website
