Dear Holy Trinity Family,
As we reflect on the joy and celebration of Easter, and all that was accomplished, I want to sincerely thank each of you for your support, generosity, and faithful service to our many Philoptochos ministries and events led by a dedicated and hard-working Philoptochos Board and our dear members. Thank you to our spiritual leaders, Fr. Nick and Fr. Demetrios for their love, guidance, and encouragement. We are a truly blessed community, and I’m grateful for the relationships built, the lives touched, and the spirit of love that continues to strengthen our second home.
Our annual Easter Market fundraiser was quite successful under the direction of co- chairwomen Andrea Nicholas and Liz Zoulis! Thank you both and many thanks to all the volunteers who cooked, baked, packed, and sold our homemade Greek pastries. We all worked together and netted a profit of $20,000! These proceeds were distributed to several charities and ministries: Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology, Fr. Simon Menyas’ Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project, Archbishop Elpidophoros Beacon of Hope Seminarian Scholarship Fund, Human Development Services of Westchester, Luv Michael, Friends of Karen, My Sister’s Place, Yes She Can, Inc., HOPE Food Pantry supporting the Community Food Drive, Assistance toward a recreational experience to a child from Greece who is at the Ronald McDonald House of NY while receiving medical care, and Scholarships for three high school students living at St. Basil Academy! Together, we continue to make a positive impact and share God’s love beyond the walls of the church. Without all of you, these donations would not have been possible.
On April 28th, Philoptochos co-hosted a Book-Signing Event along with the Holy Trinity Library (Denise Graf and Susan Eng), featuring HEARTS Unlocked by Dr. Kathy Stavros, PHD. It was a meaningful discussion reaching our emotions to a pure level in understanding our fellow man and learning how to carefully listen to each other. This event was a lovely way to support one of our own parishioners and share a fellowship of true kindness to one another.
The Ladies Philoptochos of Holy Trinity continued to be busy as we also had a Veteran’s Drive, donating 24-large laundry baskets filled with move-in essentials and grocery cards for veterans moving into permanent housing! These baskets weredelivered to the Bronx Veterans Hospital. With the remaining funds raised, we delivered supplies and grocery cards to Homes for the Brave in Bridgeport, CT. Thank you to co- chairwomen Margaret Papademetriou and Alexandra Speres for their incredible leadership during the project, with coordinating the donations and delivering these much-needed items. Thanks to all of you who donated towards this Drive, for your kindness and for making a difference in a Veteran’s life in honor of Memorial Day. God Bless our Veterans and God Bless America!
I’m happy to share that our Philoptochos has 185 members! My hope is that those of you who have not joined us will get inspired to do so through our actions and transparency throughout the year. If you know me, I say it genuinely, that joining Philoptochos is a personal consideration. We have many ministries to choose from and if at this moment in your life, you cannot give your time, then a donation goes a long way so we can assist someone less fortunate than you and me. Our End-of-the-Year Philoptochos meeting/party is on Tuesday, June 16th at 6:30pm, and I invite you to join us and get a glimpse of what we are all about. In addition to a delicious dinner, we have invited The Holy Trinity Loukoumi Good Deed Council to offer their Loukoumi Lemonade and Fr. Demetrios’ Specialty Frappe, to raise some funds for their St. Michael’s Home Project! Please RSVP to me at Alambros22@gmail.com.
This season has reminded us of the power of unity and the importance of coming together to serve others. Kindly look at the Philoptochos Bulletin Board as you enter the glass doors of the Social Hall to see the dates and times where you and your loved one can volunteer with one of our Outreach Ministries. Carver Center, HOPE Community Services, Community Food Drive, Grace’s Kitchen, Oasis Shelter, Soup Run in NYC, Prison Ministry, St. Michael’s Home visits, and for fun the Book Club and Knitting for Charity Club! Visit our website at www.holytrinitynr.org for more information of whom to contact. We are connected. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see photos throughout the year of our many Philoptochos activities.
Thank you to all the chairwomen of our Outreach Ministries and our clubs and to all who volunteered, donated, supported, and participated! Your dedication continues to strengthen our Philoptochos and our Church family, extending God’s love into our community.
I wish you and your families a relaxing summer filled with happiness and fun moments together. God Bless all the graduates of our community and best of luck in your future endeavors.
With much love and appreciation,
Angie Lambros, Philoptochos President
Alambros22@gmail.com
