The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation have pledged and donated $50,000 to Archbishop Elpidophoros’ Nameday Gala, an annual event that raises critical funds for the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund.
The Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to youth across the Archdiocese of America, enabling them to attend Greek Orthodox summer camps regardless of their financial circumstances.
Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, said: “It is of the utmost importance to instill in our youth a love for the worship of the Church and a profound understanding of its meaning and necessity. One of the primary means that we have for accomplishing this is our Greek Orthodox summer camps. We are proud to be able to contribute to this all-important work through the the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund, and thank His Eminence for devoting his Nameday Gala, a delightful annual event, to this most worthy cause.”
Hon. B. Theodore Bozonelis, National Vice Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and trustee of the Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation, stated: “If the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund can give this love for our Church and our worship even to one child, it will have accomplished a great deal for the Kingdom of God. And it does it for so very many children. The Bouras Foundation is honored to be able to play a role in ensuring that the life-giving spiritual treasures of our Ecumenical Patriarchate will continue to enlighten the world in the next generation.”
The Archbishop’s Nameday Gala was held on November 17, 2024 at the Terrace on the Park in Queens, New York. Archon John A. Catsimatidis, Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council, as well as Maria Allwin were major benefactors of the Gala. An enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of Greek Orthodox faithful gathered to show their love for His Eminence and their support for the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund.
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Dr. Anna Yallourakis and her daughter Stephanie Katherine Grant, an award-winning Hollywood actress who starred as Emmy Mirsky for 10 seasons on ABC’s long-running comedy The Goldbergs, flew in from Los Angeles specifically to support the Archbishop’s nameday event. Dr. Yallourakis and her husband, Archon Dr. Stephen Yallourakis, recently underwrote the rebuilding of the historic Transfiguration of Christ Our Savior Monastery on the island of Halki, which Turkish authorities have destroyed twice. Drs. Stephen and Anna Yallourakis donated $230,000 as FOUNDERS of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation, fulfilling their τάμα (vow) to His All-Holiness and promising to rebuild the destroyed monastery “as many times as it takes.”
This year’s gala, led by co-chairs Stephanie Litsakis Clark and Fr. Panteleimon Papadopoulos, was an immense success, raising over $400,000 for the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. His Eminence pointed out that “camping addresses the most foundational Christian priorities: Teaching, Fellowship, Worship, and Prayer. All of you share in this ministry by your support of the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. I am so proud that you have adopted this mission for your own. God will bless you for your faithfulness.”
