The 2024 Summer Issue National * Districts * Chapters Penelope’s Scroll Penelope’s Scroll 2024 | Volume 26 | Issue 2
Table of Contents 2 DOP District List Letter from the Grand President Mother District 1 Citrus District 2 Capital District 3 Power District 4 Garden District 5 Empire District 6 Yankee District 7 Bay State District 8 Northern New England District 9 Automotive District 10 Buckeye District 11 Hoosier District 12 Blue Ribbon Disrict 13 Grainfield District 14 Delta District 16 Rocky Mountain District 17 El Camino Real District 20 Golden Gate District 21 Firwood District 22 Beaver District 23 Royal Canadian District 24 Greece - District 25 Cyprus - District 27 Europe - District 28 Australia - District 29 DOP Foundation Inc. From the Vault Supreme Convention in Larnaca From the Editor 03 04 05 10 17 21 22 28 33 35 36 37 39 45 47 51 52 53 56 58 61 62 68 72 76 77 81 82 83 84 87 ΘΠ
Daughters of Penelope Districts Delta District #16: www.ahepad16.org Areas: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas City Rocky Mountain District #17: ahepa17.org/DOP.htm Areas: Montana, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho El Camino Real District #20: dopdistrict20.org Areas: Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada Golden Gate District #21: dop21.org Areas: Northern California and Reno, Nevada Firwood District #22: www.ahepa22.com Areas: Oregon and Washington Beaver District #23: Areas: Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia Royal Canadian District #24: ahepacanada.org Areas: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba Greece - District #25: ahepahellas.org Areas: Greece District #26: ahepacanada.org Areas: British Columbia Cyprus - District #27: ahepacyprus.org Areas: Cyprus Europe - District #28: daughtersofpenelopeeurope.com Areas: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, UK Australia - District #29: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ΘΠ 3 Mother District #1: Areas: Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Pensacola, Florida Citrus District #2: dopd2.com Areas: Florida and Bahamas Capital District #3: dopcapitaldistrict3.org Areas: Maryland, North Carolina, Washington, DC and Virginia. Power District #4: ahepapowerdistrict4.org Area: Pennsylvania Garden District #5: www.dopdistrict5.org Areas: Delaware and New Jersey Empire District #6: dopdistrict6.com Areas: New York Yankee District #7: www.ahepad7.org Areas: Connecticut and Rhode Island Bay State District #8: baystateahepa.org Areas: Massachusetts Northern New England District #9: Areas: Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Automotive District #10: www.ahepadistrict10.org Areas: Michigan Buckeye District #11: buckeyedistrict11.org Areas: Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia Hoosier District #12: www.ahepa-12.org Areas: Indiana Blue Ribbon District #13: ahepadistrict13.org Areas: Wisconsin and Illinois Grainfield District #14: ahepad14.webs.com Areas: North & South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska & Iowa
LETTER FROM GRAND PRESIDENT MARIANTHI TREPPIEDI 4 ΘΠ It’s hard to believe the year is coming to an end. My heart is filled with a deep sense of gratitude and pride. Serving the Daughters of Penelope has been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am thankful for the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated and passionate Sisters. Together we have made a difference in the lives of those we serve in our communities. I am confident that we will continue to grow, and I look forward to the continued success of this wonderful organization. Thank you for embracing The Power of WE … in commUNITY by helping our seniors through Meals on Wheels. We have also continued our many service projects by maintaining our domestic violence shelters, supporting Penelope’s House and Penelope’s Place, and working on all our wonderful projects with the generosity of all of our Sisters. Your help is appreciated by many. Penelope’s Scroll is a wonderful platform to showcase pictures and articles of the great work our chapters and districts are doing for our Sisterhood. It’s an opportunity for us to share ideas with each other on fundraising, educational programs, and philanthropic endeavors. We share pictures of Sisters enjoying each other at meetings, dinners, and other social events. That is the Power of WE. In closing, I am grateful to be in this wonderful organization with Sisters who support and embrace each other. The stories and pictures in this edition demonstrate the wonderful work you’ve done and the comradery we enjoy. I wish each of you and your families a happy, and healthy summer. Sincerely in Theta Pi, Marianthi Treppiedi Marianthi Treppiedi Grand President Daughters of Penelope June 2024 Dear Sisters,
Mother District #1 The Daughters of Penelope Menelaos Chapter #53 in Atlanta has had an active year, supporting various causes and activities while raising money for education and reconnecting with old and new members. Highlights included our annual wine and cheese party in October with the popular wine and spirits raffle, which serves as our major scholarship fundraiser and saw a festive crowd of Daughters and AHEPANs with a fun evening of fellowship. This year was our biggest fundraiser yet, with more than 50 bottles of wine and spirts raffled off to some lucky winners. We also attended the AHEPA Family Testimonial Dinner for Sons of Pericles Supreme President Ryan Marinos, an Atlanta native and son of Sister Susan Marinos from our chapter. In November, our members packed and donated 50 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, which go to children around the world so they can receive a heartfelt gift during Christmas. In the spirit of the holidays, we sponsored the annual turkey drive for St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church to help families in need during the holidays and donated 40 turkeys, held the inaugural Founders’ Day Friendsgiving event and honored past presidents at the AHEPA One House on Nov. 4, and hosted our annual bake sale in December. We sold out of almost all Greek pastries and homemade baked goods. We also celebrated with our fellow AHEPANs at the joint AHEPA Family Christmas Party on Dec. 19 at Chattahoochee Food Works, and joined with AHEPA again in January for the AHEPA Family Vasilopita Cutting and Dinner Gathering at AHEPA One. We had a full house with nearly 60 people in attendance, and several lucky winners find the flouri (coin). On Jan. 27, members representing chapters from across Districts 1, 2, 10 and 11 attended the Daughters of Penelope Zone 2 Regional Conference in Atlanta at AHEPA One with a fun-filled day of learning and networking. Other highlights included sponsoring the church’s Golden Group February Luncheon with a delicious meal and game of bingo, a Mardi Gras-themed meeting in March and a “painting party” to paint bowls that were donated to the Georgia Mountain Food Bank to help people in need. Over the course of this year we also made donations to St. Basil’s Academy, Penelope House, the chapter scholarship under the AHEPA District 1 scholarship program, and also initiated several new members. Menelaos Chapter #53 Atlanta, Georgia Zone 2 Conference in Atlanta Members at the Golden Group Luncheon ΘΠ 5
Mother District #1 Alpheus Chapter #180 Memphis, Tennessee Our DOP Chapter #180 had such a fantastic year! Because of the generosity of our community, we were able to donate over $13,000 to various groups. We offered a $2000 Chapter Scholarship to a graduating high school senior. We offered a $1000 scholarship for continuing college students. We recognized our 25+ years of membership to many of our Sisters. Our $500 donation for Charity of Choice is “Memphis ROXS”. We held our annual Christmas and Easter Bake Sale, Agape Godparent luncheon and silent auction, Greek Independence Day, Founders Day, International Heritage and Cultural luncheon, events with AHEPA and sponsored monthly coffee hour. Our new board for 2024-25 will be installed in the Fall. Phani Mitchell will represent our Chapter in Cyprus during the Supreme Convention in July. We recognized our 25+ years of membership to the following Sisters: Zoe Anaston, Vicki Hoover, Phani Mitchell, Maria Moore, Linda Nichols, Evangelia Panas, Anna Paris and Angela Tobias. Thank you ladies for your continued love and support of our Chapter! 6 ΘΠ
Mother District #1 Alethia Chapter #302 Columbia, South Carolina Greetings! We held our first Apokries Celebration in March, which included a DJ spinning both popular and classic Greek songs, as well as Just Dance pop favorites. This is the time before Lent, before we go “away from” (apo) “meat” (kreas). A buffet provided by our Sisters, including lots of meat and cheese, was set upon colorful tablecloths. We even had a mardi gras tinsel backdrop to take selfies against. About half of our attendees dressed in costume, while the other half dressed colorfully, wearing the beaded necklaces, party fedoras and tiaras we provided, along with feather and sequin masks that contributed to the festive atmosphere. Tickets were $25 a person, kids 12 and under free. Fun was had by all! Our 3rd Annual Wine & Jazz event was held the evening of Friday, June 7th as the kickoff to our hosting the District 1 Convention with AHEPA in Columbia this year. We were thrilled to have Sisters visiting from other chapters get a chance to experience this evening of wine, jazz, and a buffet of delicious hors d’oeuvres made by our Sisters. It was a great success! Wishing all our Sisters a wonderful Summer! From L to R: Amy Papas, Nadine Saleeby, Tasia Manos, Julie Crosby, Dorothy Spanos, Toula Kalatzis, Athina Eargle, Joanna Graham, Katie Martin, Carol Kartanos, Caroline Mallis, Genie Bitzas, and Vicki Alexander at our Wine & Jazz event. From L to R: Joanna Graham, Mary Spivey, Carol Kartanos, Amy Papas, Maria Taylor, Connie Beleos, Toula Kalatzis, Diane Justus, Dorothy Spanos, Athina Eargle, Genie Bitzas, Caroline Mallis, Joanna Beleos, and Tasia Manos at our Apokries event. ΘΠ 7
Mother District #1 Hera Chapter #369 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina We meet the 3rd Saturday of each month. Our membership renewal meeting and Pot Lunch luncheon was held in February. This year we added two new members. We were joined by new District Governor Anthea Nichols and former District Governor Elaine Tissura. Anthea spoke of her vision for the future, Elaine of her past experiences. We make a monthly donation to Help4Kids. Rides and Help is a volunteer service we offer to the elderly. Every June we award a scholarship to a graduating senior. This year we awarded $1,000 each to two that met the criteria. We usually host a Christmas Market where vendors sell their products. We charge a space fee. This year's was postponed. We brought back the Christmas Angel Tree, an initiative that fulfills the wish of a needy family or child in our community. Our major fundraiser is our Bake Sale. As Greek and American Easters were 5 weeks apart, we held two. They were pre-order only. I'm thankful for the amazing work of our members that made each such a success. We support and donate to our Parish, St John the Baptist, for the annual festival and projects that need help financially or voluntarily. Membership Renewal Meeting 8 ΘΠ
Mother District #1 Furies Chapter #370 Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville Chapter #370 hosted its annual Valentine’s Day brunch after church. The entire community looks forward to this event every year. In May we announce our annual DOP Scholarship. It goes to a qualifying High School recipient that will be attending College/University in the fall. We end the season with a nice dinner at a local restaurant, followed by a DOP lapel pin ceremony honoring those sisters with the number of years of service. We started from 10 years all the way to 35 years of service. One sister actually has 38 years of service! We are excited she will be representing our chapter at the AHEPA Convention in Cyprus. Our Board Members are Anna Duffy-President, Amy Cristy-Vice President, Ann HalkiadesSecretary, and Nicole Fritts as Treasurer. Valentine’s Day Brunch Chapter board with 35-year member ΘΠ 9
Citrus District #2 Greetings from sunny Florida! We have been busy in District 2 with several events held across South Florida! Our District Lodge is well-represented at all the events to support our chapters! We are truly a strong Sisterhood! • Our District Lodge started our spring activities by attending Leda #59 Fashion Show themed “Barbie.” We had a wonderful time enjoying our sisterhood! • On the west coast of Florida Diana Psetas, DT and Ann Pirrello, District Advisor travelled to our west coast chapters for visitations. They enjoyed meeting our sisters and learning about their efforts in promoting the DOP in their community! They visited St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey. • DG Connie and DLT Iliyana traveled to Sybils #343 Daytona Beach in March to congratulate them on their continuous growth efforts as a chapter and update them on the Citrus District 2 Convention details. • Also in March, Connie Pilallis, DG, Stella Stringer, DS, Nicky Stamoulis PGP, PDG, and Marie Kyriacou, PDG attended the AHEPA D2 Greek Independence Parade in Tarpon Springs Periobea #62. It was a celebration to remember! • Our D2 District Convention was held in Altamonte Springs hosted by Pelion #189 in Orlando. In attendance were Christie Finch, GG Zone III, Ally Tsenekos, MOAGP, Patty Didik, GG Zone II and Nicky Stamoulis, PGP, PDG, as well as several of our Past District Governors. Marie Kyriacou, PDG, Cassandra #372 received our D2 Penelope of the Year award! • Awarded two D2 Scholarships for $1,000 each at our convention. Citrus D2 Scholarship to Stefanie Bellas and PDG Julie Microutsicos to Dimitra Tsingelis. WPB Leda #59 also awarded Elizabeth Tsimekles Scholarship for $2,000 to Stefanie Bellas. The Chapters have been busy promoting the Daughters and initiated 65 new members and 23 were reinstated this year! Citrus District 2 will continue to grow and expand! Stella Stringer District Secretary Leda #59 WPB Fashion Show with D2 Lodge Officers and District 2 Represented at the Tarpon Springs Greek Independence Parade Installation of D2 DOP Lodge Officers with GG Zone III Christie Finch D2 DOP and AHEPA Lodge Officers for 2024-2025 10 ΘΠ
Citrus District #2 Periboea Chapter #62 sends forth greetings from Tarpon Springs, Florida to all of our sisters around the continent and the world. Since our last report, and in the months following our Epiphany Celebration, we have been able give back to our community in a variety of ways. We had two projects during the Spring in which our members donated items for these charities: • Tarpon Springs Animal Shelter — pet food and blankets. • Philoptochos — small toiletry items for their Blessing Bags to give to needy people. Our organization, through our various fundraisers were able to give monetarily to the following: • Three scholarships totaling $6,000 ($2,000 each) to three senior girls from Tarpon Springs High School. • Gulfside Elementary Clothing Fund — $500 • Pinellas County Clothes for Kids — $500 • St. Nicholas Cathedral Greek School Tuition Fund — $500 • Meals on Wheels — $350 • Cops and Kids — $150 Through the hard work and generosity of our Sisterhood, we are proud to have given back $8,000 to our community. We hope everyone has a wonderful Summer and we send blessings to all of our sisters around the world. Periboea Chapter #62 Tarpon Springs, Florida 2024 Tarpon Springs High School Scholarship Recipients ΘΠ 11
Citrus District #2 Greetings from your Tampa sisters! The Daughters of Penelope Alcmaeon Chapter #167 have been continuing to support each other and the community. The Daughters hosted the after-church Coffee Hour on March 10, provided the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy Meal after the service on April 3, and offered Artoclasia to celebrate AHEPA day on June 2. The Daughters again this year participated in the 25th of March Celebrations by making lovely decorations and by setting the tables for the celebrations in Tampa. In addition, several Daughters drove from Tampa to Tarpon Springs to participate in the 25th of March Parade. The Daughters enjoyed the celebrations, fellowship, and distributed candy and beads. The installation meeting of the newly elected leadership of the AHEPA and the Daughters of Penelope was held on May 15. Outgoing President Elena Paras Ketchum and Treasurer Nicole Leontsinis have our gratitude. The newly elected President Ourania Stephanides, Vice President Maria Zabetakis, Secretary Cindy Kladakis and Treasurer Melissa Krinos have our best wishes and support! Looking forward to continuing our participation in this wonderful chapter. Wishing all our sisters well! Alcmaeon Chapter #167 Tampa, Florida Outgoing President and Treasurer Newly Elected Officers Celebrating 25th of March 12 ΘΠ
Citrus District #2 Pelion Chapter 189 Sisters had a very busy Spring. We kicked off the year with a joint meeting with our AHEPA brothers as we listened to Nick Haritatos talk about life during the war in his book “No Limits”. In March we held our Loukoumades sale to benefit our scholarship fund and it was a huge success. In April we had our membership tea and kicked off the collection of pajamas for the Wekiva Foster Closet. June brought us all the excitement of our District 2 Convention and all the fun activities that we shared and where our pajama collection continued. We will be finishing up the year with our June Fabulosity luncheon where we are collecting Lipsticks for the Women’s Shelter. Pelion Chapter #189 Orlando, Florida Membership Tea ΘΠ 13
Citrus District #2 Aeneas Chapter #210 St. Petersburg, Florida Aeneas #210 has been busy with monthly initiations. In January, we were honored to have with us Grand President Treppiedi. We enjoyed a light supper followed by the initiation of 7 members. February was declared “Pasta” month to support St. Stefanos Food Panty. We initiated one member. We partnered with Brother Ahepans to host a 4-day cruise to Cozumel. We had our Valentine’s Day cupcake fundraiser. In March we initiated two members, and dedicated March to “Canned meat” to help our Food Pantry. We had supper and a speaker on Advanced Directives. We are still growing!! In April we initiated 5 members! We held our annual “Lenten” reception on Holy Tuesday and a fundraiser selling Easter lilies to decorate the church. We cooked and served lunch to Pinellas Hope. In May we had one initiation! Welcome our new Sisters! We went on a pontoon boat ride. We had a field trip with breakfast to McGough Nature Park. In June we hosted an Awards Night with AHEPA, to honor our dedicated members. Looking forward to our 75th Diamond Jubilee Gala in the fall. GP visit: Sandra Carnevale, GP Treppiedi, Victoria Stein, Maria Greory, Nicky Stamoulis Cooking & serving Pinellas Hope: Lina Kitsos, Bro. Steve Lecatsas, Christine Klimis, Stephanie and Joyce Lecatsas 14 ΘΠ
Citrus District #2 Narcissus Chapter #289 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Daughters of Penelope Narcissus Chapter 289 wrapped up a wonderful year of Sisterhood and the Power of We in the CommUNITY! We hosted a wonderful Wine Tasting with many of our AHEPA Chapter #394 Brothers joining us! We continued our support of PACE Center for Girls presenting annual scholarship to this amazing program lead by Executive Director and Chapter Sister Sara Nunez. Sisters attended the AHEPA #394 Echoes of Greece concert featuring lute virtuoso and Grammy nominated Vasilis Kostas, award winning composer/keyboardist Tom Alexander, with Tommy G. Lee and Rusty Heck. Many of us took part in the Pap Corps Fort Lauderdale Chapter Walk-a-Thon where over $10,000 was raised! We had an amazing time with our Leda Sisters at their Barbieinspired Fashion Show! In May, we held our installation for the 2024-2025 Narcissus Board. Congratulation to Chapter President, Erin Ryan, Vice President, Mindy Speck-Wierzbicki, Treasurer, Irene Tsingelis, Recording Secretery, Leslie Cook, Corresponding Secretery, Melissa Bakatselos, Parliamentarian, Danielle Smith, and Board of Governors, Stella Stringer, Stella Androutsopoulos, Marianne Kritikos, Nina McGuirk, and Susan Selimos. Finally, we would like to congratulate Sister Irene Tsingelis, our tireless treasurer for being named Chapter Daughter of Penelope of the Year – so well deserved! 2024-2025 Narcissus Board Greek Wines & Spirits Tasting at Total Wine & More ΘΠ 15
Citrus District #2 Cassandra Chapter #372 Boca Raton, Florida Cassandra Chapter #372 of Boca Raton continues to grow. Our 12 new initiations in January represent a strong foundation for our future. February was extra sweet as we collected and packed up treats for Indian Pines Elementary in Lake Worth. It’s our annual outreach for the month. We also collaborated with our Ahepan brothers at their annual Scholarship Dance. In March we celebrated our Chapter’s Anniversary with a champagne toast. April was especially exciting as we held our elections and voted unanimously on our new 2024-2025 slate. We also announced and honored our Penelope of the Year. In May we gathered for our year end BBQ with our Ahepan brothers. We celebrated our successful season and planned our Installation dinner at the end of the month. There, we gathered at a local restaurant to Install our incoming officers and imagine a new and growing future. May Installations May Year-End BBQ 16 ΘΠ
Capital District #3 Hermione Chapter #11 Washington, DC Dear Sisters of the Daughters of Penelope, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our sisters of Hermione #11 for their hard work and dedication this past year. I am so thankful to all of you for your contributions of your precious time and resources. We honored our sisters for their 30+, 40+ and 50+ years of service on June 2 and elected our new chapter officers: President: Angela Costalas, Vice-President: Angeliki Frangos-Papaspyrou, Treasurer: Susan Cymek, Secretary: Melissa Peterson. Panta Axies! A special thank you to Sister Christine Syntax-Nikfar for her generous donation of 90th Anniversary mugs for our chapter sisters. Since June of 2023, we have accomplished the following: ● Represented Capital District 3 at the AHEPA Family National Convention in July 2023. ● Supported the Supreme Governor Georgio Comninos' Fundraiser for the AHEPA Emergency Relief Fund for the Wildfires in Greece in August 2023 ● Supported the AHEPA #31 Chapter 100th Anniversary Banquet in October 2023. ● Donation of $100 to the Hellenic Center for OXI Day Celebration 2023 activities. ● Participated in the Founder's Day Luncheon hosted by Helle Chapter #283 ● Donated 100 Blessing Bags to the Asbury Methodist Church for Veterans Day 2023 with Free Haircuts and Barber services by our Sister Maria Tsioumas. ● Donation of sales from Sister Melissa Peterson's Cirrusly Art Angel Ornaments in November 2023 at Charis Eleni Chapter in Norfolk, VA. ● Raised money for our charitable efforts by selling Christmas Wreaths and Mini Trees. ● Donation to the House of Ruth DC from our Greek Basket Raffle in December 2023. ● Donation of 100 crosses for the 2024 Epiphany Services at St. George in Ocean City and supported the Galene #451 Chapter at their first luncheon. ● Donation of 15 infant hats to the Shady Grove Adventist Maternity Center in January 2024. ● Initiated two new sisters to our Hermione #11 chapter and initiated 2 Maids to the Muses #22 Chapter. Welcome Sisters! ● Donation from the sale of Greek Marti Bracelets in the Spring of 2024. ● Supported the Baltimore Alcmene #27 Chapter at the Greek Independence Day Parade. ● Supported AHEPA #383 Chapter by participating in the Greek Independence Day Celebration at the Hellenic Center in Bethesda. ● Donations of 85 blankets and 93 pairs of socks for infants to the Shady Grove Adventist Maternity Center in Spring 2024 as a joint fundraiser with St. Sophia Greek Cathedral Ladies Philoptochos Society. ● Volunteered and donated to St. Stephen Table with our Maids of Athena Muses #22 Chapter ● Supported the AHEPA Emergency Relief Fund for the Key Bridge Fund. ● Donated a Scholarship through the Washington Metropolitan Scholarship. ● Held a BBQ Potluck Raffle for our 90th Anniversary attended by 3 AHEPA Chapters, our Muses #22 Chapter, and our new Sons of Pericles Chapter! We have accomplished so much and we're going to continue to celebrate our 90 years of Sisterhood throughout 2024! We celebrate all of the sisters of the Daughters of Penelope for their dedication to our beautiful organization. Love in Theta Pi, Angeliki Frangos-Papaspyrou ΘΠ 17
Capital District #3 Strength Through Community & Compassion As we head into the summer, Helle Chapter Sisters are reflecting on a very successful year of fundraising and fellowship. The great success of our February Tastes of the Mediterranean fundraising event allowed us to make charitable donations to the following organizations that support families in crisis locally, nationally and internationally: Eliza organization for the prevention of child abuse in Greece, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) meeting urgent needs in the Holy Land, St. John Orphanage in Kenya, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Ronald McDonald House, Children’s AGAPE Foundation, Bailey’s Crossroad Shelter, and Homestretch. We also later approved contributing $2,000 to Saint Katherine’s Capital Campaign. In March, two Sisters represented Helle Chapter at the Mid-Year District 3 Conference, and we have two Sisters attending the District 3 Convention in June. We are also proud that two Helle Chapter Sisters participated in AHEPA Family Capitol Hill Day in May. At the Washington Metropolitan Area AHEPA/DOP Scholarship Awards banquet held in May, our annual Chapter Scholarship Award in the amount of $1,500 was presented to graduating high school student Anthony Dimitriou. Helle Sisters worked with their Philoptochos partners to administer the Maria Kalis Memorial Scholarship and selected two deserving young women to receive $3,000 toward their education expenses. The recipients were Thalia Dimopoulos, a Ph.D. student at Drexel University’s College of Medicine in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, and Sophia Pelekasis, an undergraduate vocalist at The Juilliard School. To end our year, we are looking forward to a luncheon celebration at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. As her term is ending, we want to thank Helle President Kelly Gull for leading our chapter with grace, enthusiasm, and professionalism. She has been open to new ideas and supportive in moving them forward. We wish all our DOP Sisters everywhere a wonderful and safe summer. Helle Chapter #283 Falls Church, Virginia 18 Volunteers ready for the Tastes of Mediterranean evening to begin; Attendees enjoying the music. ΘΠ
Capital District #3 Arion Chapter #298 Silver Spring, Maryland The sisters of DOP Arion 298 are extremely proud of the charitable work we were able to accomplish this past year. We have steadfastly donated time and effort to continuously serve our community and its people in need. Early summertime preparation allowed us to head into September by assembling and delivering 50 Hygiene Care kits to International Orthodox Christian Charities. This was followed in November by our donation of 3 cases of “Jesus Calling” prayer books to “Pinked Perspective”, an organization that Arion steadfastly supports. Our annual “Sponsorship” drive in December was a huge success! The generous donations we received totaled $3,400. This allowed us to provide “Pinked Perspective” with a check in the amount of $1,500 and in addition, make a $500 donation to our local DC Chapter of “Meals on Wheels”. Our Christmas holiday luncheon was a delicious success! We had a great time, a wonderful meal and exchanged “secret sister” Christmas gifts. We gathered again in February for our “Galentine” gathering to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our sisters! It was wonderful to see everyone again. We initiated 4 new sisters to our Arion sisterhood this year. Welcome to Stacy Tselekis, Kristina Henry, Laura Papageorge and Stacy Balatsos. We are thrilled to have you! Our end-of-year “Spring Fling” was in May. Sister Debbie Charles welcomed us to her home where we celebrated Arion’s 63rd Anniversary with a wonderful meal and a Touchstone Crystal jewelry show and sale. We proudly raised $1,250 which will be donated to “The Samaritan Women”, a wonderful organization that assists in the transitioning of women back into society after having been through the nightmare of human trafficking. We look forward to continuing our charitable efforts in the upcoming year and wish the best for our fellow DOP sisters! ΘΠ 19
Capital District #3 Kirki Chapter #313 Asheville, North Carolina The Kirki chapter of Asheville, North Carolina recently celebrated a very successful fundraiser-gift card raffle and hosted a grand luncheon and coffee hour for our church. The well attended event was hosted with fellow AHEPANS and also served as a membership drive. Our raffle was extremely successful and grossed over $2,500 from ticket sales. We will be sending a portion of this money to the Black Mountain Children’s Home for the needy children. We also plan a visit and tour with a luncheon for our members of the facility there as we see the benefits of our involvement in serving the underprivileged. Our leadership has focused on keeping our chapter strong and thriving as we look forward to more events and opportunities for fellowship and community outreach, involvement, and achievement in civic opportunities. KIRKI Daughters of Penelope Luncheon and Fund Raiser 20 ΘΠ
Power District #4 Paeon Chapter #253 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania The Bethlehem Paeon Chapter #253 invited Dina Kovats Bernat the Director of Development and Communication Of Meals on Wheels in Allentown, Pennsylvania to speak at our October Meeting. What a dynamic speaker! She explained that their organization provides more than just two healthy meals daily Monday through Friday to homebound seniors and adults with disabilities. Meals on Wheels is a lifeline as volunteers check on the welfare of their clients daily and provide care, kindness, and respect. That evening the sisters also enjoyed a visitor from the Elpis Chapter of Thessaloniki Greece. She spoke of her book “The Jar with Cookies”, a story about children on the Autism Spectrum. Their Chapter has had fund raising events for this very special cause. They hope to raise awareness and commitment to these children in need. In February of 20224 our Chapter had our annual Fundraiser a Michael Kors and Coach Bag Social in the St. Nicholas Cathedral Hall. We reach out on social media to sell tickets and have about 230 people attending. We had a local TV Weatherperson Kathy Craine call the numbers for the games. It is a wonderful fundraiser for our four Scholarships which we distribute at the years end. October Meeting with Meals on Wheels director, President Dianne Zumas and Thessaloniki guest Eirini Anagnostou Fundraiser with Kathy Craine from 69 news, President Dianne Zumas, Grand Treasurer Antoinette Zacharides and Past Grand President Georgette Boulegeris at St Nicolas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Chapter members at Yanni’s Taverna ΘΠ 21
Garden District #5 Altes Chapter #163 Trenton, New Jersey The sisters of Altes 163 are staying busy in the new year! In February, we had a Galentine’s Day pizza party for our general meeting. In March we attended our district’s Festival of Tables and had a fun Willy Wonka theme! In May, we organized and worked at the Agora booth for our church’s festival. It’s one of the many ways we give back to our church. We also try to give back to the members of our church community by providing scholarships for well-deserving students. This year we were able to give two students a scholarship! In June, we had our last fundraiser before summer where we “Dined Out for a Cause” to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We also had a potluck in which we enjoyed the company of two of our seven sisters transferring from the Toms River, NJ chapter. Lastly, we’re happy to announce: Jane Allen, our wonderful corresponding secretary, is the Penelope of the Year for our Chapter. Her attention to detail is impeccable and we look forward to her monthly newsletter called the “Doings” in which she highlights chapter, district, and national news and events and so much more! Festival of Tables - Willy Wonka Theme 22 ΘΠ
Garden District #5 This is a special year for us as we celebrate our 75th anniversary. On January 6, 1949, Kronos 188 was founded. We are planning a few events that will take place this fall to honor our chapter. We hope that some of our sisters from other chapters will be able to join us. We have had a wonderful 2024 so far. In January we hosted our District Governor and the Lodge for a special Saturday meeting and luncheon. We helped “Warm the Children” by boxing packages to send to Europe to help families in need. We had a very successful “Valentine Sweet” fundraiser where sisters baked and packaged boxes of delicious treats. In March we came in third place for the “Festival of Tables” with our “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Theme. It was so much fun to collaborate and create our theme with our sisters. We had a lovely time at the spring luncheon. In April we completed another MS walk which brought in $2K in donations to help with MS research. We participated in the St. George “Rise Against Hunger” to create food packages for those in need. We are looking forward to our annual summer Beach Day on July 27th. Kronos Chapter #188 Clifton, New Jersey MS Walk Festival of Tables ΘΠ 23
Garden District #5 Aulis Chapter #195 Ocean, New Jersey On Sunday, February 25th, Aulis members celebrated their 75th Anniversary with a special upscale coffee hour that included a memorabilia spread. Many parishioners enjoyed looking through old photo albums reminiscing about the past. We had the pleasure of honoring Patty Vlahos who has been a Chapter President of Aulis on and off for 14 terms! We also honored our two oldest and longest standing chapter members, Sophie Anest (71 years) and Tina Panas (68 years). Both Sisters are 94 and 96 years old respectively and do not look like they are slowing down anytime soon! On March 11th we held our Paint & Sip Membership Drive. We initiated 10 new Sisters that day, and had 30 other members in attendance! It was such a fun event and we shared lots of giggles and a bit of wine and cheese. Aulis wrapped up the 2023-2024 year with a superb End of the Year Dinner. Here we gave out some awards to several chapter members for being new and/or achieving 25+ years! Our Sister, and DOP Grand Secretary, Antoinette Marousis-Bush, had the honor of installing our newly elected chapter officers. We are looking forward to our District Convention in Delaware and our National Convention in Cyprus. Aulis 195 would like to congratulate ALL our Sisters near and far on a successful year. We look forward to what is to come in the near future. 24 ΘΠ
Garden District #5 Tethys #229 Sisters Recognized for Achievements in Volunteering & Community Service Congratulations PGP Georgette Boulegeris for being awarded New Jersey State Governor’s Medal for Volunteerism on June 10, 2024. Georgette received a gold medal in the Leadership category reflecting her success as Grand President of the Daughters of Penelope and invaluable efforts on the New Jersey Hellenic American Heritage Commission. Honorees of the New Jersey State Governor's Volunteerism Award achieve measurable community impact and represent outstanding acts of public service, without the expectation of recognition or compensations. Recipients demonstrate unique vision, dedication, tenacity of heroic proportion and serve as an inspiration to others. Congratulations PGP Evellyn Leontarakis Tsiadis for being awarded the Alexander the Great Community Service Award by the Hellenic Federation of New Jersey on June 23, 2024. This award reflects Evellyn’s lifetime of service to the Greek American community through her leadership roles on the many boards and organizations that she dedicates her time to, including: St. Basil’s Academy; the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council; the National Philoptochos Society; the Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos board; her local Philoptochos chapter-St. Barbara; the NJ Metropolis Council, her service to the New Jersey Hellenic Commission as an appointee of Governor Murphy; the 5th District AHEPA Family Cancer Research Foundation, where she is serving once again as Vice Chairman, as Past President of the Daughters of Penelope Educational Foundation, and Past Grand President of the Daughters of Penelope, as well as to her local church, St. George in Piscataway, NJ. Congratulations Sisters – Axies!! PGP Georgette Boulegeris Tethys Chapter #229 New Brunswick, New Jersey PGP Evellyn Leontarakis Tsiadis ΘΠ 25
Garden District #5 In keeping with our mission as we promote civic responsibility and philanthropy, we want to create a stronger community. The DOP, Nike Chapter, # 230, partnered with the American Red Cross for two blood drives, at St. Thomas GOC, in 2022 and 2023. As a team, we surpassed expectations in the number of units of blood collected. Twenty-nine units of blood were collected in 2022 and 37 units of blood were collected in 2023. We consistently advocated, created personal connections, and advertised. Here is how: • Created a tall, wooden sign to show our “sign-ups” to date, strategically placed. • Introduced ourselves during our Sunday coffee hours and invited parishioners to help. • Digitally advertised in our St. Thomas newsletters and Nike newsletters. • Signed up volunteers or taught them how to do so. • Called to remind donors of the appointments which they committed to. • Got a parishioner to create and donate professional signs and posted them in our parking lot at church. • Stayed with our blood donors while they recovered after donating blood, and graciously thanked each one. Our efforts support the mission of civic responsibility and philanthropy and to give back and lead by example. Next blood drive: June 2024. Nike Chapter # 230 Cherry Hill, New Jersey 26 ΘΠ
Garden District #5 Our DoP Chapter has been very active this year. This is a summary of our activities. We look forward to continuing and expanding our scope going forward! • FESTIVAL OF TABLES participation in March was a huge success. Our chapter won second place in the competition! • Agape Chapter Scholarships chaired by Sister Athena Katsaros, completed the very difficult task of choosing scholarship awardees once again this year! • Holiday Wreath and Vasilopita Sales were very successful. • We have 2 very active book clubs which continue to enlighten us with their very interesting choices! They include the Wednesday Afternoon Book Club and the Tuesday Evening Book Club. • Knitting Crowd - Sister Athena Katsaros. Our knitting group has been incredibly active supporting both the NICU babies with hats and lapghans for the long-term care facility associated with St. Joseph’s Medical Center. • Donations from our chapter to the Center for Hope and Safety and the church food drive • Holiday Food Sale-thank you sister Alice, once again for an extremely successful fundraiser! • Our annual pay your dues pizza party in January was well attended. All who pay that night are entered into a raffle for a 50 dollar gift card. • For Women's Health Month we had a zoom webinar with a Cardiologist, Dr. Liz Kabach from California. Our fundraising efforts continue to support our charitable efforts of scholarship, Saint Basil’s Academy, Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Hellenic Relief Fundraiser, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Penelope Place, Penelope House, Women’s Rights Information Center, Tomorrow’s Childrens Fund, Greek Childrens Fund, Vacation Bible School, Saint Michael’s Home, and IOCC. We look forward to the coming year! Agape Chapter #336 Wyckoff, New Jersey October 2023 Breast Cancer Awareness Month Meeting Our Paint and Sip Event was fun and a great success! Our DOP Sisters with Archbishop Elpidophoros ΘΠ 27
Empire District #6 Greetings from New York State! Our District is ready for our District Convention at the Rivers Casino Resort at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, N.Y and the opportunity to welcome some of our neighboring DOP District Governors as well as Sisters from Canada. I look forward to attending the Supreme Convention in Larnaca, Cyprus and reuniting with our AHEPA Family from around the world. During the end of my two terms as DG, I have been traveling throughout our States and Canada attending various events, galas and visitations. Some highlights include: • Capitol Hill Day in May in Washington, DC with our AHEPA Family • The chartering of our newest chapter Nikifora #457 in West Nyack, N.Y. Welcome to our newest sisters lead by Georgia Vlanis as President. Her energy and love for this organization is amazing. • Joining our Sisters in ALOPE #158 in Albany to support the very popular Sons and Maids Annual Valentines Ball. Their junior auxiliaries proudly continued the tradition for over half a century with the support of the full AHEPA family from all over the country and Canada. • Attending our Astoria Ilion chapter celebrated their 79th Anniversary Gala in April. • Attending the District 23 Convention in Ottawa Canada to support our international Brothers and Sisters. • Participating in the Greek Independence Day Parade in New York City on April 14th. Our New York State DOP sisters were present to show their pride marching and cheering loudly with our AHEPA District #6 Family. Lainie Damaskos-Christou District Governor Greek Independence Day Flag Raising Ceremony and celebration in Nassau County, Long Island Greek Independence Day Parade in N.Y.C Albany Sons and Maids Valentine’s Ball 28 ΘΠ
Empire District #6 Hello Sisters, The ILION Chapter had a tremendous year servicing our community, our District, the AHEPA Family and National DOP. We provided financial support to the NYPD of St. Paul’s Society Scholarship Fund, Catstorea Rescue Inc., and St. Demetrios Cathedral School Child Support Fund where we paid a graduating senior’s outstanding tuition so she can attend college. We assisted both financial and Chapter support for the first Annual Empire State District 6 Hellenic History Tournament. With our AHEPA D6 brothers, we sponsored a child at St. Basil to attend a weekend retreat at the Rocking Horse Ranch. For the first time, the AHEPA family had a float for Veterans at the Long Island Memorial Day parade. Finally, we are most proud that our sisters provided over $700 in gift cards for our very own Penelope House in Mobile, Alabama for Founders Day. Our ILION members have enjoyed our socials & fundraisers over the last 10 months. We kicked off our year with Bowling Night, then our Founders Day Dinner and ended 2023 with Chapter Bingo and a Holiday Social. In 2024, we started with District presence and cutting our Vasilopita, as well as two successful theater nights. Furthermore, we sponsored two churches coffee hours. Our chapter fundraiser included a Comedy night, Opacize, and our Annual Anniversary Lunch. Ilion Chapter #135 Astoria, New York ΘΠ 29
Empire District #6 Alope Chapter 158, from Albany, NY, has been successfully running “OPA-cize for a Cause” since January 2020. OPA-cize is a structured dance and exercise program exclusively to Greek Music, and as we like to say the BEST fundraiser ever. One hour a week, you exercise, make new friends and raise money. A win-win-win for everyone and no one has to bake! Three of our members became certified OPA-cize instructors and over the last four years have been running a weekly class. We run one class per week and there are 3 sessions a year which run 12 to 15 weeks. Each session, we select a local charity to support and donate 50% of the proceeds. This year so far, we donated $1500 to Capital Region Menstrual Health. It was our best session ever! Yes, we made $3000 over 17 weeks charging $7 a person! The hall was packed every week, and most of the class was not Greek. We love OPA-cize because it brings us together and has introduced us to new friends from our community. Together we all get healthy dancing to fun Greek music. OPA-cize has been OPA FUN! Alope Chapter #158 Albany, New York 30 ΘΠ
Empire District #6 Medusa Chapter #345 Hicksville, New York Our annual June Dinner. Thanking all of our beautiful sisters for their work and dedication to our chapter but most of all our sisterhood! Raising money for charity and having a blast at our Music Bingo Fundraiser! Supporting The Ronald Mcdonald House NY Greek Division at it's Niki Sideris 29th annual Spring walk and Festival ΘΠ 31
Empire District #6 Hello and greetings from your NEW Sisters in West Nyack, New York, home of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. We are proud to have joined our Brother AHEPA Meteora #125 in the community. We are planning a strong start to the new year in the Fall, having just been chartered in March 2024. We joined our Brother chapter for their Kathara Deftera Kite Flying event as well as their Scholarship Dinner. Our membership has great potential for growth in order to continue the DOP mission and Sisterhood! Nikifora Chapter #457 West Nyack, New York Scholarship Awards Kathara Deftera Kite Flying 32 ΘΠ
Yankee District #7 It has been a busy 2024 attending chapter events, district visitations, mingling with our sisters, and lending a helping hand. Four chapters initiated a total of thirteen new members; kudos to Thoas Chapter 198 in Hartford for initiating nine of them! The recent District 7 convention had an impressive turnout of delegates. We were honored to have Grand Vice President Margaret Dritsas join us. The highlight was GVP Margaret’s keynote address to our AHEPA Family on “Building Bridges for Tomorrow.” She emphasized the importance of fostering strong relationships, strategic succession planning, and mentorship for the continuity and growth of our chapters. In preparing for the convention, I noticed that the Nominating Committee faced challenges in finding willing and prepared candidates to fill the three open District Lodge positions. This underscored the significance of GVP Margaret’s DOP Academy, designed to instill confidence in members to take on leadership roles at all levels. The Academy offers modules on the organization’s mission, conducting business, AHEPA family collaboration, and membership engagement. The more members know, the more comfortable and confident they will feel in accepting a position. Enjoy your summer, and don’t forget to register for the next DOP Academy session by emailing daughtersofpenelopeacademy@gmail.com. Let’s start the 2024-2025 year ready to learn and grow! 33 Elisa Marotta District Governor ΘΠ Yankee District 7 Convention, June 15, 2024, Waterbury, CT Seated: Donna Rados PDG, Penny Pecka PDG D7 Treas., Tina Smith D7 Sec., Elisa Marotta DG., Margaret Dritsas GVP, Katina Arnold D7 Marshal, Helene Moran PDG Standing: Margo Ricciardi #199, Jennifer DeMatteis #199, Pam MaCauley #181, Julie Koulouris #199, Alexis Koulouris #041, Anna Rafti #198, Athena Androulidakis #138, Maria Valkanos #181, Artemis Karamanos #138, Maria Fatibene #041, Kathy Mitas 041, Theodora Fatibene #041, Kathy Yiannoulis #041, Mary Aros #138, Helen Yeotsas #041, Maria Tougas #198, Nitsa Tsipouras #198
Yankee District #7 Thoas Chapter #198 Hartford, Connecticut What a Year! - filled with productivity, fellowship and fun. Interest in the Daughters of Penelope has strengthened and our meetings, programs and activities have been interesting and very well attended - Thanks to our dynamic president, officers and membership. In January, we cut the Vasilopita and coin winner was DG and chapter member, Elisa Marotta – with wishes for a great year. In February we worked together for our AHEPA and DOP 2nd Annual Valentine’s Dance (a spirited, fun night of music and dancing - and also a great success). In March, a “March Calendar” raffle fundraiser netted more proceeds than anticipated and (donated) prizes offered each day in the month of March were given to the lucky winner of the day... (prizes offered were great values for a $20 ticket price), and a bonus, names could be chosen twice. We were also philanthropic with warm hearts in this cold month with a drive for socks, gloves and blankets and distributed to a local homeless shelter. At April’s meeting we discussed the events before summer and celebrated our friendships with a Margarita Social. In May, we had 10 new initiates who, after initiation and meeting, gathered together for socializing and Cinco de Mayo themed refreshments. Our last meeting in June was held on a beautiful late spring evening at a local winery. Elections were held and were followed by a meal and a sampling of wonderful wines - a perfect ending to a wonderful year. EXTENDING WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND RESTFUL SUMMER TO ALL OUR SISTERS Newly initiated members Crystal Ridge Winery 34 ΘΠ
Bay State District #8 This year has been a busy one for our Chapter! It kicked off in September with our first “Walk for Penelope’s Place” a home for survivors of domestic abuse located in MA and is a national project of the Daughters of Penelope. We were thrilled to raise $6000 with our first “Walk” and look forward to our second one on Sunday, September 8, 2024. In addition to funds, we have gathered $5 coffee cards as well as holding a towel drive for the residents there. In November we hosted “Penelope’s Paint Party” with 70 attendees. We raised over $1400 and brought in new members as we all created masterpieces! In April we were invited to celebrate George Demeter Day, at the Massachusetts State House and were recognized and asked to sign the official Guest Book of the State Senate Chamber. This was followed by attending The Boston Marathon Wreath Ceremony at the Greek Consulate of Boston. We also proudly marched alongside the AHEPA family in Boston’s Greek Independence Day parade. We are now planning for a special panel discussion on Human Trafficking which will take place on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at the Maliotis Center in Boston. Moderator for the event will be Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou. The event is free and open to the public. Orion Chapter #130 Boston, Massachusetts 1st Annual Walk for Penelope’s Place. Orion Chapter #130 Welcoming in 2024! 35 ΘΠ
Northern New England District #9 36 Hello Sisters from sunny New Hampshire! We just had a very fun and moving June dinner meeting. We invited guests, and we decided to honor Sisters with Years of Service pins. After a delicious dinner and cake for dessert, the pins were presented. Starting with 10 years and all the way through 40 years, the Sisters were surprised and touched to be honored. Ilios Chapter #51 Manchester, New Hampshire ΘΠ President Elizabeth Stavropoulos said a special Thank You to her officers for the past year and had pinwheel gifts. They were fun and patriotic, as Penelope demonstrates at left. She received her 30-year pin! Pin recipients (L to R): Penelope Vasilopoulos, Elizabeth Stavropoulos, Nikki Moutsioulis, Dimitra Sverkos, Ginny Tsirimokos (hiding), Bessie Melas, Vasso Tsingos, Nicole Wu, Vivi Desjardins, Christine Samaras, Brenda Pervanas, Pam Sapienza and Toula Barber. This event highlighted the true dedication of Sisters in our Chapter. Happy Summer! Love in ΘΠ, Nicole Wu. Co-Chairmen Nicole Wu and Toula Barber.
Automotive District #10 Joanne Dau District Governor Our 93rd AHEPA Family District Convention was held on May 11 in St. Clair Shores, hosted by AHEPA Omega #371. We were delighted to have our liaison Grand Treasurer Gretchen Holtsinger join us. Chapters donated $49,634 to local and national charities, initiated 30 new members and reinstated 10 this past year. It has been exciting to see the continued growth of our eight chapters. At the banquet dinner Thamyris #272 received the Most Percentage Growth Chapter Award, Doris #157 received the Most Giving Per Capita Chapter Award, and the District Penelope of the Year was presented to Dorothea Williams from Thamyris #272. It’s been an amazing year for our sisterhood. The District Lodge Officers and Educational Foundation Board Member were given the Oath of Office by Grand Treasurer Gretchen Holtsinger. Pictured from left Grand Treasurer Gretchen Holtsinger, District Governor Joanne Dau, Lt. Governor Vicki Kiningham, District Treasurer Dimitra Boutsikakis, Maids of Athena/DOP Youth Advisor Artemis Stanisz, District Secretary Leah Marchetti, Educational Foundation Board Member Kim Tsilimingras, and District Marshal Anna Hagler. On May 19, DOP Grand President Marianthi Treppiedi and AHEPA Supreme President Savas Tsivicos attended our AHEPA District #10 Educational Foundation Scholarship Awards Luncheon where 69 high school and college students were awarded scholarships totaling $164,050. On March 30, we held our 1st Annual District #10 DAUGHTERS WHO LUNCH Event! 37 ΘΠ
Automotive District #10 Doris Chapter #157 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Greetings from Doris Chapter #157, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan! Our chapter continues to thrive with fun and fellowship. We kicked off 2024 with a Vasilopita Sale to raise funds for our annual college scholarship. In April we had an Egg Dye and Tsoureki Sale, and together with our Ladies Philoptochos, we prepared our beautiful St. George Church for a moving Holy Week and a glorious Pascha. Our sisterhood continues to grow as we welcomed new sisters at our April meeting. In May we had a blast preparing for our Mother’s Day Pastry Sale which was a great success (see picture below). The month ended on a super high note with a tremendous Memorial Day weekend at our St. George Ya’ssoo Greek Festival; we had so much fun together hosting the Greek Kafenio. We continue to keep our sisters connected by sending well wishes and birthday cards through our Sunshine Committee, and getting together for lunch with our sisters from nearby chapters. Our Doris Chapter has a full social calendar planned, including gathering together at the Hellenic Museum in downtown Detroit for Kefi Night and hosting our St. George family and local community for “Mezethes and a Movie Night” and our “Annual Harvest Night Celebration.” We pray that our sisters around the world remain healthy and happy in 2024. Ya'ssoo Fest Greek Kafenio Mother's Day Pastry Sale 38 ΘΠ
Buckeye District #11 Linda Andrews-Natale District Governor 39 ΘΠ
Buckeye District #11 Dodona Chapter #24 Toledo, Ohio Greetings from Buckeye District #11 Dodona Chapter #24 located in Toledo, Ohio. In addition to fund raising activities to support our philanthropic causes and scholarship awards, our Chapter does things just for fun! In fact, we formalized the process by creating an Entertainment Committee. Sister Lori Kamilaris chairs the Committee and is doing a wonderful job. Earlier this Spring, with help from community members, the Committee planted garden areas around the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral with a sign stating “Love Grows Here - Flowers Sponsored by Daughters of Penelope”. The Committee recently organized an Art Party held at the Toledo Botanical Gardens and taught by the talented Sister Elaine Scarvelis. Sisters used watercolor paints to create paintings that were amazingly unique although each started with the same floral design. Two other events are scheduled later this summer, a Dinner & Movie night and a Greek Dance Party. Each year the Daughters decorate a Christmas Tree at the Cathedral with blue and silver ornaments. At our monthly May 2024 meeting, we were honored by the attendance of District Officers, Governor Linda Andrews Natale from North Canton, Ohio and Treasurer Carolyn Hill from Akron, Ohio. Chapter Officers were installed and new member Melody Tsapranis was initiated. Decorating the Annual Daughters Christmas Tree: Front Row from Left to Right: Sisters Sophie Stathopoulos, Lori Kamilaris, JoAnn Cook, and Despina Pelphrey, Back Row: Sisters Stacia Dimit and Janis Plomaritis Summer Art Party Taught by Sister Elaine Scarvelis Pictured in Front Row Far Right 40 ΘΠ
Buckeye District #11 Polydama Chapter #111 Dayton, Ohio We are ending our 2023-2024 program year with wonderful memories of shared experiences, witnessing the dedication of others to help those in need, coordinating educational opportunities, and looking forward to spending time together at fun activities. District Governor, Linda Natale and District Treasurer, Carolyn Hill, joined our Sisters for a lovely dinner and celebrated the donation from our District 11, that they would be presenting to Water By Women/Water With Blessings! We have a dedicated group, which includes our Maids and sometimes AHEPAns, to prepare breakfast and lunch once a month, at the Ronald McDonald House; even if the weather is cold, and the hours are early, they show up! Our Sisters helped our Maids make Lenten Koulourakia, which they sold all 77 dozen! We had a successful Easter Tsourekia Sales! Our Sisters and our Brother AHEPAns hosted the Young at Heart Luncheon, for our YAH church parishioners. Although we seem to shine when it comes to baking and cooking, we strive to always be intentional to care for others, including when sadly, we are saying goodbye to our dearly departed Sisters. In 2024-2025 year, we look forward to continued growth and fulfilling the Mission of our Order. 41 ΘΠ
Buckeye District #11 Methone Chapter #183 Youngstown, Ohio Since January, our Methone Chapter continues to engage in activities to promote our DOP organization and have a positive impact within our community. Here’s all we did: • Co-hosted a “The Greek Comedy & Dance Night” fundraiser. Proceeds are going towards DOP national, district and local obligations and projects. • Showed how we care about our Chapter’s AHEPA House tenants by: hosting a St Patrick’s Dat Parade afternoon Party for tenants. preparing food for a Mothers’ Day Luncheon. donating and hanging St. Patrick’s Day and Easter decorations on every tenant’s apartment door. • Published our 2nd, DOP biannual Methone Newsletter. • Helped make our District 11 Mardi Gras Fundraiser a success by having the highest attendance and donating baskets for the Silent. • Volunteered during the United Way’s Satur – DAY of Caring. • Showed our personal and financial support for key community causes by attending fundraisers. • Focused on our AHEPAN family connections by inviting our neighboring DOP and AHEPA chapters to our events and attending their events as much as possible. • Donated gift cards to a family whose home was destroyed by fire. • Along with AHEPA we provided Lunch at our local Greek church for AHEPA Sunday. Greek Comedy and Dance Night Fundraiser 42 ΘΠ
Buckeye District #11 Saturn Chapter #281 Lousiville, Kentucky At our Holiday Party in December 2023 our member Margie Gregoriades brought a copy of her newly published cookbook. In addition to our annual Holiday Party, we gathered in September with several Maids of Athena members from our Louisville Chapter Epsilon Tau Alpha Chapter#72. Our Alexis Karageorge MD is our Maids co-advisor. In addition to gathering for lunch, we all attended the cinema showing of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3. Our Saturn #281 member Margie Vance Gregoriades has written and now published cookbook - A TASTE OF LEMON COOKBOOK! The soft copy is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble! A special thank you to all Daughters who support Water With Blessings with Headquarters located in Louisville, KY. The organization has changed their name to Water By Women to reflect the partner relationship with women to provide safe clean water. The women have quality of control over the water filtration technology with a simple water filter and commit to sharing with other women and their families in 45+ countries throughout the world! 43 ΘΠ
Buckeye District #11 Erinys Chapter #355 North Royalton, Ohio This year our chapter strived to emphasize the importance of philanthropy and fellowship. Starting with a new project, an on-going collection of purses and jewelry for Laura’s Home and the Journey Center for Safety and Healing, two organizations that aid victims of domestic violence. Our sisters volunteered their time at the North Royalton Community Meal, an effort by several area churches, offering a meal to the community at no cost. We assisted Maids of Athena Elpitha 274 in supporting the National Project, Boys and Girls Clubs of America. We purchased school supplies, which the Maids prepared into kits that were donated to a local chapter. We collaborated with St. Paul Ladies Philoptochos to collect household cleaning supplies that were donated to May Dugan Center - Refugee Services. Our sisters rolled up their sleeves for a “spring cleaning” at St. Paul, North Royalton, Ohio preparing the sanctuary for Pascha. We were honored to award two academic scholarships. We enjoyed fellowship at our monthly meetings and hosted speakers from local charitable organizations. Our sisters continue to volunteer their time and talents at church and in the community. We ended the year with a lovely formal meeting, initiating two new members. Welcoming our new sisters at May meeting “Spring Cleaning” at St. Paul, North Royalton 44 ΘΠ
Hoosier District #12 District 12 Lodge All Officers 2024 started with out with excitement and enthusiasm. Our lodge met every other month by “ZOOM” to discuss ways to keep our district and members active. We met with each chapter to find what it takes to keep them interested and alive. The year ended with “Hoosier Hospitality” at our District Convention in Indianapolis with the honor of hosting our Grand Secretary /Liaison Antoinette Marousis Zachariades. What a wonderful and successful day we had; meeting, laughing and enjoying the sisterhood. We are also pleased to announce a new scholarship has been added to our D12 AHEPA-DOP Foundation. The PGP Kathy Bizoukas scholarship for Leadership which will be given to individual women who show, not only scholastic qualifications but more importantly, leadership, in their lives. We would like to thank our Past District Governor, Georgia Karnezis, for her appreciation and passion for our district. Have a great summer and we are ready to start again in Sept. We would like to congratulate all the new chapter and district officers. May we all work together to continue in this sisterhood adventure. 45 ΘΠ
Hoosier District #12 Appreciation Dinner Honoring Sister Georgia Karnezis We wrapped up another great year on May 8th, when our chapter honored District Governor, Sister Georgia Karnezis with an appreciation dinner held at Briar Ridge Country Club. District #12 2023 awards were also presented to the following: Neophyte: Sister Vanessa Amanatidis Eurycleia: Sister Pat Konstantinopoulos Penelope of the Year: Sister Andrea Tsakopoulos The following officers were also elected for the 2024-2025 term: President: Sister Athena Svolos Vice President: Sister Dora Mantis Corresponding: Secretary Sister Marina Ginis Recording Secretary: Sister Patricia Makarounas Treasurer: Sister Kathy Bizoukas Wishing everyone an enjoyable summer! Pleiades Chapter #50 Hammond, Indiana Honoree Sister Georgia Karnezis Pleiades Chapter #50 members and District 12 AHEPA Governor Harry Mihailidis 46 ΘΠ
Blue Ribbon District #13 Greetings Sisters! I can’t believe the year is over already. District #13 has been very busy the second half. I’m very proud of our Chapters for all pulling together and supporting Daughters and Ahepa events. Baby steps, but the bond is being built again. In January, we had a successful MidYear Conference. We teamed up with our Ahepans to make blankets for children called ‘The Linus Project’. The District Lodge and our Scholarship Foundation jointly held a luncheon, “Celebrating Woman”, in February. We were able to raise $7000.00. The District Lodge and Hellas Chapter #9 jointly held a raffle for Meals On Wheels. Jointly we presented a check for $4000 to them in May. Doing joint ventures/fundraisers with our Sister chapters is a great way bring the Sisterhood bond stronger. District #13 wishes everyone a successful 2024/2025 year. Congratulations to all the new Chapter Officers and District Lodges. Daughters of Penelope Blue Ribbon District #13 has a rich history that includes a focus on education. Prior women’s organizations like GAPA (Greek American Progressive Association) were merged into the AHEPA in the 1930’s when the women’s auxiliary was promoted by Alexandria Apostolides. The purpose of GAPA was to integrate Greeks into the American lifestyle. Our founders saw education as the next step of progression and liberation, and eagerly supported the Ahepans’ efforts to develop scholarships. In the 1960’s our Daughters auxiliary decided to fund its own scholarship program and established The Daughters of Penelope #13 District Scholarship Foundation, Inc. Since its inception we have donated nearly $250,000 in Scholarships to both female and male students, of Hellenic decent, seeking higher education. Faye Kallas District Governor Scholarship Winners 47 ΘΠ
Blue Ribbon District #13 Hector Sisters Provide Warmth & Comfort for Children While attending the District 13 Mid-Winter Conference in January, our AHEPA counterparts asked the Daughters in attendance to participate in a special joint activity after the luncheon: to make individual tie blankets for Project Linus, a non-profit organization that provides handmade blankets to children ages 0-18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. According to their website, a total of 9,356,000+ blankets has been made and delivered since 1995. Our Sisters in attendance enjoyed working on this project, and in the spirit of philanthropy, fellowship and fun, our Chapter (Hector 107 of Milwaukee, WI) wanted to get involved with the Wisconsin Chapter of Project Linus so we could further provide warmth and comfort to these kids in need over the winter months. Since one of our very own had already been involved with this group locally, our Chapter decided that such a project would be a fun yet worthwhile project for us to support. Very soon thereafter, we purchased the fleece material and supplies, then measured, cut and tied blankets after our monthly meeting at Ss. Constantine & Helen Church. The Sisters were so enthusiastic about this endeavor that a number of them offered to work on tying the blankets at home while watching television, and within a matter of a few weeks, the entire stack of 40 blankets had been completed and delivered! This project proved to be the perfect winter activity because it kept everyone busy over the long winter months, as well as keeping the Chapter focused to complete the job without “unraveling Penelope’s loom.” Hector Chapter #107 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Hector Sisters busily working on the Project Linus blankets. 48 ΘΠ
Blue Ribbon District #13 Our chapter had a very busy winter and spring. We attended the Mid-Year Conference, a joint District Ahepa / DoP Comedy Night outing, a beautiful luncheon co-hosted by our District Lodge and the District 13 Scholarship Foundation, AHEPA District 13 Scholarship Awards Dinner and our 85th Annual District Convention. Additionally, our members are very active in their church’s Philoptochos and had a very busy season preparing for Easter and the church’s Winter and Summer Festivals. On Saturday, June 22, 2024, DoP Danae #121 will co-host a Spring Luncheon with our brother AHEPANS, Northshore 94 who will also present Scholarships to some very deserving individuals. This year the luncheon replaces our annual Chicken dinner event which we have not hosted in several years. This lovely afternoon luncheon will include a delicious chicken meal prepared by our ladies along with many homemade desserts. It is open not only to Danae Sisters, but sisters throughout our district, our brother AHEPANS and friends in our community. Immediately following the luncheon and Scholarship Awards we welcome everyone to stay for a friendly game of Pokeno. This game first released in 1930 is a combination of poker and keno and is similar to a game of Bingo. However, instead of having numbers on the game cards, there are playing cards, and the caller uses a deck of cards. All proceeds from this event will be donated to one of the many charities we support. We wish everyone a very relaxing, healthy and happy summer! Danae Chapter #121 Chicago, Illinois 49 ΘΠ
Blue Ribbon District #13 Dione Chapter #316 Maywood, Chicago, Illinois Dione Chapter #316 has been quite busy this year! We held two very successful fundraisers during 2023-2024. These allowed our chapter to support a number of philanthropic and charitable organizations, including the DOP District 13 charities, AHEPA back-to-school backpack drive, the Linus Project, the District 13 AHEPA Scholarship Foundation, and additional donations to Penelope House and Penelope Place. Dione also sponsored one of the 13th District DOP Scholarships. Additionally, thanks to Dione VP Teddi Galanis, we were able to donate 500 pairs of socks to the Midwest Veteran’s Closet and Operations Classroom, for K-12 students in the northern Illinois school districts. Dione members attended various chapter, district, and community events this year to support our fellow District 13 Sisters and AHEPANs. We are also planning a chapter service/potential new member event and a couple of new, exciting fundraisers in the coming year. A special thank you to our outgoing 2023-2024 officers and congratulations to our new 2024-2025 Dione officers who were elected and installed in May! We wish all of our DOP Sisters a safe and wonderful summer! Congratulations to our 2024-2025 Dione #316 Chapter Officers! From left to right – Demy Macheras (President), Teddi Galanis (Vice President), Tina Anagnos (Corresponding Secretary), Alexis Washa (Recording Secretary). Missing – Mary Chiakulas (Treasurer) Members of Dione #316 50 ΘΠ