Archbishop Elpidophoros Nameday Gala raises over $400,000 for Archdiocesan Summer Camp Scholarships

On Sunday, November 5, at Capitale in New York City more than 500 attendees joined in the revival by Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Archbishop’s Nameday Gala, the historic Archdiocesan tradition that once brought people from every corner of the Archdiocese together during the tenure of the late Archbishop Iakovos. The Gala, following its original model, sought to raise funds for a worthy cause within the Archdiocese.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros at Nameday Gala.

In its renewed form, the Archbishop’s Nameday Gala supported the newly established Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. Archbishop Elpidophoros, in establishing the Fund, demonstrates his commitment to ensuring that every child within the Archdiocese, regardless of their financial circumstances, can take part in the Archdiocesan and Metropolis summer camps. This includes the summer camping program, Ionian Village, in Greece.

The evening, in which Anthoula Katsimatidis served as mistress of ceremonies, featured inspiring addresses from various distinguished speakers, including Gala Co-Chairs Stephanie Litsakis Clark and James Polos, Eva Konstantakos, the Archdiocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Alexander Kuvshinoff, former Program Director of Ionian Village, and the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Archimandrite Nektarios Papazafiropoulos.

Archbishop Elpidophoros stated in his remarks, “The camps are very active places, but our young people find the inner rest that the Lord spoke of to His Disciples. That spiritual ἀνάπαυσις restores the balance to one’s walk with Christ. All of this is made possible by the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund, providing the children of the Archdiocese with equal access to the diverse programs throughout the Archdiocese, especially Ionian Village, which can be a challenge for many families. Your generosity will give these campers that life-changing opportunity to go away, for a little while, with the Lord and His ministers.”

Following the Archbishop’s inspiring words, a video presentation emphasized the crucial role that each individual, parish, and organization can play in transforming the lives of numerous young people across our Archdiocese. The video, narrated by the Protopresbyter Fr. Alexander Karloutsos and produced by MG Productions, fervently appealed to all the faithful.

During the culminating segment of the evening, attendees united to contribute generously to the new Scholarship Fund. The paddle raise was initiated by Vice-Chair of the Archdiocesan Council, John Catsimatidis, who graciously donated $25,000 and encouraged others to support this noble cause. By the end of the night, total contributions to the Scholarship Fund, including ticket sales and sponsorships, exceeded $400,000.