Leadership 100 Elects New Officers Grant Commitments Near $3 Million
The Board of Trustees of Leadership 100, meeting at the 17th Annual Leadership 100 Conference in Palm Desert, California, elected Stephen G. Yeonas of McLean, Virginia as Chairman, who succeeds George D. Behrakis of Lowell, Massachusetts, who told the Trustees that his two-year term as Chairman was the appropriate length of service. Archbishop Demetrios of America praised Behrakis for his accomplishments in increasing membership, contributions and endowment funds and in launching the 25th Anniversary Fund with a goal of 1,000 members and $100 million in endowment funds in order to increase grants to $5 million a year by the 25th Anniversary of the organization in 2009.
Constantine G. Caras of Greenville, Delaware was elected Vice Chairman and George E. Safiol of Weston, Massachusetts was elected Treasurer. Mark D. Stavropoulos of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan remained as Secretary. In other actions, the Board elected five members to the Executive Committee, including Constantine G. Caras and George E. Safiol. The others elected were Chris W. Caras of Palos Verdes Estates, California, Charles H. Cotros of Memphis, Tennessee and Louis Nicozisis of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Leadership 100 Executive Committee earlier had approved additional grants of more than $1 million, increasing total grants for 2008 to $2.9 million. New grants were made primarily to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, including the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries ($150,000), Office of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations ($250,000 over two years), Department of Outreach and Evangelism for Home Mission Parishes ($105,000), Saint Basil Academy for “The Archpastorate of Archbishop Michael” ($69,300), Center for Family Care (conditional grant of $175,000), the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians ($80,000) and Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology “Leadership 100 Scholarship Fund” ($285,000). Continuing grants for 2008 included $1 million for the scholarship fund, $250,000 for a technology infrastructure at the school, $100,000 for a Family Wellness Center in the Metropolis of San Franciso, and more than $400,000 to departments of the Archdiocese.
Charles A. Kroll, Chief Financial Officer of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology, expressed gratitude to Leadership 100 for the 10-year $10 million commitment to the scholarship program and the additional monies granted in 2008. In a comprehensive report, he demonstrated that the rise in vocations to the priesthood and ordinations was largely due to the program. However he expressed concern that the school would face a crisis in providing future support without an extension of the Leadership 100 program, which he proposed should be matched by greater local and Metropolis support.
Leadership 100 is the largest Greek American membership and charitable organization in the United States, holding more than $84 million in assets. It has distributed more than $25 million in grants advancing Orthodoxy and Hellenism since its inception in 1984.
