Dear Holy Trinity Family,
As we begin our Lenten journey, we enter a sacred season, walking together as a community through a time of prayer, reflection, and growth. Lent reminds us that faith is not lived in isolation, but shared through encouragement, service, and grace. Lent invites us to slow down,to listen more closely for God’s voice, and to examine our hearts with honesty and hope. It is not a journey we take alone, but one we walk as a community.
Although we enter a more somber season, our Philoptochos continues its mission to support many individuals, families and causes through our various Outreach ministries. We can only do this with your continued involvement and contributions to our fundraisers and we are very grateful for the community’s generosity. We praise God and thank you all for believing in our good works.
Since my last letter, our chapter has continued to remain busy. In December, we ended our Yarn Drive to benefit the women at the Taconic State Correctional Facility. With your contributions, we collected 502 skeins of yarn! Many thanks to Despina Kartson and Stephanie Madouros for delivering the yarn. We also gave yarn to the women of the Valhalla Jail. Those women, with the guidance of George Kourakos, crocheted and knitted lap blankets which were gifted to the residents of St. Michael’s Home as Christmas gifts. I joined our Holy Trinity JOY children, parents, and Fr. Demetrios to hand out the blankets, along with cookies and to sing a few Christmas carols. It was a beautiful afternoon!
On December 11th, our chapter held its annual Candlelight Dinner. I am delighted to share with you that this important fundraiser netted $21,000! There were 220 attendees who enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by our own chef Manny Louros (God Bless Manny), in our Social Hall which was decorated in a candy cane theme from the entry walk, through an arch, carrying the theme throughout the Hall and to the beautifully decorated urns and raffle prizes. It was a merry evening for all to enjoy! Everyone was happy to honor Stephanie Madouros, a past president of our Philoptochos chapter, in recognition of her many years of dedicated service, not only to our chapter but also to our parish community. Many thanks to our co-chairwomen Anna Damianides and Maria Valliades and to all those who worked so tirelessly, to make this event memorable and enjoyable. Thank you to all who supported our chapter by attending and donating raffle prizes. This successful fundraiser has ignited the new year with our ability to donate to special requests, such as assisting someone in need with rent expenses, medical costs, and other important needs, along with various charities through our Board voting.
After Liturgy on December 14th, our chapter held its annual Hats, Gloves, andScarves for the Homeless Sale. Members of the community had the opportunity to purchase a set of these warm items. It was a snowy morning, and our Church was light in attendance. Despina Kartson, George Kourakos, and I were there since these items were to be distributed that Thursday at the Soup Run in NYC. With the generous attendees at the coffee hour and a few donations, we raised $610! Many thanks to Sylvia Chandras, our Knitting Club, and George Kourakos and the women at Valhalla Prison for their talent in creating these hats and scarves to gift these items to those in need.
On January 25th, our first General Membership Meeting of the year was scheduled to be held in the Daskos Room following the Liturgy to discuss and approve the Proposed Budget for 2026. As I write this letter, there is an impending snowstorm, and I don’t know if this meeting will take place. (update of this in my next letter)
Presently ongoing is our Membership Drive. Please renew your membership for 2026. We had 185 Philoptochos members last year and we are hoping to surpass it! Your membership speaks volumes and I thank you for you love and trust in our philanthropic organization. We strive on our transparency and our good works seen throughout the year through our many ministries and involvement in our community that all of you are encouraged to participate in. Please remember our Philoptochos chapter has a Book Club, led by Denise Venturas. Anyone can join on the third Thursday of each month. See photos and read about all our Clubs and Ministries on our social media and Church’s website at www.holytrinitynr.org. Kindly stop by the Philoptochos table at our HT coffee hour to join and speak with any of the co-chairwomen of the membership committee, Tina Pantginis, Eirinni Copulos, Tara Fell, Maria Fotiadis, and Maria Kohilakis. We accept cash, checks made out to Ladies Philoptochos Society of Holy Trinity, credit cards, Zelle and through Eventbrite!
The annual Presanctified Divine Liturgy dedicated to our chapter will take place on Wednesday, March 18th followed by a Lenten meal and Speaker. Look for an upcoming flyer for more details. Our popular Easter Market where you may buy delicious homemade Lenten and Paschal foods, will be back this Spring! Our co-chairwomen Andrea Nicholas and Elizabeth Zoulis are already busy with the planning and preparations. Proceeds from this fundraiser directly support our ministries and other philanthropic endeavors. Please look out for the mailing and email for more details.
I’m very proud to share that in 2025, our Philoptochos Chapter donated over $80,000 towards our Philoptochos commitments, our Holy Trinity Community, and various charities within our district and abroad! We also provided 9,242 meals to people in need through our Philoptochos Outreach Ministries! These wonderful accomplishments do not happen alone, but through a journey that we walk as a community, supporting one another, as we pray, fast, give, and grow in love. Let us trust that God is at work among us and within us. Thank you all for being part of this journey, for your commitment to one another and the love and support you show others. Kalo Pascha!
With Love and much appreciation,
Angie Lambros, Philoptochos President
(Alambros22@gmail.com)
