Thank You for the Successful St. Nicholas Luncheon

 

The St. Nicholas luncheon is an annual tradition that the Cathedral Philoptochos hosts. Our community looks forward to celebrating together during this festive season. Proceeds from this event are used to help organizations that support disadvantaged children and youth. For example, the Philoptochos used proceeds from the 2023 event to make a donation to the St. Basil Academy Experience Fund, which supports enrichment activities for the children and youth at the academy so they can take dance lessons, therapeutic art classes, and special excursions to places like the museum, aquarium, or zoo. We were also able to make a donation for a scholarship to the Metropolis of Boston summer camp. 

Thank you to the Toubekis and Akrivlellis families for generously donating the meal in memory of Nick Toubekis, who passed away in 2023. He was a kind man, who volunteered at the Cathedral, and enjoyed attending the St. Nicholas luncheon every year. We miss him dearly. 

Thank you to Fran Giannakopoulos and Lula Kiflit who served as the co-chairs of this year’s event. They spent countless hours before and during the luncheon to ensure that the event ran smoothly. We appreciate Anna Eliopoulos for once again using her masterful skills to prepare the delicious meal along with her helpers in the kitchen, her husband Charlie, and Larry Giannakopoulos and Paul Koutris.

Kally Badavas and Elizabeth Torres had the difficult task of handling the ticket sales and table seating and did a remarkable job.  

A big thank you to Mary Cleary for once again donating the lovely cake in memory of her dear parents, Litsa Bouritsas for baking paximadakia, and to Maria Tamvokologos for donating the beautiful poinsettias that decorated the tables. Jane Senopoulos was kind enough to make stockings filled with treats for the children in attendance. 

The Philoptochos board would also like to acknowledge Ross Triant and Teddy and Chuck Papaslis for picking up the supplies and dropping them off. And Bob Badavas, Mark Harshman, John Torres, John Georgountzos and Peter Senopoulos. Whenever we ask for help, those men are always willing to step up. 

A special thank you to three young men who volunteer to serve every year: Teddy Torres, Tyler Gordon, and Anthony Gordon.  They do it with a smile and a generous spirit and if we had more young people who were as committed as they are, our church would be better positioned for success. 

We are grateful for the support of Parish Council President Jim Tringas. And lastly, thank you to such a dedicated Philoptochos board for all their work and donations, including the amazing raffle prizes. And speaking of raffle prizes, thank you to Bob and Kally Badavas for donating the tickets to the Celtics game as a special surprise raffle prize. 

Finally, the Cathedral is blessed to have dedicated Philoptochos Boad that truly believes in the mission of serving the poor, hungry, and sick. The board members serve with love and compassion as they strive to fulfill this mission and are united in their love for the Cathedral. 

Thank you to all who attended the event and Merry Christmas.