Hellenic Hearts will mark its 10th annual gala on May 31, celebrating a decade of scholarships and community aid rooted in the Philadelphia Greek-American community.
The Philadelphia-based nonprofit began more than a decade ago with a local focus and has since expanded its support through scholarship, grant, and aid programs. After this year’s gala, Hellenic Hearts will have raised and distributed more than $500,000 in aid, scholarships, and grants in the community.
One of its central efforts is the Philadelphia Scholar Program, which awards four $7,500 scholarships and has grown beyond financial assistance to include mentorship, networking, and possible internship connections for students. In the interview, Michael Angelos, who co-chairs that portion of Hellenic Hearts, discusses how the program has evolved from scholarships and SAT tutoring into a broader support network for young people.
This year’s honoree is Georgia Athanasopoulos, Consul General of Panama in Philadelphia and a longtime figure in the city’s diplomatic and Greek Orthodox communities. Her public service has included strengthening ties between Panama and the Delaware Valley, serving as Dean of the Consular Corps of Philadelphia, helping establish St. Nicholas Church in Havana, Cuba, and supporting fundraising efforts for the Children’s Hospital of Panama.
The organization’s support now reaches beyond the local community. In the interview, Angelos names Hellenic College Holy Cross, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation, the National Hellenic Society, FOCUS Philadelphia, and St. Basil Orphanage among the organizations connected to this year’s giving. The foundation’s full public name is the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation: For the Sacred See of Saint Andrew.
The gala will be followed on June 1 by the organization’s golf invitational. Tickets for the gala will not be sold at the door, and registration information is available through Hellenic Hearts.
Angelos also thanked the sponsors, attendees, and volunteers who have supported Hellenic Hearts during its first decade, calling the $500,000 milestone “something that we’re very proud of,” while adding that the organization sees it as “just the start of this organization’s impact.”