About St. Helen Philoptochos Chapter of the Ladies Philoptochos Society.

The Ladies Philoptochos Society of Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church consists of women in the Parish whose main objectives are of a charitable and philanthropic nature. Our Philoptochos was established in 1979 at which time the concept of Circles was introduced by Father Theodore Phillips. The Circles described below report to the Philoptochos Board which meets monthly or as needed. The General Meeting with all members meets quarterly. Each member is requested to join one of the three Circles.

As the major philanthropic organization of our church, Philoptochos members help support many worthwhile activities and charities.

Just what are those activities and charities?
Through our three circles, Agape, Elpis, and Pistis, and other activities and programs we provide a wide range of services. The Agape Circle provides a personal touch of comfort, support and fellowship to others. The Pistis Circle takes care of the special religious items such as holy water, palm crosses, the Epitaphio, weekly prosphoron, flowers and cleaning of the sacred utensils. The Elpis Circle coordinates major events and fundraising activities such as the membership tea, Palm Sunday luncheon and a major fundraising event among others. In addition, we participate in community activities such as the Holiday Basket Program with Community Resource Center and the homeless feeding program with Two Fishes.

What happens to the money we raise?
Annually, we give over $20,000 to support our church-based institutions such as International Orthodox Charities, St. Basil's Academy, Hellenic College/Holy Cross, St. Nicholas Ranch, our Mission priests and our seminary school students as well as to outside charities such as Community Resource Center, Elizabeth Hospice, Kids 'n' Cancer, San Diego Food Bank, Voices for Children, Autism Assistance, the Cancer Fund, UNICEF, Haiti Relief Fund among others. In addition, we have provided financial assistance for individual needs within our community and to our parishioners.

I'm so busy already, I don't think I can do much for Philoptochos.
Just by joining and giving us your membership dues, you help us to continue the financial support of the many charities we sponsor. Hopefully, many of you also will be able to participate in some of the activities of our various Circles and provide the participation that makes our growing organization strong and valuable to our community.

How do I join?

Please take a moment to fill out our Membership Profile. Simply mail the completed form to the address below.

Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church
Attn: Marianne Pekos, St. Helen Philoptochos
3459 Manchester Ave.
Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007

The amount you give is up to you. The National and Metropolis Philoptochos treasuries receive a total of $25 of every member's stewardship. Whatever you give above and beyond $25 stays in our chapter to do good works for our Philoptochos ministries as well as supporting our church. You can join any time and get involved as much or as little as you would like. Please make checks payable to St. Helen Philoptochos. Thank you for your love and support.

OFFICERS
President:	Irene Mylonas
1st Vice President:	Carolyn Koumaras
2nd Vice President:	Cynthia Van Buskirk
Recording Secretary:	Michelle Pekos
Corresponding Secretary:	Diane Truesdell
Treasurer:	Nicki Cometa
Assistant Treasurer:	Gail Slemon
Advisor/Historian:	Carolyn Grage
Agape Chair:	Pauline Tsoris
	Matina Dale
Elpis:	Lorena Daniel
	Argie Demas
	Anne Panagakos
	Alexis Ranglas
Pistis Chair:	Helen Crisafi
	Christine Dorudian
Jr. Philoptochos/Angels	Rene Grevas
Membership:	Marianne Pekos
Special Projects:	Maria Leslie Georgiou
Newsletter:	Diane Truesdell
Parliamentarian:	Carolyn Koumaras
Charity Liaison:	Cynthia Van Buskirk