When a devastating earthquake shook the Ionian Islands in 1953, Philoptochos once again rallied its chapters to offer assistance, sending food, clothing, medicine, and financial support to the stricken inhabitants.
In 1956, a new plateau was reached when, for the first time, the National Philoptochos Conference was convened simultaneously with the Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congress in Washington, DC.
When Archbishop Michael founded a home for senior citizens in Yonkers, NY in 1958, the Society hosted many fund-raising events to furnish the rooms of the Home.
That was Philoptochos in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, Philoptochos rejected Timothy Leary’s admonition to, “Turn On and Tune Out,” and instead, joined the Beatles’ proclamation that, “All You Need Is Love.” During that tempestuous decade, while Archbishop Iakovos marched side by side with Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil rights in Selma, Alabama, Philoptochos discovered the strength of combined spirit.
Archbishop Iakovos encouraged the Philoptochos to review and expand its humanitarian programs.
That was Philoptochos in the 1960s.
The Philoptochos Society began the 1970s with new vigor, as its membership increased and new national and ecumenical humanitarian and educational programs were undertaken.
When Patriarch Athenagoras, the founder of Philoptochos, died suddenly, Philoptochos established a scholarship at the Holy Cross School of Theology in his name. In addition, many donations were made in his memory across the US and in Greece. This was the beginning of a scholarship program for the students of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology that exists to this day.
A new Cardiac Program for Greek children was established, and thousands of dollars were raised annually to help Greek children with heart ailments.
In July 1974, when Turkey invaded Cyprus and 250,000 refugees fled their homes, Philoptochos launched a 6-point program to help:
Cypriot children visit US to thank Philoptochos for its support
Subsequently, Archbishop Iakovos announced that, for the first time, he would appoint women to the Archdiocesan Council.
At this time, Philoptochos also established St. Photios Shrine as a national commitment. The Shrine had been established in 1965 and was dedicated to the first Greek settlers who arrived in the New World.
When the Archdiocese reorganized with a new Charter at the Detroit conference in 1978, Philoptochos also reorganized its structure with a new Constitution and By-laws, establishing the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc. At that time, a historic plateau was announced: an estimated $1,000,000 had been disbursed to worthy causes between 1976-1978.
On the occasion of Archbishop Iakovos’ 20th anniversary in 1979, Philoptochos announced a $500,000 project at St. Basil Academy, the building of The Archbishop Iakovos Athletic Center, for which the Daughters of Penelope also pledged the funds to build the swimming pool.
That was Philoptochos in the 1970s.
The new decade witnessed a coming of age for Philoptochos. Philoptochos transcended the confines of the Greek Community to embrace the entire world, evolving from a parochial philanthropic organization established to assist the early Greek immigrants, to a relevant, philanthropic organization involved with national and international concerns.
Turning against the “Me Generation” tide of the 1980s, Philoptochos expanded its horizons to address pressing social and moral issues, presenting position papers on:
In addition, Philoptochos sponsored a combined forum on AIDS at a Clergy Laity Congress, bringing medical and psychiatric experts together with religious leaders to discuss the broad spectrum of issues involved in the AIDS crisis.
At the same time, Philoptochos expanded its support for a variety of causes, including Cooley’s Anemia, the Heart Fund, Arthritis and Cancer Foundations, American Red Cross, American Foundation for the Blind, Cambodian Refugee Fund, Easter Seals Telethon, and Cerebral Palsy drives.
That was Philoptochos in the 1980s.
The 1990s witnessed the evolution of the Cancer Fund luncheon into the Children’s Medical Fund Luncheon, which still exists today as a biennial fundraising event of the Philoptochos Society.
The Cancer Fund Luncheon was first held in 1989 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City with over 700 guests in attendance. At that time, many children came to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City from Greece for cancer treatment. A second equally successful luncheon followed in 1990 after which time it was decided that the event should be held throughout the United States to benefit programs in other parts of the country.
Thus, in 1991, it was renamed the Children’s Medical Fund Luncheon, and it became a biennial event hosted on a rotating basis in the nine dioceses across the country. Since its inception, the Children’s Medical Fund has raised nearly $4 million dollars for children’s hospitals and research programs, as well as special programs that serve the needs of ill and fragile children, along with assistance to individuals and their families throughout the United States and in other parts of the world.
At the end of the decade, Philoptochos took two significant steps to increase the security and transparency of its finances and its social service protocol. The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc. Guidelines were established to outline all financial procedures and transactions; the Social Service Guidelines were also established to ensure that all requests for support were reviewed by the two Social Service Chairs, the Treasurers, the bookkeeper, and the President. These two sets of guidelines have been reviewed and updated throughout the years and serve as a model for ethical, secure, and transparent policies.
That was Philoptochos in the 1990s.
At the dawn of the new century, Philoptochos established a goal to extend its outreach even further by incorporating new programs with a global reach to serve humankind with greater and broader scope.
In keeping with this goal, Philoptochos formed a partnership with International Orthodox Christian Charities to build two children’s medical clinics in Africa, one in Woliso, Ethiopia, and another in Parktown, Zimbabwe. In addition, Chapters participated in an AIDS walk-a-thon to raise funds to support Orthodox children in Ethiopia who had been orphaned due to AIDS.
The Wheelchair Project also provided international aid. Two containers, each with 280 wheelchairs, were delivered to people in the Republic of Georgia and in Thessaloniki, Greece, restoring mobility to handicapped residents. In addition, Philoptochos funds provided vocational training for the 560 individuals who received these wheelchairs. Philoptochos also provided additional funding for transportation from the US to Zimbabwe of pediatric wheelchairs, mobility devices, and other durable medical equipment for over 200 children. The Wheelchair Project provided the gift of mobility, restoring dignity, hope and quality of life to the recipients.
An unprecedented need for emergency relief at the beginning of the century resulted in the establishment of the National Philoptochos Emergency Fund, which enabled Philoptochos to provide immediate response and assistance following national and international disasters. Because of the Emergency Fund, Philoptochos was a first responder on the ground in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, providing safe drinking water to displaced residents of New Orleans. Immediate support was also provided for victims of the Florida hurricanes, Asian earthquake and tsunami, Greek fires, California fires and mudslides, and Iowa floods.
Another new fund established at this time was the 75th Anniversary Founders Fund. This fund honored the founders of Philoptochos on its 75th anniversary. It was established to fund programming and provide support for senior citizens.
Of course, even as Philoptochos expanded the scope of its good works internationally, it continued its dedicated, heartfelt support of its Archdiocesan ministries and commitments.
At the end of the decade, Philoptochos was presented with a new challenge. Because of expanding needs at the Archdiocesan Holy Trinity Cathedral in Manhattan, Philoptochos was asked to vacate its offices, where it had operated since 1990. Finding a new home for its operations was critical for Philoptochos. Philoptochos signed a two-year lease for temporary office space at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in NYC.
That was Philoptochos in the first decade of the 21st century.
After investigating options for its future, the National Philoptochos Board decided that the most prudent long-term solution would be to purchase a permanent home, the Philoptochos Center of Philanthropy. This decision was resoundingly supported at the 2010 Biennial National Convention in Atlanta, GA. A search to find an appropriate building and a fund raising campaign began immediately. In November 2012, Philoptochos purchased a brownstone in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan for $3 million. Philoptochos had raised $2.1 million in cash and took out a short-term mortgage for the balance of $900,000. Within 18 months, the mortgage was paid off and an additional $100,000 was deposited in an Evergreen Fund for emergencies.
Notwithstanding the incredibly successful fundraising campaign that Philoptochos waged for the Philoptochos Center of Philanthropy, Philoptochos once again harnessed the power of its 400+ chapters to support the campaign to build Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center, raising over $1.5 million. St. Nicholas will forever stand as a place of healing for the nation following the destruction of the terrorist attack on 9/11. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, St. Nicholas is a testament to the restorative power of goodness. As it says in Isaiah 61:3, “Glory instead of ashes.”
Philoptochos continued its philanthropic programming concurrently with fundraising. During the second decade of the century, Philoptochos pursued a Return to Basics. In addition to the remarkable fundraising machine it had become, raising funds to purchase the Center of Philanthropy and for St. Nicholas Church and Shrine, and annually raising between one and two million dollars for its national and international ministries, commitments and projects, Philoptochos sought to more fully engage its members in hands-on philanthropic work. Accordingly, it established the following initiatives:
Chapters worked cooperatively with the youth in their parishes to provide good deeds in their communities.
Chapters collected warm coats for the homeless during the winter months.
Chapters designed projects to provide housing and supplies to veterans and planned celebrations to honor them.
Chapters across the nation provided over 2.1 million meals in a 5-year period.
Chapters adopted an underserved school in their local community and provided school supplies, clothing, personal hygiene projects, and weekend food.
In addition, National Philoptochos developed educational initiatives — programs on topical issues of concern to its communities. Philoptochos chapters then worked together with their parish organizations to present the programs to their communities. Topics included:
The expansion of Philoptochos’ programs over the decades caused Archbishop Demetrios to observe: “You have surpassed your original philanthropic mission. You are not only philoptochos,” he said, “but also philotheos, philadelphos, philanthropos, and philoxenos.” — Not only Friends of the Needy, but also Friends of God, Friends of Neighbors, Friends of Humanity, and Friends of Strangers. It is this expanded vision of Philoptochos that will take us beyond our 100th anniversary, ensuring our existence and relevance to our members and our parish communities.
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