Nora Presti and Anthie Zairis hosted an Evening of Hope in Washington on March 1, 2013 raising more than $8,000 for the Greek America Foundation’s Project Hope for Greece.
Longtime friends, koubaroi and business partners, Nora and Anthie also share a passion for their Greek heritage, a love for their homeland and the hope that Greece will one day soon recover from the ongoing economic crisis.
All the bad news coming out of Greece and the experiences shared by friends and family back home ignited a spark in them that mobilized them to action. Upon hearing of the Greek America Foundation’s Project Hope for Greece initiative, they knew it was the most immediate way for them to provide some desperately-needed assistance to the people of Greece.
Nora and Anthie welcomed their guests to an Evening of Hope. Candlelight softly glowed and music gently played as their guests enjoyed cocktails and a vast array of hors d’oeuvres.
Throughout the evening, Nora and Anthie presented an informative PowerPoint which introduced Project Hope and described the deteriorating living conditions in Greece. Following Anthie’s remarks, Nora spoke about why she and Anthie felt compelled to become Ambassadors of Hope.
In turn, Metropolitan Panteleimon stressed how important it is for Greek Americans to take pride in their language, culture and traditions.
The guest speaker was Constantinos Vouzakis from Greece. He spoke about his decision to extend his search for employment all the way to the United States and offered a personal account of the difficulties faced by himself and a growing number of jobless in Greece.
Gregory Pappas, the founder of the Greek America Foundation, called in from New York to thank the guests for their support. He also stressed the Greek America Foundation’s promise that every penny of the money donated will go towards helping charity organizations in Greece.
The success of the event was also made possible by the generous donations from various businesses (Yamas Mediterranean Grill, Yiayia’s Bakery, Giorgio’s Family Restaurant, Samos Restaurant, Stella’s Bakery, Greek Island Grill, New Athens Corner) of food and wine. Anthie and Nora also extend a special thank you to the band Orpheus for volunteering their time in support of Project Hope.