March 22, 2013 Philanthropy by Philoptochos The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society blog Women Who Inspire - Part Four By: Vivian Siempos Dee Nicolaou A true embodiment of philanthropia Dee Nicolaou has been a member of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society since 1981. She has been an appointed member of the National Board since 2001. Dee Nicolaou exemplifies every part of the mission of Philoptochos. She is driven and has dedicated her life to doing work for the Church. A long time ago she vowed to God that she would continue to do good works in His name and has kept her promise, reaching out to those who need a friend, to people who need shelter, offering her shoulder to cry on and toys to children who thought there wouldn t be any. Dee grew up in Tampa, Florida where she resides with her husband Christos (Chris) of 32 years. She was raised as a Baptist and her family was very involved in the church. Dee herself participated in the youth group at her Baptist church and Dee s mother was a member of the Women s Missionary Union (WMU). Dee remembers always wanting to be
a missionary. Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow her to fulfill this dream. Her father passed away at the age of 50 and with her siblings away, she was left to help her mother. She did stay local and received her B.A. in Business Administration. I would venture to make the argument that although Dee does not have the title, it is clear that she truly is a missionary, reaching out to those who need her help and the help of the Church. Through her words and actions, she has managed to truly give hope to those who lost everything and need comfort. Her sincerity is obvious when you work with her. Dee does not do because she wants acknowledgment, she s not looking for a pat on the back, she does what she does out of an earnest belief that it is the right thing to do, that it is right for all people to be kinder, to reach out to their brethren and help in any way they can. Philoptochos has given her the vehicle by which to accomplish all these good works. Dee s devotion to the Church comes out of a truly difficult time in her life. Her first marriage was to someone who was abusive. The first seven years of their marriage, he never drank, the minute that he did, he became both verbally and physically abusive. One day, he took all his things and left for someone else. He left Dee with her two children. I thought it was the worst day of my life, Dee says, but it turned out to be the best day of my life because God sent me a wonderful husband who introduced me to the Greek Orthodox religion. God blessed me and gave me the strength and the courage to move forward with my life by getting me out of that situation, that is why I am devoting my life to serving Him and our beloved Orthodox Church. She prayed every day, If you get me through this, I will always work for you. I will help other women who have been in the same situation as I was. Dee worked three jobs and rented a room in her house so that she could support her family. She became stronger, she became a better person. God saved me, Dee reflects. She met her current husband, Chris, at the restaurant she frequented for lunch. He came to the United States from Cyprus after his required Army service to study Engineering. They dated for a while when one day he said, out of the blue, that he didn t think they should see each other anymore. He had cancer at the age of 26 and was trying to protect Dee and her children, since they had already been through so much. He endured chemotherapy for 14 months, when he was declared free of cancer, they decided to marry. In the five years that they dated, she had never met Chris mother as she wasn t Greek and had been married before and was worried about his mother s reaction. Dee and Chris were married in 1981 in St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church and God blessed them with a son, Christopher in 1983. Dee waited a year before converting as the two religions were different in ritual. When she made the decision, Dee and her two older children Sherry and Troy were Chrismated on the same day in 1982. In August she was married and in September she was cooking for the festival. She recalls an unpleasant experience on her first day as a volunteer. She sat down ready to make koulourakia when one woman, in her 80s shook her head and said, You going to roll koulourakia? No, no, no, no you are not going to roll the koulourakia, you are unsanitary, you have finger nail polish on. Dee was taken aback but she found other ways to help, manning the ovens and putting powdered sugar on the kourabiethes. She got involved in the Church with her husband. She recalls her first Philoptochos meeting, in 1981, made
her feel like an outsider but she was determined to make it work and most likely transformed that Chapter without the existing members even knowing it. She was elected Chapter President and Chapter Treasurer, spending six years in each capacity. She wanted to make progress and started her Chapter newsletter which ended up winning a National Philoptochos Award. At one point in her life she was Philoptochos Chapter President, Philoptochos Metropolis President and a member of her Parish Council all at the same time and never missed a meeting in any of these positions. Although not being of Greek heritage has caused her to question her belonging, to this day, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios once told her, You re more Greek than anyone I know. She became Treasurer of Atlanta Metropolis Board in 1999 for two years and then was elected President for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Dee served as Metropolis Treasurer again from 2009 2011 and is currently serving as Metropolis Treasurer for 2011 2013. As she says, I know what it s like to need help and not be able to get it. I love helping people. God blessed me with a good husband (Chris) and a good job (Dee worked at Honeywell as the Director of Production Control and Planning, in charge of 1,500 people. She ensured that they had all the supplies and equipment to make Honeywell company products and to ship the products in a timely manner.) The Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving every year and on many other occasions, Dee would visit the Child Abuse Council which served children in the Rainbow Program that had been taken away from their parents. I wouldn t spend my time anywhere else, giving of one s self is worth more than any amount of money, you get more out of it than you put in, Dee says of her experience. When Hurricane Katrina struck, causing devastating within the Metropolis of Atlanta and leaving families and individuals in desperate situations, Dee was the Metropolis of Atlanta Philoptochos President. Metropolitan Alexios asked her to take on the cause and Dee went in with both feet. His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios and His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Xanthos appointed Dee on the National Council of Churches Rebuilding the Gulf States Commission, she was the only person assigned that wasn t a priest. She went with the Council to Washington D.C. to lobby various members of Congress. She met with various government organizations including FEMA and ACORN inquiring about what was going on and why the response was so slow. Dee coordinated efforts with the IOCC, going out and meeting the people affected and seeing the destruction first-hand. She realized that there was nothing in place for Greek Orthodox Disaster Relief and this prompted her to get one FEMA certificate and subsequently 37 FEMA certifications in total, including how to set up a disaster response center, developing volunteers, and effective communication. Dee was handling Hurricane Katrina funds for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, National Philoptochos, and the Metropolis of Atlanta. Monetary aide totaling $1,011,998.was distributed. Home Depot Gift Cards in the amount of $60,915.16 were purchased for the distribution of 29 Washers 29 Dryers, 17 Stoves, 21 Refrigerators, 9 Dishwashers and 17 Microwaves. She made 76 Easter baskets for the children affected and on Christmas they
gave out cards and checks to families. Dee still receives cards and pictures from the families that were helped by the Church. The Hurricane Katrina relief efforts included an Adopt-a-Family campaign; $173,964.35 was given for other items that would help those affected rebuild their lives. Dee spoke to every single person that she gave money to; she personally handed out applications and interviewed the individuals and families. There are two events that she remembers vividly. She met a man named Mr. Alex who had lost his legs. He lost his wheelchair in Hurricane Katrina. Dee facilitated the procurement of another wheelchair and personally shipped it to him. When she visited his parish, Holy Trinity in Biloxi, Mississippi she looked through the doorway, and there was Mr. Alex in his wheelchair. She couldn t help but cry. She had given him his means of transportation back, his life. He gave her a big hug and thanked her with all is heart. She remembers a family that had lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They were living in a tent on a slab where their house had been. The little girl from the family came up to her in Church, I m Ruthie, she said, We all came to see you. I want to thank you for what you ve done for us. She handed Dee a bag with a thank you card and a bottle of perfume inside. Dee told the little girl that she hadn t done anything, but little Ruthie corrected her, If it wasn t for you and Philoptochos, we wouldn t even have a tent. She saw them in November and when she asked Ruthie what she was going to get from Santa, Ruthie told Dee that Santa wasn t coming this year. Dee was certainly not going to let that happen and in the end, Dee made sure Santa did make an appearance. When she was visiting Holy Trinity Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana she heard the same little voice calling her, Miss Dee, my Mom and Dad thought you might be here today so we all came. Dee looked up and the entire family including grandparents, aunts and uncles had come to see her. Dee believes that personal contact needs to be present to truly influence people. She received a call one day from a woman, Maria, who had been displaced and was living in a trailer in Texas. She called to request an icon for her mother who missed going to Church since there was no Greek Orthodox Church close by. Maria s mother called her when she received the icon, she cried and cried over the phone and said to Dee, I feel like I have God with me again. Maria asked Dee on the phone, what can I do to repay Philoptochos for their kindness and generosity? Dee said, All I want you to do is join Philoptochos so you can help others who are in situations like yours. Maria sent Dee a card and pictures of her kids and wrote her a letter, I always tried to hide when Philoptochos was looking for new members, believing that I didn t have time for it but I will make time for Philoptochos now. When Dee spoke to Maria again, she had joined Philoptochos, became the Secretary of her Chapter and was working in the office of her local Church. During Coffee Hour after Church, Dee met a non-orthodox woman who looked depressed and needed someone to talk to so Dee introduced herself as Philoptochos President and arranged to meet her for lunch. The woman needed someone to talk to and Dee offered her ears, and in so doing, offered comfort and reassurance that God would take care of her needs. The woman converted to Orthodoxy and Dee became her Godmother. Her Goddaughter is an attorney, she offered her services bro bono for Philoptochos, became a Philoptochos member, and donated $25,000 in honor of Dee to start a fund for Clergy
Education Scholarships for Hellenic College Holy Cross Seminarians from the Metropolis of Atlanta and for Continuing Clergy Education Retreats for the Metropolis Priests. Dee recalls, She just needed a friend that day. Dee s belief and love of Philoptochos rubs off on others, her dedication is contagious. Dee went to Church for months before anyone spoke to her, she remembers that time like it was yesterday and vows that that will not happen to someone else, at least not while she is present. When she was Metropolis President she would visit Chapters in her Metropolis and would stay with Chapter Presidents or other members of the Chapters so that she could really bond and hear what issues they were facing and what great things they were doing. Dee is personable and kind and it is no wonder that she is welcomed wherever she goes with open arms and has lasting bonds with those she meets. Dee believes that the youth is the future of Philoptochos and that all members, young and old alike, must share their ideas and experiences as that is the only way the Philoptochos legacy may continue. You have to have enthusiasm and share that enthusiasm with others. As Dee says, All Philotochos members must work together as a team to accomplish our mission of helping the less fortunate now and in future. Dee has been and continues to be responsible for facilitating the National Philoptochos Adopt-a-Family program for Hurricane Sandy victims in the Direct Archdiocesan District and the Metropolis of New Jersey. As of March 19, 2013, $14,397 in gift cards has been received from Philoptochos Chapters and individuals nationwide, but the needs of these victims will continue for a long time. If you would like more information or would like to participate, please contact Dee at: nicolaou@msn.com or at 813.991.9026. Dee has won many awards for her dedication and service. Everything she does is done with humility which is the reason why it is necessary to acknowledge the awards that she has received for service as she probably won t tell you about them herself. In 2001 she was awarded the Atlanta Archangel Michael Community Service Award. In 2003 she was awarded the St. Paul Medal from Archbishop Demetrios. And in 2005 Dee was awarded the IOCC Outstanding Service Award. Dee will never stop being a dedicated philanthropist, no matter how many awards and accolades she receives; this is what makes her an inspiration and a true embodiment of philanthropia.