St. Vasilios Parent Teachers’ Association

Contact Irene C Duros, Chairlady of P.T.A to offer your assistance at:  PTA@stvasilios.org

On March 14, 1957, some women (mostly parents and teachers of the St. Vasilios community) with a strong vision got together with the purpose and object of forming a constitution under the name of the St. Vasilios Parent Teachers' Association (P.T.A.). This group of women who were enthusiastic, supportive of each other, and hard-working created this association under the direction of their first president, Mrs. Theodora Zolotas. Its main purpose is to preserve the future of the church by upholding our Orthodox religion and our Greek culture, language, and customs through our youth programs such as Greek & Sunday schools, G.O.Y.A., basketball, altar servers, choir and even the Resource Center. If any particular group within the church runs a program or provides something for our youth, the P.T.A. wholeheartedly supports them not only by assisting them but also with financial backing. The P.T.A. began with "penny socials", "spaghetti suppers" and all types of other events to raise money for the children's programs. It has evolved into a group that continues in that same vain, as well as providing entertainment & fellowship for the children, field trips and well needed equipment to the church's schools such as the multi-media projector they provided this year. The P.T.A. supports the church during its festival, communion breakfasts, centennial events and in any way necessary.

Before the constitution of the P.T.A. was formed, the women were already busy creating a program that has grown to be one of the, if not the largest of its kind in the nation. They founded the St. Vasilios P.T.A. Scholarship Program which today, awards over thirty scholarships to our graduating seniors. Two scholarships bear the name St. Vasilios P.T.A. Scholarships. The first was established in 1955 in the amount of $100 and was the beginning of the entire scholarship program. Through diligent fundraising, succeeding members of the P.T.A. saw the scholarship grow from its small beginnings until it had become a single $500 scholarship in 1967. Some two years later, a milestone was reached when the scholarship reached $1,000.00. Several years thereafter, the Halekas scholarship was individually endowed, followed by the Boulakes Scholarship. The success of the fundraising efforts, together with these gifts to the trust, made the establishment of a second scholarship possible. Unlike all of the other scholarships which are awarded on the basis of financial need, parish involvement and scholastic achievement, these two scholarships are awarded entirely on the basis of scholastic achievement alone.

The P.T.A. presents these scholarships by sponsoring an annual event that went from a formal Scholarship Ball to what we continue today as the Scholarship Family Dance so that people of all ages can come and support the students and have a fun time of fellowship as well. During St. Vasilios' Centennial year, at the 51st annual Scholarship award ceremony held on June 16, 2006, the St. Vasilios P.T.A. announced the establishment of the Fr. Andrew and Presvytera Mary Demotses Scholarship to honor Fr. Andrew's many years of service to the Scholarship program, his retirement as pastor of St. Vasilios, and our Church's Centennial milestone. Fr. Andrew was a tireless advocate and fund-raiser for the scholarship program. His devotion and advocacy encouraged many benefactors to establish endowed scholarships. The PTA thought to establish this scholarship as a fitting tribute to his unwavering commitment to the St. Vasilios PTA Scholarship Program. This scholarship as been added to the list of endowed scholarships awarded in perpetuity beginning in 2007. One of the goals of Fr. Andrew, the Scholarship Committee members, and the PTA itself for the future of this program is to one day be able to provide a scholarship to EVERY graduating senior of the St. Vasilios Community.

Today, the P.T.A. continues to be an organization of members that have a lot of fun while working hard to uphold the constitution of "supporting the future of St. Vasilios; the children." "...Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" Matthew (19:14).