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By Margaret Yates (President) Midway on our journey through Great and Holy Lent and the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we wish everyone a Kali Anastasi!  At this time of the year many Philoptochos Chapters are preparing Palm Sunday luncheons, baking tsourekia and koulourakia for those who are home-bound, and dying Easter eggs to be distributed following the Resurrection and Agape Services. Additionally, many are preparing Easter Baskets to be delivered through community social service agencies. Preparations are winding down for our biennial fund-raising luncheon, Philoptochos with Love, that will be held at the St. Nicholas Community Center in Troy, MI. Our guest speaker is Betty Cantrell, Miss America 2016, a young Greek American woman of whom we should all be proud. The event is scheduled for April 29, 2017 with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. Tickets for the event are $60 for adults and $30 for those under the age of eighteen. The event is open to men and women and we hope you will join us. Initially worried that our membership for 2016 would drop, we grew by seventeen members. This was due in part to the efforts of our chapter membership committees who are spreading the word of our good works and hands-on philanthropy. As written in the Philoptochos by-laws, elections to the chapter boards are held in the month of May following the National Clergy/Laity Philoptochos Conference. This process begins in January with the selection of a screening committee to determine the eligibility of those qualified to run. Following this, an election committee is formed to prepare a slate, with the size of the chapter determining the size of the board. “Paperwork” is then submitted electronically to both the National office and Metropolis for ratification by the Archbishop within 14 days of the election. Following the election, and upon the receipt of Ratification, the Parish Priest shall install the newly elected Chapter Board by administering the oath of office. Officers are then elected with results submitted to the National office. This is also done electronically. These procedures, as well as the necessary forms, are available on the Philoptochos website. We were pleased, but also a little disappointed, that twenty-eight of our thirty-six active chapters paid 100% of their National commitments in 2016. This is a good number, but hope that number will increase this year. We are off to a good start. We are in the very beginning stages of planning for our Metropolis Clergy-Laity Philoptochos Conference to be held in Buffalo September 28-30, 2017. Contributions
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