By Sophia A. Niarchos
Roslyn, N.Y. — “It takes teamwork to make the dream work” is the rallying cry for St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Astoria’s capital campaign to raise $4.2 million for the completion of an eight-story daycare center, a project begun in early 2019 which is expected to be completed by December of 2022.
At a fundraiser at Kyma Restaurant here on October 11, 2021, donations totalling $130,000 were made by many in attendance; and it was clear that this big dream of the St. Demetrios’ community is being led by a dream team.
Reception and Fundraiser Hosted at Kyma Restaurant in Roslyn, NY to Support the building efforts at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Astoria, NY.
Parish Council President Anastasios (Tassos) Chrisanthopoulos, a graduate of St. Demetrios High School and father of two girls, has experience in school operations and finance dating back to 2001. “I have done extensive market research on whether there is a need for a daycare facility in our area,” Mr. Chrisanthopoulos said. “And it is clear there is, as there are waiting lists with private daycare facilities in the area.”
Although there were periods of delay in getting started with building since the property across the street from the church had been purchased in the early 1990s, the most recent ones occurring between 2019 and 2021, a positive outcome of the latest delay was the realization that two additional floors could be added to the original six, thereby accommodating 80-90 children.
Nick Gavalas’ Manhattan Construction, which has more than 45 years of experience building hotels and other community projects in Queens and Manhattan, began building the daycare center in January, 2021; and the company persevered and prevailed through COVID-19 challenges that included changes in laws, increased expenses for materials, and the difficulties associated with not being able to apply for permits in person.
Parish Council Executive Vice-President Fotios (Fotis) Papamichael is a civil engineer who was directly involved with the institution of St. Demetrios High School in 1976, which he calls the jewel of the Greek community in the United States. “We must realize that the world we lived in when I was young and the husband worked, but the wife stayed home with the children is not the world we live in today when both parents must work to make ends meet,” he said, stressing the importance of building a daycare center where children are safe.
In his remarks, Archimandrite and Dean of St. Demetrios, Fr. Nektarios Papazafiropoulos, who referred to himself as not being a parent but “a theologian and engineer,” noted that “St. Demetrios is a landmark community. Everyone knows it. It left an imprint on many generations,” and although adults may not be living in the area, their “children will start in Astoria; and it is up to all of us to make sure we teach them the Greek language, culture, and faith, and to invest in the future of all our families.”
And although he is new to the work of a capital campaign, Fr. Nektarios credited Mr. Jimmy Ziozis and Mr. Nick Gavalas with helping him rise to the task at hand. He said it is the responsibility of “all the omogenia to make sure the school thrives.”
“Although St. Demetrios School serves over 800 children, it is missing a daycare center; and in the current economic climate, when both parents must work, where can they leave their children? It must be a place they can trust.” The daycare center is described as “an environment that cultivates the child in a Christian background,” with “state-of-the-art facilities that would provide the opportunity for parents to monitor their child throughout the day through video connections so that [they] may see their children at any given time.” Naming opportunities are available for sizeable contributions. The archimandrite also expressed the view that this project is a springboard to the next step; namely, the creation of an endowment fund to make it possible for all children to come there even if they otherwise cannot afford to.
Other speakers at the event included Atlantic Bank President Nancy Papaioannou and Dr. Konstandinos Koutras, Consul General of Greece in New York. The restaurant space was offered for the event by owner Mercurios Angeliades with its cost underwritten by Atlantic Bank.
All donations are appreciated. Checks can be made out to “St. Demetrios Church, Astoria” for “New Building Construction” and sent to the church at 30-11 30th Dr., Astoria, NY 11102. The phone number for the parish is (718) 728-1718
