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Published by the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,
January 12, 2005
Young Adults Partner with IOCC to Aid
Tsunami Victims |
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Baltimore (IOCC) – A national group of Orthodox
Christians is responding to the South Asia tsunami
by assembling health kits for the victims in
coordination with International Orthodox Christian
Charities (IOCC).
The Young Adult League, a ministry of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, has set a goal
for its members to assemble 5,000 health kits to
aid victims of the disaster. The “Gift of the
Heart” health kits will bolster the efforts of
IOCC to deliver life-saving relief supplies to
areas hardest hit by the tsunami.
A humanitarian aid agency of Orthodox Christians,
IOCC is participating in ongoing Church World
Service airlifts of humanitarian supplies to South
Asia. The shipments contain medical supplies;
shelter and sanitation kits; blankets and
emergency foodstuffs; and other critical supplies.
“We will continue to support these very concrete
airlift efforts in the coming weeks,” said IOCC
Executive Director Constantine M. Triantafilou,
“along with Orthodox church-based efforts in the
United States – such as assembling and sending
thousands of ‘Gift of the Heart’ health and school
kits.”
Health kits assembled by the Young Adult League
will be collected at a warehouse facility in New
Windsor, Md., and delivered through ongoing
humanitarian airlifts to the tsunami-affected
countries.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of support
from Orthodox Christians across the country,”
Triantafilou said, “including this generous
commitment by Orthodox young people.”
Young adult chapters throughout the U.S. will be
assembling and collecting the health kits at
various functions, social gatherings and parish
events through Valentine’s Day, Monday, Feb. 14.
The “Gift of the Heart” kits include basic
materials such as soap, toothpaste, Band-Aids and
washcloths.
“The packages may be small, but they’ll make a
huge difference,” said the Rev. Fr. Mark A.
Leondis, national director of Youth and Young
Adult Ministries for the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese. “Just knowing that so many neighbors
from across the globe are extending their hands
has to provide hope and comfort to the victims.”
Fr. Leondis added that service and witness are two
of the pillars on which the young adult ministry
bases its activities.
“The national young adult service project is
especially appropriate this year because His
Eminence Archbishop Demetrios has proclaimed 2005
as the ‘Year of the Family’ throughout the
Archdiocese,” Fr. Leondis said. “This is a perfect
example of how our Church family can and must
reach out to others in the name of Christ,
especially during challenging times like these.”
To learn more about assembling the health kits,
please visit www.iocc.org/healthkits. For more
information on the young adult initiative, contact
the young adult ministry at info@yal.org.
Donations for IOCC’s “Asia Disaster Response” may
be sent to IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD
21263-0225. Donations may also be made online at
www.iocc.org or by calling toll-free
1-877-803-4622.
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