My newsfeed on my social media channels is filled with fabulous vacation images and videos and although not 100% in vacation mode just yet, I too am guilty of this frame of mind. Longer coffee chats with friends I haven’t seen since last summer, late-night dinners overlooking the Venetian harbor here in Chania where I’ve relocated my work for the next several months.
But every now and then, I get updates from a dedicated team of young people who are spending their summer in a different way. They are the volunteers from the Greek America Foundation who opted to serve this summer— rather than to be served.
Led by the most dedicated staff I’ve ever been privileged to have as team members, these young people from throughout the United States and Canada have spent a portion of their summer walking the streets of Athens gathering unsold food from the neighborhood farmers markets so that a family might have food on their table.
They have fought sweltering heat in makeshift classrooms teaching English, and Greek, and helping those less fortunate obtain some skills that might help them in the rough, new world they find themselves in.
These volunteers have spent long summer days playing with Ukrainian refugee children who have found their way to safety in Thessaloniki.
They’re also sharing compassion and love on the island of Chios with more vulnerable children.
These periodic updates I get from my team are a harsh reminder that hunger and need don’t take vacations. While I’m blessed to experience “Greek Summer” year after year, there are so many people in this country who don’t have that option.
It’s why I try my best to keep these programs going, summer after summer, and why I’m so grateful to the volunteers who join these missions sponsored by the Greek America Foundation, but also to the generous donors who support these efforts year after year.
This is why I’m taking a moment to share these stories with you, as well as some great snapshots from the various summer volunteer missions, with hopes that more of you will find it in your hearts to support this initiative.
To donate to the Greek America Corps, please visit this link.
