Located in Greece, Ionian Village offers its participants a unique experience that is unavailable elsewhere. Based in the beautiful seafront property of Bartholomeio Greece, a daily program of arts and crafts, Greek Music and Dance, athletics, aquatics, and chapel educates the participants about their Hellenic legacy and is complemented by excursions to Ancient Olympia, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Delphi, Aegina, Kalavrita, and Athens. At the end of the program, the staff and campers return to their homes with strengthened faith and with a greater appreciation for the Church and for Greek culture and heritage.

“The generous support of FAITH makes it possible to offer financial assistance to 54 young people to attend Ionian Village this summer who otherwise would not have been able to afford to do so because their families face unfortunate financial difficulties. Given the economic slowdown of the last few years, we saw a sharp increase in applications and the generosity of the Founders of FAITH will make it possible for young people to connect to their Hellenic roots and experience Greece. This means that 1/6 of the young people attending Ionian Village will be FAITH scholarship recipients and we are extremely grateful for this,” said Fr. Jason Roll, Director of Ionian Village.

Ms. Maria Allwin who is a FAITH Founder and chaired the Scholarship Committee adds: “We (the Founders of Faith) are proud to support young people wishing to participate in Ionian Village, which is a truly transformative experience –the intellectual and spiritual growth along with the friendships that take place as these young people connect to their Hellenic roots at Ionian Village are extraordinary. For over forty years, Ionian Village has been and still is the premiere program for the young Greek Americans to understand their Hellenic heritage and identity.”

Since its inception, grants from Faith funded many merit-based scholarships to high school students graduating from public, parochial and private high schools across the country for academic excellence. The program which originally limited to valedictorians and salutatorians has expanded to also include students who display extraordinary academic achievement and display an acute need for financial support for their university studies. In past years, several graduating seniors received Faith Scholarships for Academic Excellence through the Archdiocese toward their college tuition.

The core mission of FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism is to promote Hellenism and an understanding of the Greek Orthodox faith through a series of high quality educational programs and cultural initiatives through an endowment for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

For more information about these programs visit the FAITH website: www.faithendowment.org.

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