OTTAWA, Canada – Daughters of Penelope (DOP) Euphrosyne Chapter 292’s 65th anniversary was celebrated on December 3. The chapter was established on October 6, 1957 by Sister Christine Alexiades. It focused activities on philanthropic events with AHEPANs and Philoptochos and organized Salute to Women lunches, Parliamentary Banquets and Palm Sunday Lunches, among other events.

The chapter currently has 50 amazing members and organizes fundraising activities and events to support charities and organizations in our local, national and international communities. In recent years, the chapter has organized fashion shows, Palm Sunday lunches, educational talks, comedy nights, and virtual fundraisers such as Bingo, wine tasting, Halloween costume contests, and Superbowl Squares. The chapter also volunteers at the Ottawa Food Bank monthly and the Cleaning the Capital campaign annually. Donations to charities over the past decade have exceeded $100,000 and scholarships awarded have exceeded $40,000.

The celebration was a lovely afternoon tea party attended by 45 guests and hosted by Sister Cathy Makris in her posh venue in Ottawa, Ontario. The chapter thanked her for her generosity. Some ladies embraced the theme by wearing optional fascinator hats as included in the invitation designed by Sister Irene Aimoniotis. Guests enjoyed David’s Teas, coffee, sparkling wine, sandwiches, Sister Cathy Pantieras’ scones, macarons, cake pops, biscotti, pasta flora, cake, chocolate and fruit.

Various photo albums from Past Canadian President Alice Sophianopoulos and publications displayed the chapter’s rich history and events. Guests were invited to share their thoughts on ‘What DOP Means to Me’ to include on a DOP display board. Renowned artist and Sister Katerina Mertikas surprised everyone with a hand-painted tea cup tree ornament to commemorate the occasion and gifted it to a randomly drawn winner, Sister Toni Kioulos. Special thank you to the Tea Party organizing committee Cathy Pantieras, Irene Aimoniotis, Cathy Makris and Jenny Papadopoulos.

Honored guests included DOP Grand Secretary Margaret Dritsas and DOP District 23 Governor Angela Mouriopoulos, who came from Toronto and presented the chapter with Certificates of Merit, as well as DOP Montreal Chapter Sisters and Euphrosyne Chapter 292 past presidents and executive members. The 2022-23 Chapter Executives are President Jenny Papadopoulos, Vice President Ivonne Hatzitheodosiou, Treasurer Irene Aimoniotis, Corresponding Secretary Cathy Makris and Recording Secretary Sophia Mitsopoulos-Tzemenakis.

The chapter celebrated the incredible legacy it has inherited with the afternoon’s simple message, ‘Thank You’. “Thank you to everyone for always so generously donating time, efforts, talents and resources to accomplish our goals, thank you to those who have come before us and those who have recently joined DOP, and thank you to DOP for the sisterhood which has inspired and united us all for 93 years,” the chapter stated via email.