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SMILE OF A CHILD CHARITY

Thursday, 17 May 2012 11:33

For the last few weeks I have been writing about this charity but this week I would like to introduce you to the ladies who are behind it, Emelia Konstantas and Liz Viavasinou and what motivates them.

Emelia is a young lady with two children and is studying a law decree and still has time to raise awareness of the orphanages that have suffered in Greece because of the financial difficulties.

There are 15 orphanages under the umbrella of ‘Smile of a Child’ charity which includes a cancer unit. Emelia is married to a man from Corfu and it is on this island that Emelia first became aware of an orphanage that needed help.

Liz, her mother is British and married to a Cypriot, she also is helping her daughter and is very much involved in raising money for the charity. Since starting this they have been inundated with clothes: many of these clothes have been donated from my readers and customers of GreekCity and I would again like to thank you all.

Also money was raised at a recent Greek evening and a cheque for £500 was given to the charity through a contact of mine who would rather not be named, which was handed over to the very happy ladies this week when they visited my shop.

Since starting this project Emelia has taken on even more, as she see’s the effects on other institutions in Greece she has realised that orphanages are not only her priority but the old people’s homes and other institutions in Greece need help to.

What she is trying to do is to co-ordinate the relief for all these from all the different organisers in the UK and to work with them as one. If you are involved in raising money for Greece then please get in touch with Emelia on 07793 199428 or 01279 415155 or email ekonstantas@aol.com . Get together and this will make a difference instead of a lot of people doing the same thing.

Co-ordination is the key factor here. I will again appeal on behalf of this charity if you have a shipping company which can assist in them taking all the clothes and household items directly to the orphanages themselves – they have a lorry driver if that helps but they need a shipping firm to help them transport things to Greece.

And lastly I have arranged for an interview with Emelia & Liz to be aired on LGR as soon as we can get together and record it, for this I thank LGR for their kind offer and thank you again my dearest readers for all your donations.

EASTENDERS NEW ‘GREEK’

Further to last week’s column, several of you have telephoned the BBC and complained and I want to thank you for doing this: we are far too relaxed normally and do not bother but this time we did something. So far there have been no scenes with ‘Nicos’ or his takeaway shop depicting a Turkish flag so perhaps we have done something, who knows. The BBC never respond directly back to individuals but we should expect a written apology and that is what I’m hoping for, let us see. This is only one of 3 columns I have written in the last 10 years which received such response only goes to show the anger we have at the BBC for deliberately insulting us. Well done to all.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

26th MAY 2012 – A GREEK NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA at the Ivy Hill Hotel, Margeretting, Chelmsford, CM4 OEH, enjoy a 3 course meal plus half a bottle of wine included for just £35 (£25 if you mention Greek City). LIVE MUSIC supplied by non other than the GRECIAN KINGS plus Dancers. This event is sponsored by MONNIS RESTAURANT of Chelmsford call directly on 01376 512 131 or Fanos on 07952 826 244 or at GreekCity on 0208 889 0186 for your reservation.

IN LONDON FOR THE FIRST TIME: LAKIS LAZOPOULOS (Comedian) – Tuesday 29th May 2012 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane – TICKETS available at GREEK CITY for £15/£25/£35/£45 & £55 phone 020 8889 0186 The show "Sorry I' m Greek", which is written, directed and presented by
Lakis Lazopoulos includes three musicians and four dancers – SUBTITLED for us born in the UK!

1st & 2nd JUNE 2012 SOTIS VOLANIS at FLOGA RESTAURANT for reservations telephone STELIOS on 0208 881 3317.

SQUEEZING THE LAST BITS

It’s funny how the economic downturn turns you into a tight fisted, grumpy old woman but that’s what I’ve become.

I never used to squeeze the last bit of the toothpaste or wait patiently for the last drop of shampoo to come out of its hiding place or water down the soap dispenser before: now it’s a normal thing in my house! My mother was so posh she would turn in her grave if she knew what I was doing.

She thought it beneath her to do anything like that and found people who did things like that ‘cheap’, but she has not lived long enough to see how difficult things are at the moment. It has taken my husband 38 years to convince me to be more practical and it has finally sunk in and I actually don’t like it.

I don’t like to wait for the last bits of the shampoo I would rather throw the bottle away then waste my time, but the penny has dropped even slower than the shampoo that you must not waste what you have. I would give someone my last penny even though I have nothing myself and that is what my father did before me and I just carried on doing.

I am the one who is optimistic ‘something will turn up’, I always say it, but being practical helps just a little bit. Switching lights off or unplugging cables which are not being used have been normal for my house for 20 years as my daughter is and always will be an environmentalist, but squeezing the last drops out of things well like it or not I will have to get used to it because I cannot see anything ‘turning up’ any time soon not even for an optimist like me.

Me Poli Love