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4 THE SHEPHERD • OCTOBER 2020 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Going away to college this year may be met with some trepidation from both parents and students alike. With the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, parents of college students are con icted about sending their children o to a college campus! Some families have decided to keep their children home and have them work online. We asked a few families what their thoughts were on the subject. Angel and Jim Gilpin are the parents of twins William and Dimitri . ey recently dropped o the boys for their freshman year at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. ey called the experience “bittersweet.” Angel is nervous at the aspect of not being near should they get sick. However she knows that they will meet any challenge and she is looking forward to them starting on their wonderful college journey. e boys are very excited about starting at Gonzaga, living the dorm life, meeting new people and having new roommates! Michelle and Brian Defelippi are the parents of twins Kendall and Michael . ey are juniors at Santa Clara University and University of the Paci c, respectively. Both of the twins will be studying on campus this year. Michael is on the UOP Baseball Team and unfortunately had his season cancelled last Spring due to the Covid threat. Currently, the team is being tested regularly to ensure that they stay safe. ey will be starting workouts and practices soon. e Defelippis are very much looking forward to cheering Michael on during this spring’s season! Erika and Mike Couris are the parents of Katie Couris . She is a junior at Texas Christian University. A er being home for six months, she eagerly returned to Fort Worth, Texas. She was most looking forward to reconnecting with her friends and sorority sisters. A er sending her o with masks, Clorox wipes, gloves and strict instructions for wiping down the plane, she contracted Covid-19 eight days later. ank God she recovered quickly and is as good as new. We are all very relieved! If your son or daughter is attending college (including community college, undergraduate or graduate school) both here in San Diego or away from home, we would like to reach out to them with some love from their Saint Spyridon Philoptochos family. Please send their name, email, college mailing address, cell phone number and school name to Erika Couris at ecouris70@gmail.com or (619) 865-4867. Please contact Erika with any questions. Hello Saint Spyridon Families, First, I would like to personally congratulate our Philoptochos Board member Christina Vassos who married Ryan Neillo on Septem- ber 20th. I wish them all of God’s blessings and many years of happiness as husband and wife. Fall is upon us and normally, Philoptochos would be planning for our Church Musi- cians Appreciation Co ee Hour, Military Appreciation Sunday, Race for the Cure, and of course our long standing and loved by all anksgiving Luncheon. Although we are living in very historic and challenging times, our Philoptochos will forge forward as best as we can with some new ideas that we will share very soon. We need to make sure we are safely and logistically following all proto- cols before we announce them. We held our virtual Munchies, Mimosas and More event on September 27th, and we thank those church members who were able to join us. I will say it again, we know nothing can replace in person gatherings but we hope these “events” will continue to o er some sense of normalcy and community. We really miss our church family! We will continue helping those in need through our Agape Meals program, which o ers cooked and delivered meals to families in our community during di cult times. We are here for you, so please do not hesitate to reach out. We make sure to follow all physi- cal distancing protocols. We will also contin- ue to cheer on our college students with our College Connection program. Please send us your students’ contact information so we can keep in touch with them. Remember, our San Francisco Metropolis has created a fundraiser by selling embroi- dered Philoptochos masks, which supports our Social Services ministry helping those encountering a crisis. If you are interested in donating to this very worthy cause, please go to sfphiloptochos.org and click on “donate” to get your mask. Lastly, if you have been thinking of renew- ing or becoming a member of our Chapter, we would love to have you. Your member- ship (whatever you can a ord, with a $40 suggestion for the year) will help us con- tinue to help others. For more membership information, please contact our Chairs Kelly Samouris 619-871-4702 or Melanie Anas- topulos 619-218-9778. If you know of a family that might need our help, or you have questions, ideas, or con- cerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 619-520-3660. ank you for your continued support. In Christ, Marian Dougenis Anthousa Chapter President Please “Like” us on Facebook PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS COLLEGE IN THE TIME OF COVID 19