The Hellenic Bar Association Foundation, the charitable arm of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, hosted its 71st Annual Scholarship Ball on November 13, 2021 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont. Welcoming nearly 350 guests, the annual celebration raised more than $115,000 to advance its mission of supporting legal education for deserving law students of Hellenic descent and providing access to legal services to those in need.
The theme of the evening honored those that are Inspiring the Future of Hellenism, in honor of Greece’s Bicentennial which commemorates 200 years of modern Greece and its independence from Ottoman Turkish rule.
Frank J. Andreou, Cook County Circuit Court Judge and the Hellenic Bar Association’s Secretary, served as Master of Ceremonies. “I am humbled and honored to be tonight’s Master of Ceremonies and to share the successes of our accomplished scholarship recipients and honorees as we celebrate Hellenism and all the Hellenic Bar Association and its Foundation has to offer,” said Andreou.
Georgia Loukas Demeros, President of the Hellenic Bar Association and its Foundation, thanked guests, scholarship benefactors, sponsors, and silent auction donors for their generous contributions.
“After nearly two years of social distancing, we are excited to welcome you back to tonight’s in person Scholarship Ball. As the 71st President of the Hellenic Bar Association and its Foundation, I am proud to carry on the tradition of showcasing amazing honorees and scholarship recipients,” Georgia Loukas Demeros expressed. Each year the Hellenic Bar Association Foundation highlights distinguished members of the Hellenic community of Illinois.
Koula Alevizos Fournier, immediate Past President of the Hellenic Bar Association, accepted an award for her 11 years of service to the organization. “Being the 70th president of the Hellenic Bar Association and its Foundation has truly been a time in my life that I will cherish forever,” Fournier shared during her acceptance speech.
At the Scholarship Ball, the Hellenic Bar Association Foundation awarded $60,000 in scholarships to law students of Hellenic descent, totaling the organization’s scholarship awards in the last six years alone to over $335,000.
This year’s scholarship recipients are Milteva Andonellis, a third-year law student at the University of Illinois College of Law; John Bolis, a second-year law student at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law; Anthony Caneris, a second-year law student at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Anastasia Didaskalou, a second-year law student at DePaul University College of Law; Patricia Hatzopoulos, a second-year law student at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law; and Maria Kardasis, a third-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
The award ceremony continued with honoring individuals whose professional achievements and contributions to the Hellenic community inspire the next generation of leaders. Andrew Limouris, the President and CEO of Medix and Talentoday, was awarded the “Hellene of the Year Award”; Rev. Father Chrysanthos Kerkeres, the parish priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, was awarded the “Service Award”; Georgia Logothetis, Managing Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), received the “Advocacy Award”; and Joan Berg, partner at Schoenberg Finkel Beederman Bell Glazer LLC, received the “Lawyer of the Year Award”.
About the Hellenic Bar Association Foundation
In 2001, the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois formed its charitable arm, the Hellenic Bar Association Foundation (HBAF) whose mission is to support legal education for students of Hellenic descent and provide access to legal services to those who otherwise would be denied such access. Through the HBAF, members organize programming for students and award scholarships to law students of Hellenic descent at its annual Scholarship Ball. In 2016, the HBAF formed Hel.LAS, its pro bono legal clinic, which to date has provided legal assistance to more than 300 families of Hellenic descent in the Chicagoland area. For more information, please visit: http://www.hellenicbar.org