On Nov. 13, the Hellenic Spirit Foundation hosted the Athena Awards luncheon at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis. For the third year, 12 exceptional women were applauded for the impact of their achievements on the community.
Honorees of this prestigious award included: Charlene Sherman Bry; Helen Yiatras Carey; Glen Hahn Cope, PhD; Darlene Green; Debra Hollingsworth; Malaika Horne, PhD; Kathy Osborn; Ellen Sherberg; Eugenia Kardaris Stamos, DDS; Sister Antoinette Temporiti, CPPS; Becky Tharenos; and Bessie Theodorou.
Athena, guardian of the city of Athens and daughter of Zeus, was the patron deity of kings. Representative of strategy, discipline, national defense, poetry and art, she was worshipped as a goddess, revered for her beauty and valued for her academic wisdom of philosophy and education.
Honorees of the Athena Award were selected for recognition based on the warmth, radiance and passion of Hellenic beauty epitomized by the goddess Athena. Their love for humanity — demonstrated through their extraordinary commitment to community service — exemplifies the ethos of Hellenic Spirit.
The Hellenic Spirit Foundation was created by a group of concerned Hellenic American professional business leaders in the Saint Louis metropolitan area. The Foundation is supportive of educational pursuits and is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of Hellenic language and culture.
Proceeds from present and past fundraising events have enabled the Hellenic Spirit Foundation to contribute almost $1 million to further these ideals. Proceeds from the 2009 Athena Awards luncheon will benefit the scholarship program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
