The fourth Blue Dream Summer Gala of the Kimisis Church of the Hamptons will take place on Saturday, August 30. The much-anticipated annual event whose decorations and spirit – everyone must wear blue or white – seem to transport participants to a fabulous Aegean island will be on church grounds for the first time, but guests know that the Chair Women, Angela Giannopoulos, Karen Mehiel, and Olga Palladino will work their well-known party magic in their new venue.
Blue Dream has become the New York Greek-American community’s must-go-to event through its reputation for being a wonderful party for a good cause. Each year, the host committee selects a deserving charity to honor and benefit with the Blue Dream Gala.
In 2014 Blue Dream is being held in honor of Amani Global Works Founders, Dr. Jacques Sebisaho and Mimy Mudekereza, R.N. The gala will benefit the mission of Amani Global Works, to Care, Cure and Make Whole by providing healthcare to the most impoverished and forgotten areas of Africa.
NPR’s Soterios Johnson will serve as master of ceremonies and the honorary chairs are Matt Dillon, Arianna Huffington, and George Stefanopoulos.
Fr. Alexander Karloutsos, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, who serves the parish along with Fr. Constantine Lazarakis, said, “For us at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church, it is an extraordinary honor and privilege to lead the East End community in this philanthropic initiative. With Blue Dream, we don’t only have the Greek Orthodox Community working for a charitable cause, we have, instead, the Greek Orthodox Community bringing leaders from the broader East End and metropolitan New York community together to support Amani Global Works. Blue Dream is attended and supported by people from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds for the greater good.”
Regardless of tribe, religion, family name, or origin, Amani Global Works increases the health of a region by providing preventive and emergency care for a community in need. Amani Global Works offers accessible healthcare for all communities on the island of Idjwi by focusing on maternal healthcare, child healthcare and malnutrition as well as other factors that contribute directly to the region’s health crisis such as education and transportation.
Proceeds from the event will be shared between the Amani Global Works and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church, with a 70% majority going to Amani. In previous years, Blue Dream has benefited the Children’s Tumor Foundation, and Warrior Fighter Sports, a joint program of the Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports America. To date, The Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons has given over $200,000 to the charities supported by Blue Dream.
The heart of the event will be the parish’s newly opened dazzling hall, The Muses, which is housed in the Nicholas S. Zoullas Hellenic Center.
Blue Dream will begin at 6:30 PM with cocktails followed by dinner and dancing. Some four-hundred guests are expected. For more information and tickets visit kimisishamptons.org.