First and most importantly we want to thank all our NEW and RETURNING donors who made our Matching campaign such a huge success. Thanks to the efforts of Fr. David Subu and his congregation at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Falls Church, VA, their annual St. John ’s dinner raised over $4300.00 and a number of parishioners contributed very generously in addition to the Dinner fund-raising. The campaign resulted in almost $12,000 raised from 24 new contributors and 9 returning donors. The Board’s commitment to match up to $10,000 was reached very quickly and extended to cover all donations made by 31 January. The Board is matching $18,632 for a total of $32,504.00 going to Pro Vita. All the donations were matched: $1 for $1 for previous donors and $2 for $1 for new donors. Even though the matching period has ended (and the Board’s pockets are empty),we encourage any of you who have not yet donated to do so. Donations received during the matching campaign ranged from $10.00 to $2,000.00 so no amount is too small — or too large! It’s never too late to become a donor.

What an amazing start to the New Year and so very reassuring to the Tanases who are in the process of accepting 24 additional Ukrainian teenagers and are building a new residence to accommodate some of them.

Twenty-four new donors include: Zhong M., Cecile P., Cara C., Allison F., Maria M., Julie S., Alyssa M., Francisco A., Eugene H., Marian M., Michaela D., Marcus S., Miriam A., Joshua K., Zachary W., Matthew C., Andra P., Benjamin C., David D., Cristian T., Jennifer S., Tim & Eleanor V., Antoinette R., and Liviu D.

Nine returning donors include: Leigh & Dennis M., Jennifer D., Diana M., James M., Wendell B., Narcis A., St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Falls Church, VA, Steve K., and Tim D.

We are overcome with gratitude at your responsiveness and incredible generosity. If your name isn’t listed, please consider donating!

Winter has finally arrived in Romania and the children are enjoying playing in the snow, sledding, building snowmen, etc. Melanie has been very active on Facebook, posting Christmas caroling and recreational videos under Asociatia Pro Vita Valea Plopului and VoluntarProVita. Check out her videos.

The Tanases have applied for a UNESCO grant to help with the additional staffing costs associated with bringing the new residence on-line. Fingers crossed they are approved. As this horrific war is about to enter its second year, the costs associated with caring for all the refugees continues to mount. AFPVO, thanks to many of you, provides a financial lifeline to Pro Vita.

To reiterate the Annual Report — AFPVO is the largest non-Romanian financial supporter of Pro Vita. Pro Vita, in addition to being the largest private orphanage in Romania, is supporting the largest number of Ukrainian children seeking refuge in Romania.

We have reached out to the Ukrainian Churches in the U.S. to inform them of Pro Vita’s activities and support to the refugees. Fr. Sean is in contact with Metropolitan Antony, one of the two Metropolitans of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the US. Metropolitan Antony has expressed the UOC’s appreciation for the support AFPVO and Pro Vita continue to provide for the refugees in Romania.

After much study and discussion, the Board has determined that Venmo, Zelle or other on-line donation pathways are not needed on our website at this time. Although we are satisfied with the security of these options, we are hesitant to add another fee-levying option to checks (100% comes to AFPVO) and PayPal (charges us ~2.5% of your donated amount for processing). Please email us at [email protected] if you feel differently.

Thanks again to Narcis A. who has successfully used his corporation’s matching policy to double his donation. Please check if your employer has a matching program when you choose to donate to AFPVO. It’s an easy way to maximize your donation and every dollar counts!

Fr. Sean Cavanaugh, Chairman
Donna Shelton, President
Frank Doe, Secretary & Treasurer
Kerry Garikes, Communication & Design
Shelby Stowers, Member at Large