Maria Protopsaltis, deputy director for Samuel’s House, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.7FM this morning to talk about what’s been happening at the organization.
Last week, Samuel’s House commemorated the 25th anniversary celebration of the Women of Integrity, Men of Valor.
Protopsaltis said, “We just want to say thank you to everyone, our volunteers, our staff, our board, all the honorees. We recognized the past honorees as well. It was such an incredible evening. We want to thank also everyone that contributed to our silent auction. It was beautiful all around. It was just a very magical night. Also we want to thank our community, because we wouldn’t have made it to our 25th anniversary without them and without our community, we couldn’t do the work that we do. So we recognize that every single day.”
What does Samuel’s House do?
Protopsaltis said, “Samuel’s House is a nonprofit, 501c3, that was started in 1999 by Elmira Leto as a way to assist women. At that time, in 1999 there was a closure of another nonprofit, and specifically a housing project had closed, and these women with their children were displaced. So Elmira founded this beautiful concept in 1999 to assist those women. So in 1999 the Mary Spotswood Women’s Center, opened its doors, and the need has been so great that in 2007 we opened a second facility called Kathy’s Hope also to accommodate women and children. Again, the need was still growing and it even continues to do so today. But in 2010 we open Casa de Meredith, a third facility that accommodates men with children, women with children and family.”
The 2025 Miss Island Queen is officially underway for May 19.
Protopsaltis said, “We’re beyond excited for this year’s Miss Island Queen, and it’s become a fan favorite. It’s also become our one of our favorites. We love all our events, but this is more than just a show. It’s a wildly entertaining fundraiser with heart, soul, and we like to say, a whole lot of glitter, all to support the mission of Samuel’s House. Those six teams and their coaches are already hard at work, planning creative fundraisers, sharing their journeys and preparing for an unforgettable night of performances, and again, every dollar they raise supports the life changing programs at Samuel’s House. I do want to tell everyone, because there’s going to be so many different events this year. There’s going to be so many ways to participate. First of all, I will be cross promoting with the event. We definitely want you to check out those pages. There’s going to be events coming up consistently all the time, and some are going to be spontaneous as well. So definitely keep an eye on that. You can also, if you’d like to contribute and support, you can go to www.samuelshouse.org and you can actually see all the contestants with their coaches, and you can actually click that button to donate to their campaign and help them win the title of 2025 Miss Island Queen.”
Are tickets on sale yet?
Protopsaltis said, “Stay tuned, because it’s a rooftop, there’s a limited amount that we can sell, and I’m just waiting for that number, so be on the lookout for that link. We will share it on our socials, we’ll share it on our website. The breakout party is just $20 for admission, but it’s going to be a fun opportunity to actually meet those six teams. There’ll be photo ops, and there’ll be music and it’ll be a lot of fun.”
For more information, click here: https://samuelshouse.org/