When Fr. Nabil Hanna of St. George Orthodox Church in Indianapolis, Ind. approached Emily Iglendza to be the IOCC representative at the parish she accepted without hesitation recalling one of her favorite scripture passages from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 9:7): "Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
Emily's dedication to helping others through the ministry of IOCC in her parish has taken many forms from organizing events, to encouraging her parish to participate in special appeals, to coordinating hands-on projects to engage others in the work of IOCC.
"In these times of corrupt leaders and shocking news stories, it is very refreshing to learn of IOCC's commitment to reducing overhead and administrative expenses so those in need – our brothers and sisters in Christ – are impacted the greatest."
On January 30 of this year, Emily chaired a dessert reception jointly hosted by St. George and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
This was not the first IOCC event that Emily and her parish participated in. During the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, Emily and her fellow parishioners helped pack 1,000 emergency kits for those in need affected by the disaster. Emily hopes to continue this act of giving by hosting an annual "Kits for Kids" event, where children will assist in putting together emergency health kits for those affected by man-made or natural disasters.
To learn more about how you can become involved in making a difference in the lives of those in need, like Emily, please contact Megan Carniewski, IOCC Outreach Coordinator at mcarniewski@iocc.org or toll free at 877-803-4622.
