Students know that volunteering is valuable. It’s a great opportunity to pad their resumes and get real-world experience. So why doesn’t everyone do it?
Unfortunately, many people believe that it’s boring. They think the only thing you can gain from volunteering in your community is checking off a few hours on a spreadsheet. However, the volunteers who participate in St. George Greek Orthodox Church’s annual Greek Festival feel differently.
From Sept. 20-22, St. George celebrated its 62nd annual Greek Fest full of food, music, and dancing. The weekend-long event draws thousands of visitors each year who come to enjoy a meal, take tours of the church, and watch live performances. Volunteers from across Fresno come together to make the food, serve customers, perform folk dances, and more.
Kopi Sotiropulos, the Greek-born co-anchor of the KMPH’s Great Day morning show, has been part of the Greek Fest since he was a toddler in 1951. Each year, he contributes to the cultural atmosphere by donning the fustanella, a traditional men’s skirt.
Sotiropulos suggests participating in culture-based events for the community it can foster. “[People] remember the Greek Fest. They make friends and they meet new people here. You’ll love the food, but what you’ll remember is the camaraderie and the joy that this festival brings,” he said.
To Georgia Panoff, a Romanian-American freshman at UC Davis who grew up attending at St. George, cultural immersion is the best part of volunteering at an event like this.
“I like dancing, putting on the costumes, performing, getting to show people the culture … that’s the highlight for me. I have [extended] family in Greece, so it’s nice to have this because it gets me connected to them,” she said.
Unlike Panoff and Sotiropulos, not every volunteer has grown up at St. George. For Habte Martone, a senior at Stanford Online High School, this year’s Greek Fest is his third as an attendee and only his second as a volunteer. He has contributed by manning lines, providing information to visitors, and joining the folk dance group. “My favorite part is being here to help and meeting a bunch of people,” Martone said.
St. George has already scheduled next year’s festival for Sept. 19-21, 2025. Opportunities to volunteer across varying sectors of the Greek Fest remain open to anyone and everyone.
Opportunities to volunteer in Fresno outside of the Greek Fest can be found at VolunteerMatch and HandsOn Central California.