Login | April 05, 2026
Local firm helps boost church fundraiser for Ukrainian relief effort
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: July 15, 2022
Each week, Rev. Father Jerry Hall and the parishioners at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron pray for world peace, the sick and suffering, and in recent months, especially the people of Ukraine.
So when Hall told parishioners about an upcoming Ukrainian fundraising effort, he said he expected support but he never anticipated just how successful the campaign would be.
The plan was to turn over all the proceeds from the March 13 collection to Baltimore-based International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC).
The international humanitarian aid and development agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, the IOCC provides emergency relief and other assistance to those in need around the globe.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, we knew we had to do something to help,” said Hall. “It was such an immense tragedy and especially in the beginning it seemed like the people were tremendously outmatched. They were not the aggressors and our hearts went out to them.
“Many of the people in Ukraine are fellow Orthodox Christians, which further solidified our connection to the people.”
At the time, the IOCC was hoping to raise $1 million, a goal it has since achieved.
The surprising part of the outcome, Hall said was that slightly more than 10% of those proceeds––close to $102,000––came from Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.
It’s all due to a matching donor campaign initiated by Perantinides & Nolan Co. Founding Partner Paul Perantinides.
“Paul approached me right after we made the announcement during services in early March and suggested that if we had matching donors, it would encourage people to be more generous,” said Hall. “He volunteered to look for the donors in the week leading up to the collection.”
“From my perspective, it was truly painful to watch the atrocities being committed and not do anything,” said Perantinides. “I felt like the least we could do was participate in this fundraising effort.”
With the assistance of Perantinides & Nolan attorneys Chris Nolan, Tony (Antonios) Tsarouhas and others at the firm, 11 matching donors, including several clients and vendors were secured.
“Initially I was able to get three people from Annunciation to agree to match the tray collection,” said Perantinides.
“Our team worked the phones, made calls and sat down with people,” said Perantinides. “By the time of the collection, we not only had 11 matching donors, but others had committed to making individual donations.”
The March 13 collection totaled $8,272, an impressive number in and of itself, said Hall.
“It’s the largest single tray collection I’ve seen in my 34 years at the church,” Hall said.
But add in matching and other donor contributions and the number rises to a whopping $101,970, a parish record for a single-cause donation, said Hall.
“The parish is very thankful for the initiative that Perantinides & Nolan undertook in helping to find matching donors,” said Hall. “I did have the opportunity to speak with the director of the IOCC in Baltimore and he was really overwhelmed by what we were able to accomplish. The incredible outpouring of generosity really moved him.”
As Perantinides explained, the cause was a fitting one for the firm to take up.
“It’s part of our culture to translate our successes into significance,” said Perantinides. “The needs of the Ukrainian people who have been displaced and worse by this conflict are absolutely significant. We believe our firm exists to serve those who are suffering and there is no greater human suffering than that caused by war.”
Perantinides’ colleagues said it was no surprise that he took the lead in raising the funds.
“Paul was the first one to step up to the plate, which was not unusual,” said Tsarouhas. “Chris and I thought it was a great idea and we were excited to participate.
“Setting aside any kind of political theme, what’s taking place in Ukraine is just awful. Both Paul and I had family living in Greece during World War II who suffered under the Nazi occupation.
“My grandfather did not survive the war and neither did my father’s older sister,” said Tsarouhas. “Paul’s aunt was detained by the Nazis in Greece and sent to a concentration camp in Bulgaria. When you hear the stories of what happened to your own family you gain a better understanding of what the people in Ukraine are now going through and you want to do your part to help.”
Having met its initial fundraising goal of $1 million, the IOCC has now increased that number to $3 million, said Hall.
For more information on the nonprofit organization and its programs, visit https://iocc.org/.