Cicero and Greater Chicago

Cicero & Greater Chicago

The Coalition serves the Villages of Lincolnwood, Niles, and Skokie, IL, as well as the eighty-plus Orthodox parishes of the Greater Chicago area. ONDCP and SAMHSA offer the potential of an additional five-year extension of the grant. Under the excellent guidance of the Very Rev. Nicholas Dahdal, Pastor, the Grantee is St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, Cicero, IL.

Parish Priest

Fr. Nicholas Dahdal, Economos, is the Pastor of St. George Orthodox Church of Cicero, Illinois.He is Chairman of the Arab-American Religious Leaders of Greater Chicago and President of the Orthodox Clergy Association of Greater Chicago. Fr. Nicholas is Founder of the Taybeh Association of Palestine and is well-known for his international, educational presentations on peace and justice for oppressed people.He is an author of numerous articles and speaker on many radio and television educational media casts capturing the plight of the Palestinian people.

Fr. Nicholas shows professional leadership in the local community of Cicero and a gives devoted service to the people throughout Greater Chicagoland.

Rev. Fr. Nicholas Dahdal, Economos

frdahdal@gmail.com

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church

OCCHY - Cicero/Greater Chicago

Coalition Coordinator

Gordana Trbuhovich

Gordana is the newly appointed Coalition Coordinator for OCCHY - Cicero/Greater Chicago.

She is an experienced community organizer. Gordana is well-known in Chicago and the surrounding villages for her work in historical, cultural, ethnic and performing arts endeavors. She is devoted to supporting fundraising and development work for numerous museums, Christian charities and inner-city youth programs.

Gordana@healthyyouth.com

OCCHY-Cicero/Greater Chicago

Coalition Member Speaks Out

To the Board of Trustees,

My name is Gloria and I am a member of our St. George parish in Cicero, Illinois. I am also the teen sector member of our Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth. After learning extensively about OCCHY at Leadership Training, I found myself growing very excited for the chance to be a part of making a difference. As teens, we discussed the program thoroughly and decided that SOYO should be the official teen organization of OCCHY.

Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth Receives Five-Year Grant

The Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth (OCCHY), Very Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Purpura and Kathleen A. Purpura announce the award of a five-year grant for its Greater Chicago Coalition. OCCHY – Cicero/Greater Chicago was awarded a $125,000 Drug Free Communities Support Program FY 2011 grant by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

OCCHY - Cicero/Greater Chicago

Media Specialist

Nicole Dahdal

Nicole Dahdal is an Adjunct Professor, Media Specialist and Youth Worker in the Greater Chicago area. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Computer Animation from Columbia College – Chicago. Nicole developed excellent website design skills while earning a Master of Science Degree in Computer Information Systems at Northwestern University. She was an Adjunct Faculty member at Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. Nicole is currently teaching Animation and Game Art at the International Academy of Design and Technology. She understands the latest design trends, possesses great creativity, and visual and graphic communication skills. Nicole has designed websites, produced video footage for a parish film, and keeps up with the advancements in technology.

Greater Chicago Area Bishops

Endorse the work of OCCHY
Letter size poster
18" X 24" Poster

OCCHY-Cicero/Greater Chicago

Coalition Member Speaks out

Most Rev Metropolitan Philip, esteemed members of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, and members of the Order of St. Ignatius,

Christ is in our midst. He is and ever shall be!

This letter is to recommend that this coalition – the

Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth (OCCHY) - is indeed a very welcome and much needed program in the Cicero/Greater Chicago area that we reside in.By partnering together as a coalition of various sectors, we will be able to gather our talents and resources to launch a coordinated, organized and comprehensive approach to the community-wide problems of substance abuse as well as related issues. Read more

Know the Law

...about underage drinking.

...about penalties to parents.

Training and Activities

Despite the recent start-up of this Coalition, Cicero/Greater Chicago OCCHY has already begun establishing a visible presence.

JULY 21
Youth Coalition Team - St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church – Cicero
Sticker Shock project, labeling against sale of liquor to minors, at Hillside Liquor Store

For more information on other trainings and activities click here

For more information on how your parish and community can become part of our

Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth efforts, contact:

Kathleen A Purpura, Executive Director of OCCHY - Kathleen@OrthodoxYouth.com

Visit the Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth website.

More information on the Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch is available here.

Visit the St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, Cicero, IL website.

More information about the Drug-Free Communities Program is available here.

Antiochian Archdiocese|Department of Youth and Parish Ministry|Teen SOYO|The Order of St Ignatius