This program promotes the importance of service to the community by encouraging our youth to come together and give back to those in need. Each year, our groups serve their communities through various activities such as feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and planting trees. At the FDF Awards Banquet these groups are highlighted through a picture/video montage so that their accomplishments can be shared and used as examples of true Christian “agape”.

Please click here to download the Diakonia Project Brochure*

Please click here to download the Diakonia Project Group Info Sheet*

* PDFs require Adobe Acrobat Reader®

FDF is proud to offer scholarship opportunities, including memorial, dance and musical apprenticeship.

For more information, please contact: Director of Scholarships.

The FDF Memorial Scholarships are given to outstanding individuals that are recommended by their parish priest. Each individual will be awarded a US Savings Bonds in the amount of $1000.

Chosen from the many letters of recommendations submitted, scholarships are awarded to deserving FDF participants. We encourage all parishes to submit a letter of recommendation for outstanding individuals.

The six awards are:

• The Chris Papadimitrakis Scholarship (sponsored by the FDF)
• The Cynthia Anderson Scholarship (sponsored by the FDF)
• The Father Homer Demopoulos Scholarship (sponsored by the FDF)
• The Katherine Velthoen Scholarship (sponsored by the Modesto community)
• The Jim Papangellin Scholarship (sponsored by the George Papangellin family)
• The Dean Philips Scholarship (sponsored by the George Demos family)

If you would like to be considered for one of these scholarships, notify your parish priest (or dance program advisor) and ask them to submit your name.

FDF offers dance directors the opportunity to learn well-researched traditional Greek folk music, song and dance from qualified professional instructors in Greece.

To give deserving FDF dance directors the opportunity to learn well-researched traditional Greek folk music, song and dance from qualified professional instructors in Greece. The following factors will be considered:

Directors who have demonstrated outstanding Christian fellowship in their communities.

Directors who can make a long-term future commitment to teaching folk dance groups within the Metropolis.

The directors that are sent on this scholarship will also act as ambassadors from the Metropolis of San Francisco and will help promote cooperation between the FDF and sister Greek folklore organizations.

All FDF dance directors that are a member in good standing in the Greek Orthodox Church (or their parents) and that have participated in the FDF are encouraged to apply.

All recipients will be required to submit proof of health insurance that will cover them in Greece for the duration of the seminar.

All recipients will need to obtain/renew their passports.

Also, each recipient is required to write an article of his/her experience at the seminar for the OLI MAZI newspaper to be included for the upcoming FDF festival (Note: This can be a joint article written by both attendees).

Two FDF dance scholarships will be awarded. Each will provide for the airfare, dance instruction and room and board in attending the seminar. The recipient will need to do the following when awarded the scholarship:

Take a video camera and record as much of the instruction as possible.

These recordings must be on good quality VHS (or DVD) format.

The recipient must also obtain recordings of the music presented, records, cassette tape or CD.

Upon return, each recipient will need to make copies of the video as well as the music and submit them to the FDF Scholarship Manager, George Nickols. Once the video tapes and music have been submitted to the FDF and the article submitted for the OLI MAZI newsletter, the recipient will receive in turn, $250 to cover the miscellaneous expenses such as video tapes, cassette tapes, etc.

Please direct all questions to George Nickols at (818) 994-1414 or e-mail:
Director of Scholarships
Please fill out the Dance Scholarship To Greece Application and email to:
Director of Scholarships
Or print out the completed application and mail to:
FDF Scholarship Committee
c/o George Nickols
15128 Vose Street
Van Nuys, CA 91405

The FDF Board of Trustees does not make any claims as to the quality or value of the workshops, but feels that it is an appropriate seminar for an FDF director to attend. Since there are many Greek folk dance seminars offered in the summer, the selected seminar chosen by the FDF must be critiqued by the recipients and submitted along with the videotapes and cassettes. The recipients are required to attend the entire seminar. If the recipient cannot attend the seminar, they DO NOT have the option of sending someone else in their place. Applicants are required to sign the enclosed waiver upon submittal of the application which holds the FDF Board of Trustees, its officers and advisors, the Diocese and the Archdiocese harmless for any type of loss, injury, illness or expense arising from the scholarship. Recipients who are under the age of 21 will be required to have their parents sign the waiver as well.

FDF offers participants the opportunity to learn a traditional Greek folk instrument from qualified instructors.

The purpose of the musical scholarship is to continue to preserve Greek culture through learning and public playing of Greek folk music by giving deserving FDF participants the opportunity to learn a traditional Greek folk instrument from qualified musicians. The scholarship would not be successful if a recipient learned the instrument but never played with a band. The scholarship terms and conditions must stress group performance and public performance to ensure success of this scholarship.

The following factors will be considered

Applicants who have demonstrated outstanding Christian fellowship in their communities.

Applicants who have demonstrated their commitment to the FDF program and who do not have either access to or the resources to pay qualified musicians.

Applicants who can make a long-term future commitment to playing traditional Greek music for their community and for the greater FDF community.

All FDF participants (or their parents) that are members in good standing in the Greek Orthodox Church and have participated in an FDF are eligible.

Two FDF Musical Apprenticeship scholarships will be awarded.

Each applicant will identify the instrument of their choice and the Scholarship Committee will identify candidate instructors.

Applicants must own the instrument they wish to learn to play before lessons begin. Investment in the instrument demonstrates that the applicant is serious about learning and later playing the instrument.

Applicants should have some prior knowledge in instrumental music; such as school or private lessons, ability to read music, etc.

The scholarship funds are to be used to offset either travel expenses or teaching fees.

Recipients will practice with instructor's band (if applicable) on a regular basis during the period of the scholarship.

Recipients will play the selections they have learned with instructor's band (if applicable) at the FDF annual event, the FDF Symposium and any other FDF-sponsored events where instructor's band plays during the period of the scholarship. Recipient will also play with instructor's band at non-FDF events at the discretion of the band (if applicable). Recipients will play for FDF events or dance group performances gratis, only reimbursed for expenses for a period of 2 years after the scholarship apprenticeship period.

The Scholarship Committee and the selected mentor will determine distribution of scholarship funds.

A cassette tape or DVD containing the music learned and played by the recipient is required upon completion of the scholarship term, which is the next FDF Convention weekend. A final payment will be made to the recipient upon submittal of the cassette tape or DVD for any out-of-pocket expenses.

Questions should be directed to George Nickols, (818) 994-1414 or e-mail:
Director of Scholarships

Please fill out the Musical Apprenticeship Scholarship Application and email to: Director of Scholarships

Or print out the completed application and mail to:

FDF Scholarship Committee

c/o George Nickols

15128 Vose Street

Van Nuys, CA 91405