A six year old boy and his family’s struggle to give their son a normal childhood despite difficult health problems has inspired a movement of Chicago-area college students to unite in the name of philanthropy.
Hundreds of Greek American college students from Chicago’s universities will gather for the annual Pan-Hellenic Youth Ball— a tradition dating back more than a dozen years, whose proceeds for the second year in a row will benefit the family of Chris Ellis.
Ellis— at the young age of four, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in July 2014 and since then, has spent more time in the hospital than at his family home in Chicago’s suburbs.
The event is taking place on February 19th at the Foundation Blue in suburban Chicago and students and their supporters from the Hellenic Student Associations of Loyola, University of Chicago, DePaul, University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University will all come together to dance the night away— and simultaneously give support to the Ellis family.
George Tsourdinis, a junior at the University of Chicago and an aspiring pediatrician has been particularly moved by the plight of the Ellis Family and their struggle to keep their son happy and healthy.
“Through our annual Youth Ball fundraiser, we strive to show that, when the youth of the Hellenic diaspora unite, we can help any community members to surmount obstacles of healthcare cost and anything else life may throw our way,” said Tsourdinis.
Thousands of people— especially from the Chicagoland’s Greek community are following Chris’ journey via a Facebook page his mother started, to keep supporters and well-wishers updated on his status.
The organizers are using an Eventbrite page to sell tickets to the event, which also accepts donations— which go directly to the Ellis family for Chris’ treatment.