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Heroes of Saint Nicholas

On the morning of September 11, 2001, heroes emerged at Ground Zero – many of whom gave their lives. Since that fateful day, there have been contributions of enormous significance to the rebuilding of the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. These are the Heroes of Saint Nicholas.

Every month, we will highlight a person who played a special role in making the National Shrine a reality. The gratitude of the Greek Orthodox Church toward these people is truly incalculable. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for what they have done to bring about the miraculous reconstruction of Saint Nicholas.

This month's Heroes of Saint Nicholas are John and Mary Pappajohn - Read full announcement

John Pappajohn is a visionary, and that vision is seen not only in an extraordinary life of entrepreneurial genius, but in a philanthropic legacy of beauty and wisdom.

He became one of the nations first, and is now recognized as one of the world’s premier venture capitalists. In 1969 he founded Equity Dynamics and Pappajohn Capital Resources in Des Moines, Iowa. He has served as a director for more than 40 publicly traded companies, launched more than 100 startups, and taken more than fifty companies public. He has received many honors for his accomplishments including the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, four honorary doctorates, and other awards too numerous to mention.

But while John is a known entrepreneurial genius, he is equally known for his generosity. John and his late wife, Mary, have contributed over 100 million dollars to charities and education. They have founded the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial centers at five Iowa colleges and universities. Their success has resulted in more than 175,000 graduates of the program and more than 1000 small businesses launched. Continue reading this announcement. 

Heroes of Saint Nicholas Recipients