Channeling Grief into Giving for the Special Needs Community: The Foundations of Project Sam and Like a Daisy

Pres Melanie speaks with Marissa Eliades, the cofounder of the Like a Daisy Foundation in memory of her sister Samantha Eliades, who had Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Samantha passed away, unexpectedly, on September 28, 2023. Marissa shares the origins of her family's journey with special needs in the church, beginning with participation in the Challenge Liturgies for families with disabilities established at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church of Port Washington Roslyn Heights, NY; the development of Project SAM, a ministry which seeks to reconnect people who are isolated with special needs and their families with their Faith Tradition; and most recently, her family's establishment of the Like a Daisy Foundation which offers support and life-changing experiences to the special needs community.