McLean Volunteer of the Week: Angela Kolaras, Our Military Kids

Name: Angela Kolaras

Career: Navy wife, world traveler and excellent cook.

Where Angela Volunteers?

Our Military Kids, an organization that assists  financially-stretched families by providing money for tutoring, sports, arts and music lessons for their children.   They help all branches of the military, Guard and Reserve, and are of particular benefit to those who live too far from military bases  to use military support services. 

What she does there?

Angela is the Thursday Gal.  She processes, packages and sends out grants to individual military kids.  These grants pay for various lessons, classes and sports that military kids would not afford.  Checks are made out directly to the service provider.

Four years ago they would process about twenty grants per day.  Now they process 130 grants or more per day.

Why Angela Kolaras supports Our Military Kids?

One day I was visiting with a friend when both of our husbands were deployed. Her five-year-old daughter wandered into the room and asked what Daddy looked like, because she couldn't remember. It got to me.  

I think too often the sacrifices of the families left behind is overlooked. Helping the families of the deployed is the least we can do to help support our troops.

It is a wonderful feeling to know how significant this help is to the children of our servicemen and women.  Just knowing that there is someone who cares is enough to help them continue on.  

Reading their thank you notes really drives home the point of how big this little bit of help can be to these families. Recently Our Military Kids hosted an essay contest about how these grants have helped them.  

An Invitation from Angela:

Helping is easy.  Any donation, as little as $5 or more provides direct fundng for grants for children.  Office help, and fundraising is always a necessity too.

Angela Kolaras's Hobbies and a Surprise Recipe!:

• I bowl once a week in a league in Bethesda Naval Hospital.  I bowl with mostly civilian wives.
• I am addicted to exercise. Just started a new one called Ballet Fit.  I do yoga once a week. I'm thinking of trying zumba. Fitness is so much fun and important for all of us.
• I am a people person, and I love doing things that put me in touch with people.
• I love cooking Mediterranean, Greek and Italian food. 

Authentic Italian Sauce Receip from Angela Kolaras

She lived in Italy  six -and-a-half years and learned Italian cooking from dear Neopolitan friend.

• 1 cup kalamata olive, seeded & cut in half. You need a good olive to make this.
• I large can of good quality tomatoes.  She uses whole plum tomatoes.
• Olive oil – extra version to taste ( about 2 TBS to one large can of tomatos.)
• Garlic – minced to taste whole clove at least.
• Capers – less than a tablespoon (She gets them at the Italian Store in Arlington) rinse the salt off in a small strainer she prefers ones packed in salt.
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped finely

Over medium heat sauté olives with capers, and garlic in olive oil for just a few minutes.

Add tomatoes with the liquid (try to break them up with a wooden spoon.)

Let come almost to a boil, and then turn down to simmer.

You know the sauce is ready when you can see the oil at the top

Great over linguine and penne.

This may surprise you, but the Italians do not put grated cheese over pasta.

Another secret with this or any sauce – put drained past back in regular pot and use about ¼ c of pasta liquid back to the sauce .  This makes the sauce really cling to the pasta. True of any sauce.

Heather Note: Yes we tried this sauce the family loved it!

To reach Military Kids: http://www.ourmilitarykids.org/

Email address: OMKInquiry@ourmilitarykids.org.

Phone: (703) 734-6654, or toll free (866) 691-6654

Our Military Kids, Inc.

6861 Elm Street, Suite 2A
McLean, VA 22101

Office hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.