Vivian Panou, a producer / reporter, cause marketing specialist, and passionate member of the Greek-American community, lost her five-year battle with cancer and passed away on August 24th.
Panou, who had just turned 52, is survived by her two beautiful teenage daughters, Katerina and Aria.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 27th at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church, located at 133 South Roselle Rd., Palatine, Illinois from 11 am to 12 pm. The funeral service will begin at 12:00 pm.
In a recent video, posted on YouTube, the communications professional and mother-of-two had opened up about her treatment journey since she was diagnosed with stage 4 thyroid cancer.
Passionate for positive change
Panou’s work impacted millions of people globally, and the legacy of her many projects will live on.
Commonly known as “Vivacious Vivian,” Panou worked as a producer and reporter for numerous networks, including PBS and ABC from 1992 to 2000.
She reported the news in Greek for Panos Productions and was an integral producer and reporter for PageTwo, a Christian news program broadcast on TV38, and ArtBeat Chicago, a cultures program on WCIU.
In recent years, Panou channeled her passionate communication skills into cause marketing, working as a business development and marketing specialist in Washington D.C. and California.
Through her role of Director of Special Events & Program for ECOS by Earth Friendly Products, a position she held for over a decade, Panou strived to educate young students on how to positively impact our environment.
As mentioned in her obituary, she returned to Chicago with her two daughters in 2020 and used her producing skills as a producer for Life Focus Communications, creating faith-based programming for networks worldwide.
Her latest project, Healing Hearts Club, a Christian trauma healing series, will be broadcast to over twenty-five million children in the Middle East.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Panou founded the global non-profit organization EarthFund that same year.
She aspired to accelerate a country’s or state’s ability to scale to one hundred percent clean energy by 2030 starting with Greece.
Χριστός Ανέστη. Christ is Risen! Love our Greek Orthodox faith and midnight mass tradition. Blessings to all. #Faith #family pic.twitter.com/l8ck1OyYPR
— Vivian Panou (@Vivitsa70) April 29, 2019
College fundraiser
In lieu of flowers in Panou’s memory, donations can be made to daughters Katerina and Aria Kiousis.
Katerina, the eldest, began her college journey in August at Arcadia University, where she will play soccer while studying physical therapy and sports psychology. Aria, the youngest, who recently celebrated her sweet sixteen with her mom by her side, is entering her junior year of high school.
Any funds to be raised from this initiative will support Katerina and Aria’s future and will be overseen by their guardians and trustees, the campaign description reads.
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