Dr. Stelios Dokianakis

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Dr. Stelios Dokianakis immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s to pursue higher education. After moving around the country for education and work, he stumbled across Holland by chance in 2009. West Michigan instantly felt like the right place for him to call home, a place where he and his wife could put down roots and have a family. “In Greece, “xenos”, the word for ‘stranger’ could also mean ‘guest,’ and I find that concept to be true in Holland. People were so welcoming. I feel very fortunate; the community has really embraced me.”

Dr. Dokianakis has always had a strong desire to give back both personally and through his business, so out of gratitude to the Holland/Zeeland community, he started the Holland Doctors of Audiology Fund at the Community Foundation in 2013. “Everyone’s motivation for giving is different, and what drives me is that I’ve been blessed with success and I have a sense of belonging here. This is my way of saying thank you.”

Not only is Dr. Dokianakis giving personally, but he has encouraged his patients to contribute to the fund as well. He has pledged to match every donation they give to the fund.

His hope is to inspire others to give charitably and experience the joys of giving back. “I believe very strongly in the power of the individual; by matching donations we want to provide an additional incentive to give.”

Holland Doctors of Audiology has had a culture of giving back from the very beginning. Despite only being in its third full year of business in 2013, and the Dokianakis family being relatively new to Holland, Dr. Dokianakis chose to make a major commitment to this community through his business by starting an endowed fund at CFHZ.

“This is now my community. What better way to acknowledge that my success is due to the community and show how grateful I am, than to start a fund that residents will benefit from forever?”

CFHZ was the perfect place to make that gift. “What I value most about the Community Foundation is that it is all-encompassing and they understand the broader needs of this area better than I do.

I find comfort in knowing that they’ll provide the support that’s most needed through this unrestricted fund. They will always be good stewards of these resources.”

Dr. Dokianakis gives back in other ways, too. He’s passionate about music and musicians’ hearing needs, so he teaches hearing conservation to musicians. He started a hearing loss prevention campaign and reached out to area high schools and band directors. He gives presentations to local schools, churches, and industry on hearing protection and has donated hundreds of pairs of musician’s earplugs to local students.

He also works with the Holland Free Health Clinic and Lion’s Club to fit hearing aids at no charge and has started a support group for those who suffer from Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

“I feel that giving back is our social responsibility and I want to be a good example to my daughter. We teach our children to share and to give; we should model that behavior for them year-round. I want my daughter to understand the intrinsic rewards of selfless giving and of supporting her community.”

Leading by example, Dr. Stelios Dokianakis demonstrates that you don’t need to wait to start giving back to the community. When giving is part of who you are, you find ways to give back during all stages of your life, because everyone has something to give.