AHEPA Family Departs for Overseas Leadership Excursion
Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades leads the AHEPA Family’s annual Leadership Excursion to Greece, Cyprus, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, April 11 to 23, 2017. The delegation participants will celebrate Easter at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and visit Cyprus (April 18-19) and Greece. In Cyprus, the delegation will meet with President Nicos Anastasiades and U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Doherty, among other officials. In Greece, the delegation will visit Thessaloniki (April 12-14) and Athens (April 20-22). Supreme President Zachariades will address Hellenic Parliament and meet with President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos and U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, among other officials. AHEPA has organized overseas excursions since 1928.
AHEPA Thanks Atlantic Bank for St. Nicholas Support
AHEPA Gus Cherevas Estia-Pindus Chapter 326, Flushing, N.Y., presented Nancy Papaioannou, president, Atlantic Bank of New York with a Certificate of Appreciation for the bank’s ongoing support for the rebuilding of Saint Nicholas National Shrine and Greek Orthodox Church at World Trade Center. AHEPA Chairman of the Board Nicholas A. Karacostas, PSP, who also serves as chairman of AHEPA’s St. Nicholas Capital Campaign Drive; and Chapter 326 President Harry Yanakis, made the presentation April 5, 2017.
New! | Spring 2017 Issue of The Ahepan is Out!
Hot off the electronic press! Check out the newly-released spring 2017 issue of The
Ahepan! Share it with family and friends by forwarding this electronic version before it hits mailboxes!
Read about the legacy of the Greek railroad workers of Oregon and Southern Washington, AHEPA’s ongoing collaboration with American Jewish organizations, and one veteran’s special day in Nebraska. This issue also includes a Supreme Convention registration form. Finally, don’t forget to catch-up on the latest ways AHEPA chapters are giving back through community service. Next Deadline: May 9, 2017
Deadline Extended | Journey to Greece
Study abroad this summer and earn 6 college credits in Greece. AHEPA, in partnership with Webster University, is sponsoring 20 students to visit locations like Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Hosios Loukas, Arachova, and Crete — all while earning college credits!
Deadline Extended: Apply Today
Watch & Share: Journey to Greece Promo Video
More Info: Click Here
Deadline: April 15 | 2017 AHEPAcademy Session
Join a select group of Greek American high school students from across the country for AHEPAcademy, June 25 – July 1, 2017, at George Mason University, outside Washington, DC. Learn more
- Final Deadline: April 15, 2017
Download Application: Download
Rebuild St. Nicholas Campaign
AHEPA is determined to meet its Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign fund raising goal of $1 million. Donations–large and small–keep pouring in for AHEPA’s #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign.
New! | Sincere thanks to Hercules Spartian Chapter 26, Philadelphia, for its $1,000 donation to the campaign!
#RebuildStNicholas campaign webpage
Check Out: Our panel of donors
TAKE ACTION!
Has your district or chapter organized a fundraiser for the campaign to #RebuildStNicholas? Take action and support AHEPA’s campaign today! Please tweet about your fundraising activity by using #RebuildStNicholas to share your work with the broader community!
Share Media
St. Nicholas Appeal Video
AHEPA has produced its latest appeal video to help #RebuildStNicholas.
TAKE ACTION: Donate Today!
MORE TO SHARE: Initial appeal video released at the 94th Grand Banquet!
Project Update
NEW! | Image of Saint Nicholas under construction.
MEDIA COVERAGE: New York Times: Cross Takes Its Place, Temporarily, Atop Shrine at World Trade Center
Live Webcam!
Thanks to a live webcam, you can watch progress being made with a first-hand look at the site where Saint Nicholas National Shrine will be build.
Washington Update
Tell Congress to Support Bipartisan Genocide Prevention Resolution
AHEPA commends the introduction of H.Res.220, a bipartisan anti-genocide resolution calling on the United States to apply the lessons of the Armenian Genocide in seeking to prevent modern day atrocities across the Middle East, and urges its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades. U.S. Reps. David Trott (R-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the resolution on March 22. H.R.220 has 24 co-sponsors.
AHEPA commends the introduction of H.Res.220, a bipartisan anti-genocide resolution calling on the United States to apply the lessons of the Armenian Genocide in seeking to prevent modern day atrocities across the Middle East, and urges its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades. U.S. Reps. David Trott (R-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the resolution on March 22. H.R.220 has 24 co-sponsors.
In addition to calling on the U.S. to draw on the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, H.Res.220’s resolved clause includes the U.S. to also draw on “…the broader genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Greeks, Pontians and other Christians upon their biblical era homelands.”
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Special Focus – The Armenian Genocide
Be an Advocate. Walk the Halls of Congress.
Join the AHEPA family for its annual Capitol Hill Day, May 3. Educate your legislators about issues of importance to the American Hellenic community. Learn more. RSVP by April 14 to admin@ahepa.org.
It’s a New Congress! Help Grow the Hellenic Caucus!
The 115th Congress is well underway. And with it, the work renews for the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, led by Co-chairs U.S. Reps. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY). The Hellenic Caucus begins the 115th Congress with 120 members.
Is your U.S. representative a member of the Hellenic Caucus? Click here to find out.
Download & Share: Action alert to help you outreach to Congress
The Hellenic Caucus has been an active, bipartisan group in Congress since its founding in 1995.
Upcoming Events & Deadlines
April
11 – 23 | AHEPA Family Leadership Excursion
15 | Final Deadline: AHEPAcademy Application
30 | Chicago Greek Independence Parade
May
3 | AHEPA Family Capitol Hill Day
9 | Deadline: The Ahepan Summer 2017 Issue
21 | AHEPA Day
22 | AHEPA Wreath-laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery
Greek American News Digest
Editor’s Note: Editorials, Commentaries, and Opinion pieces are shared for information purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the Order of AHEPA, its affiliated organizations, and members.
36 Hours in Cyprus
New York Times (April 6)
Recovered from its economic woes, the mythological birthplace of Aphrodite is solvent again and undergoing a rebirth of its own. read more
EU should consider billion-euro investment boost for Greece – Austrian fin min
Reuters (April 10)
The European Union should consider a one-billion-euro ($1.1-billion) special investment programme to spur growth in debt-ridden Greece, Austria’s finance minister told daily Der Standard in an interview published on Monday. read more
Cyprus reunification talks restart, tough challenges ahead
Ekathimerini (April 11)
Against the backdrop of Turkey’s referendum on expanding presidential powers, talks aimed at reunifying ethnically divided Cyprus restarted Tuesday with rival leaders hoping to claw back diminished trust and lost momentum after a two-month halt. read more
Oregon Ducks guard Tyler Dorsey to declare for NBA draft, hire agent
The Oregonian/OregonLive (April 10)
Mr. March has played his last game in an Oregon uniform. Oregon sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey announced Monday that he will declare for the 2017 NBA draft and hire an agent, which will end his collegiate eligibility. read more
Opinion | Surprise! Pro-Washington Declarations in Athens
New York Times (April 11)
Before Donald Trump’s election turned much geopolitical conventional wisdom on its head, if you were in the Greek government, you’d have to be a fool to proclaim, “Only America can help us.” But someone has, and the fact that it was a member of a coalition led by a radical leftwing party, Syriza — whose members have traditionally opposed United States policy — underlines the contradictions of a government comprising members of the extreme left and extreme right. It shows also how the past seven years of austerity and reforms have reshaped politics and attitudes. And it suggests that anti Americanism in Greece has faded over the past few years, as the Obama administration supported Athens’s efforts to remain in the common European currency and preached against creditors’ harsh treatment. Above all, it suggests that in difficult times, old alliances become more precious. read more
Greece suspends stricter border controls after airport delays
Ekathimerini (April 10)
The leadership of the Greek Police (ELAS) has decided to suspend stricter border controls at airports and entry points into country – as part of tighter rules introduced within the Schengen area – after travelers suffered serious delays on the measure’s first day of implementation on April 7. read more
Academic Dialogue at Boston University about Democracy
The National Herald (April 6)
Tens of university professors, including many Greek-Americans, many students mostly graduate level, and a good number of Greek-Americans from many areas of New England filed the amphitheater of the Photonics Center of Boston University on March 27 for an academic dialogue on democracy. read more
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