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AHEPA Donates $15K to Secure Medical Shipping Container In the aftermath of July's wildfires in Greece, AHEPA announced it would partner again withInternational Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) to secure two shipping containers to be filled with medical supplies that will be delivered to Greece during the fall.  This week, Supreme President George E. Loucas presented IOCC, which was represented by Pascalis Papouras, with a $15,000 donation to secure the first of two shipping containers.  It will deliver medical supplies to Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. Since 2012, AHEPA has teamed-up with IOCC to secure the delivery of nine containers of medical supplies delivered to various hospital throughout Greece, providing invaluable public health assistance to the people of Greece.  Each container possesses medical supplies totaling an estimated value between $650,000 and $850,000. District Governors Conference a Success We sincerely appreciate the AHEPA family's national, regional and district leaders for taking the time to attend the 2018 District Governors Conference, held Sept. 21 and 22, in Washington, D.C.  Everyone contributed to its success as we plan for a busy 2018-19 administrative year.  We are confident it will be another productive year for the AHEPA family.  In addition to the business meetings, participants attended the Washington Nationals-New York Mets baseball game. Update | AHEPA Senior Housing Property in Wilmington, N.C. AHEPA 408 Apartments in Wilmington, N.C., sustained damage from Hurricane Florence as the storm battered the Carolinas. The intense rain and wind compromised the roof of the 50-unit affordable housing for the elderly property, causing extensive water damage. This week, AHEPA 408 Apartments Board of Directors members and FEMA representatives met to assess the damage and the need for financial help for the residents.  The FEMA officials indicated they were pleased with the residents' status and the progress made to rehab the property.  To date, 31 workers are on-site working to clean-up debris and to rehab the property.  ICYMI | National Voter Registration Day Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day. The most sacred right we have as citizens is the right to vote. Voting is the language with which democracy is spoken.  If you are not registered to vote, AHEPA encourages you to take a moment -- in the spirit of civic responsibility -- to register to vote today: https://vote.gov/   View on Twitter AHEPA Remembrance | September Events of 1922, 1955   During September, AHEPA reflects and remembers the catastrophic events of September 1922 (the burning of Smyrna) and September 1955 (the Istanbul Pogrom) and shares the following articles, journal pieces, and other resources with our audience for a more in-depth historical perspective and additional insight: International Association of Genocide Scholars: The Istanbul Pogrom of 6-7 September 1955 in the Light of International Law  Article: September 6-7, 1955: Krystallnacht in Constantinople (The Pappas Post) Must Read: The Mechanism of Catastrophe: The Turkish Pogrom Of September 6 - 7, 1955, And The Destruction Of The Greek Community Of Istanbul by Speros Vryonis, Jr., Ph.D. Must Read: The Blight of Asia by former U.S. Consul General to Smyrna George Horton Article: September 10, 1922: The Martyrdom of Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Smyrna (The Pappas Post) Article: New York Times Recounts 'Turkish Atrocities' in Smyrna 1922; Testimony Based on American Doctor's Account (The Pappas Post) Must Read: The Great Fire - a Harper Collins book about an American minister who saved 250,000 Greeks from Smyrna Fire in 1922 (on Amazon)  ICYMI | AHEPA Canoutas Lecture Commemorates the Septemvriana of 1955   Media Coverage: The National Herald | GreekNews Online Congressional Hellenic Caucus Membership is 126.   Help It Grow.    Although Congress is heading into the homestretch of the 115th Congress, there is still plenty of time to increase the membership of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues. AHEPA asks for your help. The Hellenic Caucus has been an active, bipartisan group in Congress since its founding in 1995.  It is co-chaired by U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and its co-founder, Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).   Membership in the Hellenic Caucus stands at 126.   Is your U.S. representative a member?  Click here to find out. Download & Share: Action Alert to help you outreach to your U.S. representative  Don't forget to follow AHEPA on social media:

Upcoming Events & Deadlines September 27 |  Supreme President George Loucas meets w/ His Eminence Archbishop   Demetrios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, New York, N.Y. 27 |  Events with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President  Nicos Anastasiades surrounding the United Nations General Assembly, New York, N.Y. October - November 26 | Deadline for The Ahepan winter issue 29 - 3 |  2018 AHEPA National Golf Invitational, Frisco, Texas Join AHEPA Today! In Our Own Words. What AHEPA means to us. Join AHEPA Now 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.       Wildfire Breaks Out Near Camp In Greece, Home To Thousands Of Refugees NPR  (Sept. 23)   A wildfire broke out near a camp with thousands of migrants and refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos. The camp, known as Moria, and the makeshift settlements surrounding it, are home to an estimated 9,000 people.  Video shared on social media showed a plume of smoke not far from the camp, and the sounds of children shrieking as helicopters flew towards the fire, dousing water.  read more Greece: Drones used to spot tax cheats on Santorini Associated Press (Sept. 24) Tax authorities say they have used surveillance drones in Greece for the first time to spot violations on Santorini, where tourists were allegedly being taken on boat tours of the island's sea-filled volcanic crater without getting receipts. read more How Halloumi Devoured a Nation Bloomberg (Sept. 20)     Yiannos Pittas remembers the days decades ago when his Cypriot dairy airlifted halloumi cheese to expat diplomats in London. These days it's flying off the shelves from Sydney to Stockholm.  But no country has embraced the rubbery cheese like the U.K., where exponential growth in demand has made halloumi the second-largest Cypriot export.  read more     Former chief statistician awarded for pursuing 'integrity' in Greek data Ekathimerini (Sept. 21) Greece's former statistics chief Andreas Georgiou was awarded a special commendation for "upholding of the highest professional standards" in producing the country's statistics and "in the pursuit of integrity of statistical systems," the International Statistical Institute (ISI) said in a press release.  read more    Greece imports referees as fix for soccer violence AP (Sept. 24) When Greek league rivals AEK Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki met last season, a disallowed goal late in the match - which was, finally, allowed - threw the sport into chaos.  PAOK's owner stormed onto the field in protest with a gun strapped to his belt, the league was suspended for two weeks, and FIFA forced Greece to make a series of urgent reforms or face expulsion from international competition. read more    Cyprus and Egypt said to be close to inking gas deal Reuters (Sept. 20)       Taking a well-trodden route north out of sub-Saharan Africa, Wamba clung on to his treasured ball until he had to jettison it on the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece. He is now under the wing of one the country's biggest clubs, Aris, as he waits for his asylum application to be processed.  read more   Mediterranean-style diet may lower women's stroke risk Science Daily (Sept. 20)   One of the largest and longest-running efforts to evaluate the potential benefits of the Mediterranean-style diet in lowering risk of stroke found that the diet may be especially protective in women over 40 regardless of menopausal status or hormone replacement therapy, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal, Stroke.  read more  Storm Passes, Damage Must Still be Assessed, But Love Binds Fayetteville, NC Parish  The National Herald (Sept. 24)      With intermittent phone and internet service, for a few days only occasional messages and brief conversations were possible with Rev. Alexander Papagikos, head priest of the Sts. Constantine and Helen of Fayetteville, NC and Presbytera Kelly Papagikos. It was enough to bring relief knowing that they and their parishioners were safe after the fury of Hurricane Florence passed.  read more