Σελίδες

Πέμπτη 16 Ιουλίου 2020

AHEPA E-News

Vol. 14 Issue 28 | Wednesday, July 15, 2020
AHEPA E-News
Commentary | Let's Start with a Boycott
In a July 14 commentary piece, Supreme President George G. Horiates conveys AHEPA's alarm at the eradication of Turkey's religious and cultural heritage, especially Christian and Hellenic; and calls for a boycott of Turkish products and Turkish Airlines in the wake of the change of Hagia Sophia's status from a museum to a mosque.

Supreme President Horiates also renews the call to press the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that would impose sanctions on Turkey and reminds that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed similar legislation. Further, Horiates notes the Trump Administration is able to impose sanctions under current law, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).  

Also, AHEPA will explore opportunities to rally the community and bring all peoples together to emphasize that Erdogan’s action is unacceptable, and it cannot be allowed to stand.

Hagia Sophia's Status Change
Strongly Condemned
In a July 10 statement, Supreme President George G. Horiates strongly condemned the action taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to formally change the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque following a Turkish court’s decision that paved the way for him to do so.



Mavroyannis Family Scholarship Opportunity
The AHEPA National Educational Foundation, in partnership with the Mavroyannis family, is proud to continue to meet its commitment to make higher education affordable and accessible with the availability of the Constantine and Patricia Mavroyannis Scholarship, announced Supreme President George G. Horiates and National Educational Foundation Chairman George Vorkas. 

AHEPA Cares and it shows: A note of gratitude for your philanthropy
AHEPA prides itself on the strength of its chapters and members. With more than 400 chapters worldwide, AHEPA provides community service at the grassroots. In fact, AHEPA has been described as providing “boots on the ground” - a reference to our members and their valuable work in the communities. Working hand-in-hand with local and state community service groups, AHEPA excels at providing relief when times get tough.

During this unprecedented time, the COVID-19 pandemic has AHEPA mobilized once again. Our support for the health care heroes on the front lines who are making sacrifices to attend to those infected by coronavirus is resolute.

Supreme President George G. Horiates has been spearheading efforts to encourage our chapters to donate or volunteer time and energy to provide assistance. With the spirit of community service at the core of their mission, we are proud our chapters have responded superbly with safety as a priority. Ahepans are going to supermarkets (with appreciation to our grocery workers too) to buy food for those in need. They are visiting area hospitals and delivering food to the doctors and nurses who are in harm's way and to the elderly and the homeless. Ahepans are also donating blood. The AHEPA family is working together to provide assistance around the world.
#AHEPACares and it shows.

We salute our members for their outreach. We can take pride we are fulfilling our founding fathers' vision of a community service fraternity. Supreme President Horiates thanks the AHEPA chapters that are practicing philanthropy and for sending us inspirational photos and stories. We applaud look forward to seeing more of our Order's great works!

We encourage districts and chapters to engage in philanthropic and community service acts and please submit your good works to AHEPA Global Headquarters.




Please remember to do so responsibly, according to government guidance, and above all else--safely!

The list (below) is what we know at the time of distributing this edition of AHEPA e-news.

AHEPA’s list of chapters that are playing a significant part in the communities they serve worldwide is unmatched…and will go on…
THANK YOU!
Chapter 1 Atlanta, Ga. - Donated lunches to the first responders of Emory Decatur Hospital
Chapter 3 Birmingham, Ala. – 100 meals donated to Children’s Hospital of Alabama
Chapter 25 Manhattan, N.Y. – Meals donated and funds raised for ventilators
Chapter 26 Philadelphia – Brother Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis is actively advising Greece's Ministry of Health on COVID-19
Chapter 40 Detroit/District 10, Michigan – $15,000 donated to Detroit-area churches
Chapter 59 Canton, OH - Donated N95 masks and fed elderly in housing project
Chapter 64 Harrisburg, Pa. – Brother Dr. Chronis providing medical analysis for COVID-19 and the chapter donated $1,750 to four central PA food banks to feed families in need
Chapter 69 Cherry Hill, N.J. – 200 meals donated to Virtua Hospital and other area hospitals
Chapter 72 Trenton, N.J. – 280-plus meals an 80 face masks delivered to three major hospitals in Central N.J.
Chapter 78, Merrillville, Ind. – Donated $17,000 to charities that assist and provide relief to victims of COViD-19
Chapter 80 Worcester, MA - Donated meals to staff of Holy Trinity Nursing Center
Chapter 88 Warren, OH - Donated meals to Mahoning County for Developmental Disabilities
Chapter 94 Chicago, IL - Donated funds to the Greater Chicago Food Depository to feed 5000 people
Chapter 95 Wilmington, DE - Donated 200 meals to the community
Chapter 98 New Haven, CT - Established a relief fund
Chapter 110, Norwich, Conn. – Presented a $1,000 grant to fund the Backus Hospital's Mobile Outreach Van
Chapter 113 Dayton, OH - Donation of over 650 sandwiches to the House of Bread
Chapter 121 Pawtucket, RI - Fundraising for COVID-19 Treatment by Dr. Thomas Walsh and supporting Pawtucket Soup Kitchen
Chapter 145 Denver, CO – Donated and served meals to hundreds of first responders and homeless. Delivered thousands of face masks to the city and county of Denver
Chapter 156 Canonsburg, PA. – Donated $2,000 to feed 400 area families
Chapter 157 Calumet, IN – Meals, masks, gloves and hand sanitizer donated to the community's front line heroes
Chapter 158, Poughkeepsie, NY – Provided lunch to first responders upon city's reopening
Chapter 186 Astoria, NY - Served 150 meals and delivered another 35 meals to the community at-large
Chapter 219 Phoenix, AZ – Donated N95 face masks to essential workers
Chapter 250, New London, CT.  Ahepans donated and delivered meals to residents of five elderly housing communities
Chapter 319 Port Jefferson, NY– Secured & donated 1,000 masks and 3,000 pairs of gloves for the community
Chapter 326 Flushing, NY – Presented scholarship grants to 3 students while adhering to social distancing and guidance
Chapter 408 Wilmington, NC– The board of AHEPA 408 Senior Apartments donated "Care Bags" with essential items to the residents. Face masks and thermometers donated to St. Nicholas.
Chapter 445 & Sons of Pericles 290 Upper Darby, PA – Delivered food to the ER dept. at Jeanes Campus Temple U. Hospital
Chapter 500 Greenlawn, NY – Held a food drive that amassed 400 lbs of goods to benefit the area shelters
Chapter 515 Radnor, PA – Donated and delivered 100s of meals for healthcare, ER & admin staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital
Chapter 517 Holmdel, NJ - Donated funds to local hospital
Chapter 545, Middletown, NY – Raised $2,000 to provide financial aid to families recovering from illness, donated 500 "Gyros for Heroes," and is undertaking a goods collection drive
Chapter CJ-1 Toronto, ON – Implemented the Greek Easter Relief Food program, providing low-income families with a voucher to ensure everyone had access to an Easter meal
Chapter 601 Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey – Donated food to Orthodox churches for Easter
Chapter HJ-1 Athens, Greece – Ahepans provide support to Evangelismos Hospital
Chapter HJ-3 Thessaloniki, Greece – AHEPA Hospital is treating COVID-19 patients
Chapter HJ-10 Holargos, Greece - Assisted and donated items for the Police Force & Riot Gear
Chapter HJ-26 Larissa, Greece – Coordinated blood donor drive with several Ahepans donating
Chapter HJ-34 Corfu, Greece – Coordinated blood donor drive, donated face masks and health supplies to Corfu General Hospital and vulnerable populations
Chapter HJ-38 Palio Faliro, Greece – Donated and delivered meals and necessities to a local food bank for the municipality's elderly and vulnerable
Chapter HJ-41 Kalamaria, Greece – Delivered care packages of food and water to the elderly
Chapter HJ-43, Nea Smyrni, Greece  Donated and delivered hygienic supplies valued at 14,000 to Leros and surrounding islands
Chapter CY-1 Nicosia, Cyprus – Contributed to District 27's countrywide blood drive with hundreds of units of blood collected
Chapter CY-4, Idalion, Cyprus – Donated financial aid to assist five families in need
Chapter 614 Vienna, Austria - Activated a hotline for immediate response and delivered meals to the needy with local DOP Chapter.
Chapter 615 Westminster, England - Supported and fed those in need affected by the pandemic
Chapter 617 Frankfurt, Germany - Supplied 12 refurbished defibrillators to different areas in Greece
District 10, Michigan - Donated $23,300 to 11 Michigan-area Greek Orthodox churches
Book Announcement

"Greek Orthodox Church in America: A Modern History"
The AHEPA National Educational is pleased to provide the following book announcement for "Greek Orthodox Church in America: A Modern History," by Alexander Kitroeff.

In this sweeping history, Kitroeff shows how the Greek Orthodox Church in America has functioned as much more than a religious institution, becoming the focal point in the lives of the country’s million-plus Greek immigrants and their descendants. 

The Senate Must Act!
Contact Senators and urge them to:
  • Uphold American values and security interests. 
  • Hold Turkey responsible for its actions.
  • Urge Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring sanctions legislation to the Senate Floor.

The House acted. Now the Senate must.
Join AHEPA Today!
AHEPA 2017
In our own words. What AHEPA means to us.
Calendar of Events & Deadlines
August
20 Deadline: Fall 2020 The Ahepan magazine
Greek American News Digest
Editor's Note
Editorials, commentaries, opinion pieces, and articles 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.
Greece Says Turkey is being 'petty' over Hagia Sophia
Reuters (July 14)

Greece on Tuesday described Turkey’s decision to convert the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to a mosque as “unnecessary and petty” and called for tougher European Union action over Ankara’s gas exploration activities in the Mediterranean. read more
Greece held undisclosed trilateral meeting with Germany, Turkey, sources confirm
Ekathimerini (July 14)

Greece took part in an undisclosed trilateral meeting with Germany and Turkey held before the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in the wake of Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque, diplomatic sources have confirmed.