AHEPA E-News

Vol. 14 Issue 31 | Wednesday, August 5, 2020 AHEPA E-News AHEPA Attends Saint Nicholas National Shrine Construction Restart Ceremony At the direction of Supreme President George G. Horiates, Supreme Vice President Jimmy Kokotas represented AHEPA at an August 3 ceremony held to mark the resumption of construction at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at World Trade Center. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and Governor Andrew Cuomo presided over the ceremony. In remarks, Archbishop Elpidophoros said, "We are going to open the Saint Nicholas Church and National Shrine as a sign of love, not hate; a sign of reconciliation, not of prejudice; and a sign of the ideals that exist in this great American Nation, where one’s religious liberty and freedom of conscience never excludes, but only embraces." AHEPA is a proud benefactor of the rebuilding of Saint Nicholas, having fulfilled its $1 million commitment in 2019. Senator Menendez Presses Secretary Pompeo on Turkey Sanctions U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), ranking member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, pressed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the topic of imposing sanctions on Turkey for its violation of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) during a hearing held July 30, 2020. "We thank Senator Menendez for his tireless effort to hold Turkey accountable for violating U.S. law," Supreme President George Horiates said. "Turkey has proven to be an unreliable NATO partner and its acquisition of the Russian S-400s is evidence." watch video clip AHEPA letter to Senate Foreign Relations  Committee 7th Annual AHEPA Cup Held in Nafpaktos A record number 29 teams (58 athletes) participated at “AHEPA Cup 2020” – the three-day mixed team beach volleyball tournament hosted by AHEPA Lepanto 1571 Chapter HJ-18, Nafpaktos, July 31 to August 2, 2020. Congratulations to the championship pairing of Maria Sotiriou-Orestis Papoulias from Athens, who bested the pairing of Konstantina Zikos-Fanis Daskalopoulos from Patras, to capture first place. The Zikos-Daskalopoulos pairing secured second place. The team of Evanthia Baldoka-Michalis Papaioannou from Athens finished in third place. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, this year’s tournament is the seventh consecutive one to be held, and it was done so based on strict, specific health safety protocols approved by the Hellenic Volleyball Federation, under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Sports. The Municipality of Nafpaktia, the Region of Western Greece, and the sports club "Omonoia Nafpaktou” were co-organizers. see more on Facebook Chicago Ahepans Donate to End Hunger Ahepans from North Shore Chapter 94, Chicago, donated $4,465 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, July 30, 2020. Supreme Governor and Chapter 94 President Peter G. Lekas presented the donation to Greater Chicago Food Depository Executive Director Joshua Selva. Supreme Counselor Louis G. Atsaves, District 13 Lt. Gov. George C. George, Supreme Athletic Director Chris G. Atsaves, and AHEPA Athletics Hall of Fame Member Kirk Vidas accompanied Lekas to the presentation of the donation. The chapter plans to make this a regular cause as part of the "AHEPA Cares" program created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project started with a letter to chapter members requesting a special donation for this cause, and the response was overwhelming and heartwarming. 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… Donate to the AHEPA Emergency Relief Fund Visit our COVID-19 Resource Center Download & Distribute AHEPA Cares Flyer 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 5,000 persons 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 411 Anaheim, CA – Helped distribute 2,700 produce boxes and 900 non-perishable food boxes to 461 cars and eight trucks (the trucks distributed the food to other parts of Orange County), feeding more than 10,000 persons. Chapter 445 & Sons of Pericles 290 Upper Darby, PA – Delivered food to the ER dept. at Jeanes Campus Temple U. Hospital Chapter 489 New Port Richey, FL – Donated meals to elderly residents at AHEPA 489 Apartments 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.  order online | download flyer The Senate Must Act! View our Action Alert 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. Contact the US Senate Today! Take Action: Learn More! In our own words. What AHEPA means to us. Join AHEPA Now! Calendar of Events & Deadlines