AHEPA E-News Volume 17, Issue 17 | Wednesday, April 26, 2023

AHEPA Family Leadership Excursion Commences

Supreme President Jimmy Kokotas kicked-off the annual AHEPA Family Leadership Excursion with a visit to Brussels, Belgium, for meetings at the European Union and NATO with representatives of Greece, Cyprus, and the United States, as well as with Ahepans from Brussels, April 21. District 28 Governor Dimosthenis Mammonas assisted with the coordination of the meeting schedule. Supreme Treasurer E. Chris Kaitson and Supreme Counselor Themistocles Frangos accompanied Supreme President Kokotas on this leg of the excursion.

They continued to Germany for a mass initiation held by Achilleas Chapter 624, Stuttgart, and a dinner hosted by Daughters of Penelope MeTera Chapter 425. AHEPA is positioned to grow in Germany with Hellenic communities from three cities strongly interested in chartering chapters. Following a successful visit to Germany, Supreme President Kokotas, Supreme Treasurer Kaitson, and Supreme Counselor Frangos visited Thessaloniki and met with Thessaloniki-area Ahepans. At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Supreme President Kokotas led a larger AHEPA family delegation, including Daughters of Penelope Grand President Georgette Boulegeris and Maids of Athena Grand President Maria Ana Pantelous, in an audience with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, on April 23.

"We are deeply grateful to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the generous amount of time he afforded to our delegation," Supreme President Kokotas said. “The AHEPA family remains steadfast in its support for religious freedom and human rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and all religious minorities in Turkey. We will not cease our efforts until these fundamental rights are in place and the Ecumenical Patriarchate is allowed to flourish." The delegation also attended church services on the Feast Day of St. George at the Cathedral of St. George at the Phanar. The delegation arrived in Cyprus on April 24 and attended a briefing with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus Julie Fisher, who started her post on February 21, 2023. Supreme President Kokotas led the discussion that centered enhancing U.S.-Cyprus relations.

“It was a sincere pleasure to meet and personally congratulate Ambassador Fisher,” Kokotas said. “We appreciated her time, thank her for a productive meeting, and stand ready to assist the ambassador in her mission to Cyprus.” The delegation also met with newly elected President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides on April 25. He took office on February 28, 2023. “We conveyed our heartfelt congratulations to President Christodoulides and had a fruitful meeting,” Kokotas said. “We reiterated our firm commitment to keep the Cyprus issue at the forefront and to playing a key role in the strengthening of relations between the United States and Cyprus. We were also excited to share our initial plans to host our first-ever Supreme Convention in Cyprus in 2024.” Additional meetings on April 25 were held with Defense Minister Michalis Giorgallas, the chief of the Cypriot National Guard, Lt. Gen. Dimokritos Zervakis, and an audience and luncheon with with His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus, who was enthroned in January 2023.

“We were deeply grateful for the generous hospitality afforded us by Archbishop Georgios,” Kokotas said. “We also congratulated His Beatitude and were honored to be with him for such a long time.”

The delegation also paid its respects at the Tomb of Makedonitissa, a war memorial and military cemetery, where Supreme President Kokotas laid a wreath. In addition to Supreme President Kokotas, the members of the delegation who participated at various legs thus far include: Daughters of Penelope Grand President Georgette Boulegeris, Maids of Athena Grand President Maria Ana Pantelous, Canadian President Emmanuel Constans, Chairman of the Board Nicholas Karacostas, PSP; DOP Past Grand President Kathy Bizoukas, Supreme Secretary Savas Tsivicos, Supreme Treasurer E. Chris Kaitson, Supreme Counselor Themistocles Frangos, Supreme Governor Region 10 Yiannis Mitropoulos, DOP Regional Liaison Mara Sofianou, District 27 Governor George Kallenos, District 28 Governor Dimosthenis Mammonas, Executive Director Basil Mossaidis, and DOP Executive Director Elena Saviolakis.

MOA & SOP Scholarships Available

The scholarship application process for AHEPA's youth organizations, the Sons of Pericles and Maids of Athena, has opened! Members in good standing of each organization are eligible to apply. Applicants for the 2022-2023 Sons of Pericles scholarships are eligible to win one of three available scholarships awards: AHEPA Housing SOP Scholarship Award for US $1,500 SOP Supreme President Scholarship Award for US $1,000 SOP Supreme Lodge Scholarship Award for US $500  Applications for the SOP Scholarship must be postmarked by June 16, 2023.

APPLY FOR THE SOP SCHOLARSHIP

Applicants for the 2022-2023 Maids of Athena scholarships are eligible to win one of three available scholarship awards: Archbishop Demetrios Scholarship $ 500 Past Executive Director of AHEPA Tim Maniatis Memorial Scholarship $1,000 National Maids of Athena Scholarship $ 1,000 Applications for the MOA Scholarship must be postmarked by May 31, 2023.

APPLY FOR THE MOA SCHOLARSHIP

Mavroyannis Scholarship Application Opens

AHEPA Educational Foundation Chairman George Vorkas, on behalf of Supreme President Kokotas, is pleased to announce its continued partnership with the Mavroyannis Family to offer the Constantine and Patricia Mavroyannis Scholarship. The Constantine and Patricia Mavroyannis Scholarship is open to graduate students who are either Greek or of Greek heritage and are enrolled in a PhD program in either theoretical physics or physical chemistry in the Faculty of Science at a North American university. The scholarship is in the amount of $5,000 and will be awarded in the fall semester. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Constantine and Mrs. Patricia Mavroyannis, this scholarship recognizes scholastic achievement and an interest and commitment to studying theoretical physics or physical chemistry by providing financial assistance to Hellenic graduate students to pursue their studies in these fields.

Learn More & Apply Here!

It's a New Congress! Help Grow the Hellenic Caucus

The 118th Congress is underway. AHEPA congratulates the newly established leadership of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues: U.S. Reps. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH), who are serving as co-chairs. We are also excited to see the Caucus establish vice chair positions and congratulate U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), who serve in that role. We look forward to working with the Caucus’s leadership, and the entire Caucus body, to help it meet its goals and objectives for the 118th Congress.   The AHEPA family can assist the Hellenic Caucus by helping it to grow. Membership stands at 90 U.S. representatives.

View the Caucus membership list (Updated 4/18/23)  Please review the list. If you do not see your U.S. representative listed, reach out to ahepa@ahepa.org to learn how to contact your U.S. representative and to ask them to join. Thank you.

AHEPA 2023 Supreme Convention - Save the Date!

Book Your Hotel Room Now!

While It Lasts! Get Your AHEPA Centennial Merch

Get it while it lasts! AHEPA centennial commemorative merchandise is available that includes a commemorative coin and stand and decanter set. Years of service and chapter officer pins, award plaques, and AHEPA t-shirts, watches, patches, and more!  Check it all out in the AHEPA Marketplace catalog.

Upcoming Events & Deadlines

April  30 | New York Greek Independence Day Parade May 1 | Deadline: Summer 2023 The Ahepan magazine 19 | SOP & MOA Greeks in Denver

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 Eleni Kounalakis first to launch campaign for California governor in 2026 Politico (April 24) California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis on Monday launched her campaign to become the first woman governor of the nation’s most populous state, pushing out ahead of what’s expected to be a sprawling field in 2026. read more Campaign for Greek election begins with dissolved parliament AP (April 22) The campaign for Greece’s May 21 national election officially opened Saturday with the dissolution of the parliament that was elected in July 2019. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou to propose the dissolution and she accepted it, as obliged by the Constitution of Greece. Mitsotakis said that with less than three months before lawmakers’ four-year terms were due to end, next month’s voting does not count as an early election. read more How agritourism is giving a helping hand on Greece’s farms The Guardian (April 24) A burgeoning farm holidays movement on the Peloponnese lets producers make extra income while offering visitors a glimpse of the country’s slower side. read more Why this rusting industrial city could be Greece's next tourism hotspot CNN (April 20) Perched on a hill facing the crystal-clear sea waters of Greece’s Saronic Gulf, ancient Eleusis stood in full splendor over 3,000 years ago, attracting the powerful, the famous and the curious. One of the most sacred cities of its time, its gleaming marble temples promised an entry point to the underworld and insight to its mysteries. read more Diamandis: The Greek American Entrepreneur Launches an $11-Million Contest to Help the World Beat Wildfires AMNA.gr (April 24) As the world grapples with the increasingly severe impact of climate change, one of the most pressing challenges we face is the devastating rise of forest fires. From Greece to California, extreme wildfires have been wreaking havoc on communities and ecosystems, while traditional firefighting techniques simply have not managed to keep pace with the intensity and frequency of this new reality. read more Now Available!