AHEPA E-News Volume 18, Issue 12 | Wednesday, March 20, 2024 PSP Kokotas Honored in Brooklyn Two term Past Supreme President Jimmy Kokotas was honored with a testimonial dinner hosted by his home Chapter, Coney Island Chapter 200 of Coney Island, NY, on Saturday, March 16th at the El Caribe Country Club in Brooklyn. The dinner was well attended by almost 300 members of the AHEPA Family who traveled from all over to pay tribute to the Past Supreme President. Supreme President Savas C. Tsivicos spoke on behalf of the AHEPA Supreme Lodge, highlighting Kokotas' service to the Order and his contributions to AHEPA as a whole before presenting him with a vintage AHEPA Fez in honor of his service. He was joined by many members of the Supreme Lodge, including Supreme VP Chris Kaitson, Supreme Secretary Zenon Christodoulou, Supreme Treasurer Demetrios Kirkiles, Supreme Counselor Themis Frangos, and Supreme Governors Dimitris Rozanitis & Marshall Monsell. AHEPA Board of Trustees Member Louis G. Atsaves, who served as Kokotas' Vice President, as well as Maids of Athena PGP Maria Ana Pantelous, who served two terms alongside brother Jimmy, and SOP Supreme Governor George Antonellis were also in attendance. Multiple presentations were made throughout the evening, including the presentation of a flag that had been flown over the Battleship New Jersey encased in the battleship's storied deck teak made on behalf of Past Supreme President George G. Horiates by Supreme Governor Rozanitis. The Supreme Governor also presented PSP Kokotas with a clock encased in the Battleship's original World War II teak in honor of his service and friendship. The Maids of Athena and Sons of Pericles jointly presented PSP Kokotas with various gifts including cufflinks and a PSP whiskey decanter. The event was a resounding success and Coney Island Chapter 200 was able to raise upwards of $225,000 for the District 6 Scholarship Fund! Congratulations, Brother Jimmy, on two successful terms as Supreme President! Sons of Pericles Reactivate Trenton, NJ Chapter Over the weekend, the Brothers of Trenton Chapter 72 of Trenton, NJ helped to reactivate Sons of Pericles Perdicaris Chapter 167. The initiation ceremony was presided over by Sons of Pericles Supreme Treasurer George T. Horiates and attended by many members of AHEPA Chapter 72, including SOP Past Supreme President Lee Millas. Are you aware that members of the Sons of Pericles aged 18-28 are automatically dual members of AHEPA, and vice versa? Take a look at your chapter membership and see if some of your younger members qualify for dual membership in the Sons of Pericles! All it takes is eight members to reactivate or activate a Sons Chapter! If you have any interested young men between the ages of 14-28 who would like to get involved, please contact the SOP Supreme Lodge via email at sopsupremelodge@gmail.com! 2024 AHEPA Athletics Scholar-Athlete Awards The Order of AHEPA has proudly awarded scholarships to a number of deserving Scholar-Athletes at the High School and College levels for a number of years. These scholarships are funded through the generosity of Brother AHEPANS and their families, often in honor of an active and committed Brother or in memory of a deceased Brother or family member, or through the efforts of the AHEPA Athletic Department. The awards recognize and reward the accomplishments, including academic, athletic, and community service, of the Hellenic Community’s future leaders! Each particular Scholarship recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of sports, and in some cases, the classroom and community service. An applicant must be nominated by a member, in good standing, of the AHEPA family, by use of the attached 2024 Scholar-Athlete Scholarship Application Form. The deadline for submission is April 15, 2024, and all inquiries should be forwarded to the Chairman of the Scholar-Athlete Selection Committee, James Rigopoulos. Any AHEPAN interested in discussing the funding of a scholarship, please contact James Rigopoulos! Download the Athletic Scholarships & Awards' Application AHEPA Hellenic Athletic Hall of Fame Reminder that The Order of AHEPA Hellenic Athletic Hall of Fame Nomination Applications are available online and due by MARCH 31, 2024!   The HOF honors the most outstanding Hellenic athletes and the sport’s industry’s leaders, including such greats as Harry Agganis, Alex Karras, Milt Pappas, Pete Sampras, Eric Karros, Gene Rossides, Steve Lappas, Bob Costas, Nick Markakis and Greg Louganis! Visit ahepa.org/programs/athletics to learn more about the Hellenic Athletic Hall of Fame and to download and submit the nomination application form! AHEPA PSG to run the Boston Marathon for JTG 2024 marks the 128th running of the historic Boston Marathon. AHEPA Past Supreme Governor Craig Theros, our AHEPA Journey to Greece Program Co-Chairman has qualified to run in this year's marathon on April 15th and wants to give every AHEPA Family member the opportunity to run with him! From now until March 25th, 2024, donations to the AHEPA Journey to Greece Program earmarked "Boston Marathon" will earn you or your chapter a place on Brother Theros' custom-made AHEPA charity racing shirt, which he will be wearing during his running of the Boston Marathon! With a tax-deductible donation of $100 per individual or $500 per chapter, you can accompany him from the start in Hopkington, MA to the finish line in Boston, MA and help our students at the same time! 100% of your donation will go to the Journey to Greece Program and help defer tuition costs for students participating in the program. Please make checks out to AHEPA Charitable Foundation and on the memo line write Boston Marathon JTG. Remit checks to: AHEPA Global Headquarters, 1909 Q Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009 Click to download a letter from Brother Theros! Congressional Banquet Sponsorships Available! The 46th Biennial AHEPA Congressional Banquet is right around the corner! We invite you to join AHEPA on May 22nd at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC as we honor our Brother Senator John Sarbanes with the AHEPA Socrates Award. Additionally, we will be bestowing the AHEPA Pericles Award on U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT) and Marco Rubio* (R-FL), as well as U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). For more information on the event and on becoming a benefactor, please visit the link below. There are a limited number of tickets available so please take advantage as soon as possible. *not yet confirmed Learn More or Become a Sponsor! AEF 2024 Scholarship Deadline Approaching! Since its establishment, AHEPA, the largest and oldest Greek American Organization in the U.S., has consistently dedicated itself to advancing education for the next generation. Through our financial support in the form of scholarships, we aim to alleviate the significant burden faced by today's students. The cost of education should not act as a barrier but rather mirror a student's aspiration to achieve scholastic enrichment in their young lives. Applications for the 2024 AEF Scholarship must be postmarked by MARCH 31, 2024. If you are planning on applying, do so now! Click to Learn More about the 2024 AEF Scholarship Click to Download the 2024 AEF Scholarship Application AHEPA Journey to Greece Program Since its establishment, AHEPA, the largest and oldest Greek American Organization in the U.S., has consistently dedicated itself to advancing education for the upcoming generations. The AHEPA Journey to Greece program, a cultural immersion initiative, enables high school seniors and college undergraduates to earn up to six college course credits. Originally initiated in 1968, the program transported a youthful generation of Greek American youths to explore their ancestral culture and land. After a hiatus, it was revitalized in 2006 in collaboration with Webster University. Now in its 18th year, the 2024 AHEPA JTG program is accepting applications for individuals eager to delve into the rich culture and history that Greece offers. Scheduled to run from June 16 to July 12, 2024, interested parties can find more details regarding costs, schedule, courses, and application submission at the link below. Click to Learn More about AHEPA's Journey to Greece Program Click to Download a JTG Information Sheet Click to Download the 2024 Journey to Greece Application It's that time of year! Time to start thinking ahead to Supreme Convention 2024! Next year's Supreme Convention will be held in beautiful Larnaca, Cyprus at the Radisson Beach Resort. Rooms are available on a first come first serve basis to AHEPA Family Members only through AHEPA Global Headquarters. The only way to reserve your room is to fill out the form linked below and return it with your $250 reservation deposit. Download Hotel information & Reservation Form Learn more about the 2024 AHEPA Supreme Convention Planning on joining us this summer in Cyprus? Make sure your passport is up to date! If it expires soon, renew it NOW! Passport renewal takes time and you don't want to miss out because you waited too long! Add this to your to-do list today! Renew U.S. Passports Renew Canadian Passports Renew Greek Passports 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 March 25 | Deadline for Boston Marathon Journey to Greece Donations 29-31 | SOP & MOA Present Greeks in Montreal 31 | AEF Scholarship Application Deadline 31 | AHEPA Hellenic Athletics Hall of Fame Nomination Deadline May 22 | AHEPA 46th Biennial Congressional Banquet, Mayflower Hotel, Washington DC 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 will keep supplying Ukraine Ekathimerini (March 15) Greece will continue supplying Ukraine with guns and ammunition this year without depleting its stocks.The equipment will be bought from the Czech Republic and transferred directly to Ukraine. Czech and Greek officials are negotiating the prices of these systems; signing a bilateral agreement will follow. read more Food aid from Cyprus reaches starving people in northern Gaza, says charity Reuters (March 19) A U.S.-based charity said a consignment of almost 200 tons of food aid had reached starving people in northern Gaza on Tuesday, a week after being despatched via a maritime route from the Cypriot port of Larnaca. World Central Kitchen (WCK), working with the United Arab Emirates and Spanish charity Open Arms, sent the food via the 200-mile (322-km) sea route from Larnaca to a makeshift jetty off Gaza. The consignment arrived off Gaza on Friday. read more