Ahepans Mourn Passing of Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.

 

American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association Contact: AHEPA Headquarters Phone: 202.232.6300  Email: ahepa@ahepa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2024 Ahepans Mourn Passing of Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Supreme President Savas C. Tsivicos issued the following statement:   "Ahepans deeply mourn the untimely passing of U.S. Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr., who represented the Tenth Congressional District of New Jersey.   "An Ahepan, Congressman Payne was a familiar, friendly face at AHEPA family and community events throughout his time in public service, including at our annual Capitol Hill Days. Like his father before him, who also was a dedicated Ahepan, Congressman Payne Jr.’s commitment to the American Hellenic community’s policy priorities and affection for Hellenic culture as an active member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus was unwavering. He championed strong U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus, religious freedom, and especially the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece.   "Congressman Payne served with integrity and worked diligently to be an effective legislator for his constituents. A Philhellene to the fullest, and an upmost public servant, we are proud to have called Congressman Payne a Brother Ahepan. He will be missed greatly. May his memory be eternal." # # # The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Hellenism, education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. AHEPA E-News Volume 18, Issue 17 | Wednesday, April 24, 2024 Tsivicos Goes West: The California Tour Supreme President Tsivicos continued his spring travels with a trip to the West Coast, where he was able to visit with brothers in both Northern and Southern California, as well as Tucson, Arizona! His trip began in Palo Alto, where he and Executive Director Basil Mossaidis met with Brother AHEPAN and supporter George Marcus at his restaurant Evvia Estiatorio and made preparations for the AHEPA Congressional Banquet, which Brother Marcus will present at. From Palo Alto, the Supreme President visited multiple chapters throughout District 21, visiting with Brothers in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, where he helped initiate ten new brothers into the order. Tsivicos also awarded the AHEPA Heroes Medal to District 21 Governor Chris Frangos, Silicon Valley Chapter 251 Members Michael Frangadakis & Bill Christie, Oakland Chapter 171 Member George Booras, PST, and Fresno Chapter 151 Member Robert Sexton, PSG. Tsivicos, accompanied by AHEPA Canada President Emmanuel Constas, journeyed to District 20 next. Special thanks to the Brothers of Long Beach Chapter 342 for hosting an excellent event to welcome the Supreme President to District 20! Brothers from surrounding chapters in Pasadena, San Fernando, Anaheim, and Redondo Beach, as well as their sister DOP Chapters were also in attendance. The Supreme President had the honor of awarding AHEPA Heroes Medals to many of our Brothers at this event. Past Chapter 342 Presidents and WWII Veterans Constantine Kourtis and Nicholas Karthas, as well as Chapter 342 Life Member Speros Polychrones and Brother James Eleopoulos. Medals were also awarded to Disneyland Chapter 411 Brothers Nicholas Perdaris, PSG, Alexander Soles, PSG, and Nicholas E. Angelos. Also in attendance, and a recipient of an AHEPA Heroes medal, was AHEPA PSP Dr. James F. Dimitriou Ph.D. of Harry S. Truman Chapter 426 of Redondo Beach, CA. The next stop for the Supreme President was to visit San Diego Chapter 223 and George Polos Chapter 505 in San Diego, CA, where he was able to help swear in twenty new brothers! It was an amazing experience to see such renewed excitement for AHEPA and its programs! Heroes medals were awarded to Chapter 505 members Dr. Peter Fellios, Ph.D., John Grevas, Alex Rigopoulos and Gerry Ranglas, and to Chapter 223 Member Christoforos Savvides. Congratulations Brothers! The Supreme President's caravan concluded in Tucson, Arizona with a visitation to Brothers from our Arizona and New Mexico Chapters. AHEPA Heroes medals were awarded to Tucson Chapter 275 Member James C. Ruboyianes for his dedication to the Order, Tri City Chapter 454 Member Andy Karantinos, Phoenix Chapter 219 Member Pete Marudas, and The Tasso Chronis Chapter 501 Member Pavlos Panagopoulos. Supreme Governors Wynn Storton, George George, Marshall Monsell, and Supreme Athletic Director Chris Atsaves joined the Supreme President for this leg of the visitation that culminated in the AHEPA Athletics annual Dr. Monthe Kofos AHEPA National Golf Tournament, also held in Tucson. Thank you to each and every member who visited with the Supreme President on his excursion out west! Theros Completes Boston Marathon for JTG AHEPA Brother Craig Theros, current President of Ann Arbor Chapter 195 in District 10 and co-chair of the AHEPA Journey to Greece Program, ran and completed the 126th Boston Marathon. Theros honored legendary 1946 Boston Marathon winner Stylianos Kyriakides by sporting a Greek Flag patch with Kyriakides' name and number 77. Kyriakides ran for the people of Greece in times of war and famine, winning the Boston Marathon in their honor and inspiring a nation. Brother Theros also wore the names of AHEPA Family members and Chapters that donated to the Journey to Greece Program in support of his marathon efforts. Congratulations Brother Craig! Journey to Greece Application Deadline Extended! AHEPA is proud to offer emerging young students and future leaders of our diaspora the exciting opportunity to participate in our premier educational program, Journey to Greece. Established in 1968, the Journey to Greece program provides an opportunity for our youth to visit Greece and earn six college credits in the process! This year, the Supreme President has made the promotion of the Journey to Greece Program one of his primary initiatives and has encouraged chapters from all over the AHEPA domain to not just help fundraise and support it, but to send students from their communities. AHEPA is proud to announce that we are able to cover the FULL TUITION (for each student that attends the Journey to Greece Program. That means that each participant is only responsible for their own airfare and the administrative fee! We've also managed to make room for a few more students to join this year's excursion, so please urge anybody interested to make sure to get applications in by the new deadline of Friday, May 3, 2024! Take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts! If you're thinking of attending or have a student in your life who you think would be able to benefit from this program, please apply TODAY! 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 Hot Off the Electronic Press! Hot off the electronic press, the Spring Issue of the AHEPAN is now available to read online! Check it out now before the issue hits your mailbox! Read the Spring AHEPAN Online! Mark Your Calendars! Annual Capitol Hill Day! Save the date! We will walk the halls of Congress once again for AHEPA Family Capitol Hill Day 2024! Thursday, May 23, 2024 Kick-off Reception 10 a.m. to Noon Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2045 Meetings with Legislators and their Staffs Educate Legislators about Issues of Importance to the American Hellenic Community Help Build the Hellenic Caucus Walk the Halls of Congress with Fellow Advocates from Across the U.S.! Please RSVP by Wednesday, May 1, 2024 by clicking here Supreme Convention Headquarters! Everything you need to know about the AHEPA Supreme Convention in Larnaca! Starting with our current tentative schedule, and our newest hotel reservation form for our overflow hotel! Tentative Schedule Overflow Hotel Reservation Form Come Play Golf With Us! Join us at the beautiful Aphrodite Hills PGA National Golf Course on July 22, 2024 for the AHEPA Supreme Convention Golf Tournament! Your $200 Fee Includes: Round Trip Bus Transportation from Radisson Beach Hotel 1 Round of Golf on PGA National Course 1 Club Rental per player Motorized Golf Cart Refreshments on the Turn Luncheon at the end of the Round Prizes Sign up and send your fees to AHEPA Headquarters before June 30, 2024 if you want to play! Play in the Supreme Convention Golf Tournament Early Bird Online Registration Are you planning on joining us in Cyprus this summer for our Supreme Convention? If so, get a head start and register for your delegate, alternate or guest package from now to take advantage of early bird pricing, available from now until June 1! Early Bird AHEPA Delegate & Alternate Packages are priced at $410, and Early Bird Non-Delegate/Alternate & Guest packages are priced at $485. Both of these prices include the $10 credit card processing fee. On site pricing will be significantly higher, so take advantage of these reduced package prices now! Early Bird Package Registration Sponsorship Resources Want to become a convention sponsor and advertise your business? Maybe you just want to send a message of support from yourself or your chapter. Put YOUR name on the AHEPA Supreme Convention by becoming one of our Partners! Multiple level partnerships are available on our website or by clicking the links below! Supreme Convention Tier 1 Sponsorship Supreme Convention Tier 2 Sponsorship Supreme Convention Tier 3 Sponsorship Passport Check! 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 Learn more about the 2024 AHEPA Supreme Convention MOA & SOP to host Stateside Convention The Maids of Athena Grand Lodge and Sons of Pericles Supreme Lodge have announced a stateside convention to be held before the AHEPA Supreme Convention, July 10-14, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. The youth orders do plan to participate in the AHEPA Supreme Convention in Cyprus, but want to provide an option for their members who are unable to make the trip. MOA & SOP members interested in joining the orders in Nashville should make sure to follow the Maids and Sons on social media and make sure they are signed up for their email updates in order to receive information as it's released. 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!