AHEPA E-News

Volume 18, Issue 28 | Wednesday, September 25, 2024

AHEPA Participates in Reception for Mitsotakis

Supreme President Tsivicos had the opportunity to meet briefly with Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. Following the meeting, he joined AHEPA leadership in listening to the Prime Minister's remarks as he greeted those that had gathered at the reception at Anassa Taverna that brought together representatives of multiple Greek American organizations under one roof.

Joining the Supreme President were Supreme Vice President Chris Kaitson, Supreme Governor Dean Moskos, Vice Chairman of the Board George G. Horiates, PSP, and Daughters of Penelope Grand President Margaret Dritsas. In addition to the Prime Minister, they had the opportunity to meet with Ambassador Ekaterini Nassika, Ambassador of Greece to the United States, and Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, the President and CEO of Ecos.

District Governors Convene in Nation's Capital

Summer vacation has come to an end and once again, it's time for the AHEPA Family to get back on the clock! This past weekend, representatives came from every corner of the AHEPA Domain to Washington, DC in order to participate in the AHEPA Family Leadership Conference and discuss plans for the upcoming year.

The weekend started with a Welcome Party hosted by the Sons of Pericles Supreme Lodge and Maids of Athena Grand Lodge at local Greek restaurant Zorba's. AHEPA Family members had the opportunity to meet and greet one another while enjoying mezze and the late September weather.

On Saturday, Supreme President Tsivicos opened up the Governor's Seminar for AHEPA. After a welcome, and a subsequent welcome by Executive Director Basil Mossaidis, Supreme Vice President Chris Kaitson took the reigns and led the program for the duration. They discussed plans for the upcoming year, membership initiatives, and much more.

Saturday evening brought attendees to the rooftop of the Ven Hotel on Embassy Row where they enjoyed a buffet style dinner under the stars. Supreme Vice President Kaitson and DOP Grand President Margaret Dritsas opened the at-capacity event and thanked everybody for their participation in one of the most successful leadership conferences in recent years.

The weekend concluded with church services at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, just up the street from AHEPA Global Headquarters. A coffee hour was hosted by AHEPA Washington Chapter #31 and DOP Hermione Chapter #11 to welcome all of the visiting members of the AHEPA Family.

Brussels AHEPA Hosts Flagship Unity Trireme

Supreme President Savas C. Tsivicos had the honor of attending the flagship Unity Trireme 2024 initiative, a celebration of Hellenic Heritage and community. The event, organized by AHEPA Brussels Chapter 610 of European District 28, brought history to life and reinforced AHEPA's commitment to preserving cultural heritage.

The event concluded on September 9th at Paleo Faliro Naval Park. Notable guests included AHEPA Supreme Governor of Region 10 Kostas Varsamis, PSG Basilio Petkidis, District 28 Governor Dimosthenis Mammonas, former Greek Diaspora Secretary General Ioannis Chryssoulakis, and former Greek Consul to Belgium, Vassilios Zarmpalis. Thanks to Vice-Admiral Ioannis Kalogeropoulos and the Hellenic Navy, guests were treated to an exceptional tour of the trireme "OLYMPIAS" and battleship "AVEROF."

After the event, an official luncheon recognized the event sponsors, with proceeds going toward renovating clinics at AHEPA Hospital in Thessaloniki in partnership with District 25 (AHEPA Hellas). During the luncheon, new members were welcomed to the Brussels Chapter, which now boasts 90 members, making it the largest chapter in European District 28.

Publicize Your Chapter & District Events!

Is your Chapter or District hosting an event you want publicized on a National Level? Starting this week, you can submit your event to have it posted on the AHEPA Website!

Fill out the form linked below with your event information to have it publicized. Remember that this information will be public on our website, so keep that in mind before you submit personal phone numbers or home addresses. We recommend listing an email address as a point of contact rather than a telephone number.

Submit Your Events!

Upcoming Events & Deadlines

September

23-27 | AHEPA Golf Tournament, Costa Navarino, Kalamata, Greece

October

13 | AHEPA Family of Clearwater Scholarship Golf Tournament

28 | Oxi Day

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

Tourism’s Next Battlefront: Water

New York Times (September 23)

As a prolonged heat wave scorched Greece in mid-June, with temperatures reaching over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, residents of Sifnos, a small island in the western Cyclades, faced a reality they had long anticipated and feared: Their taps ran dry. read more

Cyprus approves electricity cable to link its power grid with Greece’s

Associated Press (September 17)

Cyprus has given the green light for construction of a 1.9 billion euro ($2.1 billion) undersea electricity cable linking its grid with Greece’s, aiming to sharply reduce electricity bills and end its energy isolation, the country’s energy minister said Tuesday. Minister George Papanastasiou said the significance of the project is underscored by the European Union’s decision to fund it with the sum of 657 million euros ($735 million). read more

This luxury spot proves that travelers who head straight to Greece’s islands are missing out

CNN Travel (September 21)

Tell someone you’re going to Greece, and you’ll probably be asked “which Island are you visiting?” It’s an understandable knee-jerk response since many travelers spend little or no time on the mainland. But tourists with eyes only for the Aegean islands are missing out. Specifically, on Costa Navarino, a far-reaching luxury development with four resorts (including the first Mandarin Oriental in Greece), golf courses, shopping, dining and spas, all located in the Messinia region about a three-hour drive from Athens. read more

Greece Aims to Slash Debt to Lowest Since 2009 Within Four Years

Bloomberg (September 24)

Greece aims to cut about 20 percentage points from its debt pile within just four years in another milestone in the escape from its decade-long crisis, the country’s finance minister said. In an interview, Kostis Hatzidakis predicted that government borrowings will shrink to “close to 130%” of gross domestic product by the end of 2028, bolstered by an economy that has been outperforming its peers. read more

Greek F-35s Possibly Built Both in the U.S. and Italy, First Deliveries in 2028

The Aviationist (September 24)

Lockheed Martin says work is on schedule to deliver the first F-35s to Greece in 2028, with the first eight aircraft expected to be built in the United States and the rest assembled in Italy. New details are emerging about the acquisition of the F-35 Lightning II by Greece, following an interview by Greek newspaper Kathimerini to Lockheed Martin’s Vice President of F-35 Business Development J.R. McDonald. As we reported, Greece signed a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the procurement of 20 F-35s on July 25, 2024. read more