AHEPA Opens Emergency Relief Fund in Wake of Harvey
AHEPA has opened its Emergency Relief Fund to provide assistance to the victims of Hurricane Harvey and the catastrophic flooding Harvey brought with it, announced Supreme President Carl Hollister. read more donate online
AHEPA Supports Navy SEAL Organization
Supreme President Carl Hollister attended a charity event held to benefit The National Navy SEAL Museum and Memorial Trident House. Supreme President Hollister met Master Chief SEAL (Ret.) Richard (Rick) Kaiser, executive director of the museum, which is located at Ft. Pierce, Fla. Kaiser served at SEAL Team Two from 1980 until 1985 until he was selected for duty at SEAL Team Six in 1985. In 1993, Kaiser received the Silver Star for Valor during the Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down). The supreme president also met fellow Greek American John P. Calamos, Sr., who is Chairman and Global CIO of Calamos Investments. Calamos is also a veteran. He served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. read more
ICYMI | What AHEPA Means to Us. 95th Anniversary Video.
We unveiled our 95th anniversary commemorative video at the 2017 Supreme Convention at Walt Disney World. And now, it's available for download. Share widely with the community! Thank you to Walt Disney World, which produced the video.
Rebuild St. Nicholas Campaign
AHEPA is $160,000 short of meeting its Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign fund raising goal of $1 million. We are determined to meet it! Donations--large and small--keep pouring in for AHEPA's #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign. Will yours be the one to get us to the historic $1 million milestone?
ICYMI | Thank you to: Beehive Chapter 146, Salt Lake City, Utah, which, in addition to its own donation, collected $1,200 from individual donors: Elias Pavlos, Elias Pylidis, Gregory Skedros, James Klekas, Jeffrey Klekas, and Nicholas Angelides. Also, donations were received from Board of Trustees Member Vassos Chyrsanthou, Hoosier District 12, Indiana, and George Loxas.
TAKE ACTION!
Has your district or chapter organized a fundraiser for the campaign to #RebuildStNicholas? Take action and support AHEPA's campaign today! Please tweet about your fundraising activity by using #RebuildStNicholas to share your work with the broader community!
Share Media
St. Nicholas Appeal Video
AHEPA has produced its latest appeal video to help #RebuildStNicholas.
TAKE ACTION: Donate Today!
MORE TO SHARE: Initial appeal video released at the 94th Grand Banquet!
Project Update
Live Webcam!
Thanks to a live webcam, you can watch progress being made with a first-hand look at the site where Saint Nicholas National Shrine will be build.
Washington Update
Tell Congress to Back the Return of the Parthenon Marbles
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are home for August recess. AHEPA commends the introduction of H.Con.Res.51, a bipartisan, concurrent resolution that expresses the sense of Congress that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece. U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) introduced the resolution, May 2.
Help Grow the Hellenic Caucus! Membership at 126.
The 115th Congress is well underway. And with it, the work renews for the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, led by Co-chairs U.S. Reps. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY). The Hellenic Caucus has 126 members.
Is your U.S. representative a member of the Hellenic Caucus? Click here to find out
Download & Share: Action alert to help you outreach to Congress
The Hellenic Caucus has been an active, bipartisan group in Congress since its founding in 1995.
Upcoming Events & Deadlines
September
15-17 | Governors Conference, The DuPont Hotel, Washington, DC
Greek American News Digest
Editor's Note: Editorials, Commentaries, and Opinion pieces 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.
Debt cut for Greece not on agenda for now, Germany's Schaeuble says
Reuters (August 28)
Greece must press ahead with implementing its reforms-for-aid program and become more competitive, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was quoted as saying, adding that debt relief for Athens was “currently” not on the agenda. read more
EU states begin returning refugees to Greece as German reunions slow
The Guardian (August 25)
European countries are poised to begin the process of returning refugees to Greece, as migrants seeking reunification with their family members – mostly in Germany – step up protests in Athens. read more
The Last of the Calabrian Greeks
Istoria (August 14)
Italian as we know it today was not always spoken throughout Italy. The Italian language did not become the staple language until well into the end of the 19th Century during the process of Italian unification, or the Risorgimento. Until then, the Italian peninsula was made up of Italo-Romance dialects and smaller minority languages that were differentiated by region and historical influences. Once unification was complete, the Tuscan dialect was ushered into power as the official language of the Italian nation. This became the beginning of the modern end of the Greek language in Calabria, or what it is known today as Greko. read more
Folk dance aficionado gives Playmobil figures a traditional Greek makeover
Ekathimerini (August 26)
Customized Playmobil figures are a big thing – the toy company’s website even has a set of guidelines on the matter. Collectors will no doubt be aware of the figures from Greek history and mythology, but 20-year-old Petros Kaminiotis’s series of ornate traditional Greek costumes in miniature for the iconic figures take the pursuit to a whole new level. read more
Santorini's popularity soars but locals say it has hit saturation point
The Guardian (August 28)
Sunset on Santorini. As dusk falls, the crush begins. With the exquisite choreography of a well-honed ritual, coachloads of tourists descend on Oia, the stunning settlement perched on the island’s northern tip. Pushing their way along the village’s packed central alleyway – past shops selling luxury garments, exclusive Greek designers and Jimmy Choo shoes – they have one goal: to glimpse the flaming fireball slip into the sea. read more
Monumental Chamber Tombs Discovered in Greece
Archaeology (August 28)
Tornos News reports that two chamber tombs have been discovered at the Mycenaean cemetery at Aedonia by a team led by Konstantine Kissas of the Corinth Antiquities Ephory and Kim Shelton of the University of California, Berkeley. One of the tombs, which had been looted in the 1970s, has been dated to between 1350 and 1200 B.C. The other tomb is thought to be a few hundred years older. read more
A Greek Summer Hit Fills A Generation With Hope
npr (August 16)
Until last year, few Greeks had heard of Marina Satti.The architecture student-turned-classically-trained singer had performed in musicals and ancient Greek plays, but her music career was largely under the radar. She played what she calls "blender" music — a combination of jazz, funk and rock — with musician friends at home."I grew up influenced by Björk and Moderat and the Berlin electronic scene," Satti says. "And then, while I was studying at the Berklee College of Music, I looked to my roots." read more