AHEPA e-News! - Vol. 10 Issue 8 - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 
Supreme President John Galanis (left) and Master of Ceremonies Chris Atsaves (right) with Honoree Eleni Bousis. (For photos of all honorees, please visit AHEPA's Facebook page.)

Honorees Shine at AHEPA Midwest Gala
AHEPA honored excellence in the community when it held its Midwest Gala, Feb. 20, 2016, Chicago.  Honorees included: Rev. Dn. Chris Avramopoulos, director, Youth and YAL Ministries, Metropolis of Chicago; Philanthropist Eleni Bousis, John P. Calamos, CEO/chairman and global co-chief investment officer, Calamos Asset Management; Hon. Charles P. Kocoras, judge, Northern District of Illinois; and U.S. Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN), member, Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues and House Committee on Appropriations.

"Our honorees exemplify excellence in the community and in all facets of AHEPA's mission," Supreme President John W. Galanis said. "We commend our honorees for their dedication to their professions as well as for their selfless contributions to the community at-large."  

Rev. Dn. Avramopoulos received the Academy of Achievement Award in Community Service, Bousis received the Academy of Achievement Award in Philanthropy, Calamos received the AHEPA Aristotle Award, Judge Kocoras received the AHEPA Solon Award, and Congressman Visclosky received the AHEPA Pericles Award. 

L-R: Supreme Counselor George Horiates, Supreme Vice President Andrew Zachariades, Supreme President Galanis, Gov. Rauner, Supreme Treasurer Carl Hollister, Supreme Secretary George Loucas, and National SOP Advisor Jimmy Kokotas.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner (R) also attended and celebrated his birthday at the gala. Brother Chris Atsaves served as Master of Ceremonies. 

"We were honored to have Governor Rauner in attendance, and his outreach to the American Hellenic community is appreciated," Galanis added.
Call for Applications: 2016 AHEPAcademy Session
High School Juniors: Join a select group of Greek American students from across the country for AHEPAcademy, from June 26 - July 2, 2016 at George Mason University, outside Washington, DC. AHEPAcademy is a leadership and professional development program that identifies, educates, inspires, mentors, advances, and networks exceptional Greek-American high school students as they progress through their high school, college, graduate and professional careers. AHEPAcademy is looking for exceptional Greek American high school juniors during the 2015-2016 school year with top grades (minimum 3.5/4.0 GPA or equivalent, or Top 10% of Class), who exemplify scholarship, leadership, character, participation in extracurricular activities, community service, and involvement in the Greek American community to apply for selection to this summer's AHEPAcademy on Campus program.  


AHEPA Joins Community to Mourn Passing of Community Champion Jaharis 
AHEPA joins with our colleagues and friends in the community to mourn the passing of prominent Businessman and Philanthropist Michael E. Jaharis, announced Supreme President John W. Galanis.  Jaharis, a true champion of the American Hellenic community, was 87.

The Order's deepest sympathies are with the Jaharis Family. May his memory be eternal.
WASHINGTON UPDATE

Hellenic Caucus Membership at 133. Help It Grow.













ACTION ITEM | Help Us Grow the Hellenic Caucus!
Congress has returned to Washington to commence the Second Session of the 114th Congress.  AHEPA asks that you help us to grow the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues to newer heights.  The Hellenic Caucus has been an active, bipartisan group in Congress since its founding in 1995.  It is co-chaired by U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).
  
Membership in the Hellenic Caucus stands at 133.
REBUILD SAINT NICHOLAS SHRINE CAMPAIGN


 
THANK YOU!

Ahepans tour the Saint Nicholas construction site.

AHEPA is determined to meet its Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign fund raising goal. The administrative year is well underway and donations--large and small--are pouring in for AHEPA's #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign.  


  • Thank you to El Camino Real District 20, which collected more than $5,000 at its Mid-winter Conference, Jan. 23, to help #RebuildStNicholas. Contributions came from chapters and sales of lapel pins.
Our #RebuildStNicholas campaign webpage has been updated to reflect the many generous donations we received over the summer.

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!


PROJECT UPDATE
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.
The Ahepan

The winter issue of The Ahepan is out! Share it with family and friends by forwarding this electronic version.  

Read about how AHEPA honored excellence in the Boston community and maintained its commitment to education through its National Educational Foundation.  Also, check out the latest on how AHEPA chapters give back to the community.

Click on the magazine icon to read it today!
Upcoming Events



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Greek American News Digest


Thousands of migrants trapped in Greece as neighbors tighten restrictions Reuters (Feb. 22) Thousands of migrants were stranded in northern Greece on Monday after neighboring Macedonia demanded additional identification from people seeking to cross the border and head to Western Europe, witnesses said.European leaders are concerned that migrants passing through austerity-hit Greece to more prosperous countries could end up stranded if Greece's northern neighbors tighten border controls. read more 
   
 
Greece 'a convenient scapegoat' on migrant crisis, Mitsotakis says Ekathimerini (Feb. 22) Conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has criticized European governments for making Greece a 'scapegoat' over the ongoing migrant crisis while calling for greater Turkish engagement in managing the problem.  In an interview with HARDtalk's Zeinab Badawi in Brussels, Mitsotakis said that despite earlier foot-dragging over the issue, the country's left-led government had made up for the lost ground.  "This government for about eight months didn't realize the intensity of the problem. Over the past weeks there has been a significant acceleration," Mitsotakis said adding that Greece had constructed five "hot spots" to house and process migrants on the Aegean islands of Chios, Kos, Leros, Lesvos and Samos. read more
 
 
Roupakias to leave jail as GD trial progresses slowly Ekathimerini (Feb. 19) Giorgos Roupakias, the Golden Dawn member who stabbed rapper Pavlos Fyssas to death in 2013, is to be released from custody on March 18.  A council of appeal court judges decided Friday to grant Roupakias conditional release as he has spent the maximum 18 months permissible in pretrial custody, even though his trial, along with other members of the far-right group, is nowhere near completion.The lack of a dedicated courtroom as well as numerous legal technicalities have meant that the trial has progressed extremely slowly and is not due to be completed before next year. read more 


 
Artist Bringing European Refugee Crisis to NYC's Central Park on February 27th with #OrangeVest Campaign Pappas Post (Feb. 17) Thousands of people will be concurrently protesting throughout Europe's cities and towns on February 27th to raise awareness for the plight of refugees fleeing war zones and one Greek visual artist is bringing the demonstrations- in her own creative way- across the Atlantic to New York City.  Georgia Lale, who together with a team of supporters and fellow protestors, has been walking around the streets, museums and tourist sites of New York City wearing orange vests as part of her #OrangeVest campaign, will gather with a group of supporters in Central Park on February 27th. She invites participation by anyone who wants to help spread awareness to join her and don an orange life vest. read more 



The Ordinary Life of Pantelis Pantelidis Greek Reporter (Feb.18) Pantelis Pantelidis, one of Greece's most popular and loved singers, was killed in a car crash on Thursday morning. The announcement of his death left everyone shocked and saddened with many searching to verify if the incident had indeed occurred or whether it was simply a rumor. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old singer took his last breath after crashing his car while driving on Vouliagmenis avenue in Glyfada where he lost control of his car.  Pantelis Pantelidis was born in Athens on November 23, 1983. He grew up in Nea Ionia, where he worked in the family OPAP agency, even after he became a successful musician. He had a close relationship with his family, and especially with his mother, as he had confessed in a recent interview. He had also worked as a non-commissioned officer in the Hellenic Navy, but decided to quit to follow his passion as a singer. read more

Greeks Worry What's Behind EU Plan To Force Greece Out Of Passport-Free Zone  NPR (Feb. 17) The European Union is trying to manage the influx of asylum-seekers. Greeks fear threats to force Greece out of the passport-free zone is a plan to turn the country into a migrant detention camp.  In an attempt to bring order to the huge influx of migrants in the past year, six European nations so far have reinstituted border controls in what was supposed to be a free-travel zone. Tomorrow, the leaders of the EU's 28 member nations meet in Brussels. Greece is ground zero for the migrant crisis. And we spoke with reporter Joanna Kakissis in Athens about what's on the agenda for the EU. read more
 
 
Dimitrakou: "A dream came true..." SDNA (Feb. 17) Zoi Dimitrakou spoke to SDNA about her chance to play in the WNBA, after the agreement with the Washington Mystics.  "It was always my dream to play abroad, especially in the WNBA, the top league in the world", the Greek forward admitted. "First of all there is a training camp around April - May. If everything goes fine, as I hope, I will then play for the Mystics." read more  

 
EXCLUSIVE: 'Once Upon a Time' Casts Another Treasure-Loving Pirate From Hook's Past: Captain Silver!  ET (Feb. 18) There's a new captain coming to Once Upon a Time!When season five of the spellbinding drama returns, Storybrooke fans will be introduced to a new ship-loving pirate with a stormy past. Actor Costas Mandylor has been cast to play Captain Silver, ETonline can exclusively reveal.As of now, details surrounding this mysterious newcomer are being kept locked away in the depths of the sea, but we can share that Captain Silver definitely has some rough-watered history with Killian Jones, aka Captain Hook.Mandylor will make his swashbuckling debut in an upcoming episode this spring in Once Upon a Time's fifth season. read more 




 
 
 
This is an electronic news service of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
For more information visit the AHEPA Online Headquarters at www.ahepa.org.
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