AHEPA e-News! - Vol. 10 Issue 48 - Wednesday, November 30, 2016 

Veterans enjoy a Thanksgiving meal courtesy of AHEPA Chapter 78, Merrillville, Ind.
 
Updated | At Thanksgiving, AHEPA Sponsors Dinners Nationwide
Many AHEPA chapters prepared and served, or donated, Thanksgiving meals to the elderly or less fortunate. The brothers of AHEPA Chapter 78, Merrillville/Gary, Ind., and their wives, cooked and served Thanksgiving dinner for low income and homeless veterans, Nov. 18. The meals were served at the new 44-unit Northwest Indiana Veterans Village located in Gary, Ind. The chapter also donated $3,000 and 48 turkeys to the Ross Township Food Pantry and "Harvest for the Hungry" at Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Merrillville, Ind. The chapter contributed to 4,000 meals being served, including to residents of AHEPA 78's six HUD Section 202 Housing for the Elderly properties.
 


In Ohio, George E. Loucas Chapter 480, North Royalton, Ohio, donated $600 to St. Augustine's Hunger Center, Cleveland, to help feed the less fortunate at Thanksgiving.

Also, in case you missed it, the Rose of New England Chapter 110, Norwich, Conn., recently hosted its 27th annual Thanksgiving Dinner for 120 seniors living at AHEPA 110-III Senior Apartments.  In Weirton, W.V., Hancock Chapter 103 sponsored its 8th annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the Weirton Christian Center and Dunbar Recreation Center.



These are just a few examples of similar philanthropic deeds performed by AHEPA family chapters and the American Hellenic community nationwide.
 
Inaugural Hellenic History Tourney Held in Mid-Atlantic
Ten teams from the Tri-State Philadelphia area and northern New Jersey competed in the Inaugural AHEPA Mid-Atlantic Hellenic History Tournament hosted by Chapter 69, Camden, N.J., Nov. 19, 2016. Congratulations to the "Bergen Knights" Team from Tenafly, N.J., for capturing first place, earning a total cash prize of $3,000.   The team from Radnor, Pa., finished second, earning $1,500 in total cash prize.   Each team was comprised of three players.


Now in its eighth year, the tournament is held in three locales, including Connecticut and Chicago, and it continues to grow, attracting Greek Americans and Philhellenes to engage and compete in a friendly contest that helps them learn about Greek history.  District 5 Lodge Treasurer Steve Marmarou chaired the Mid-Atlantic tournament, which was attended by 120 persons.
 
Save the Dates | 2017 Supreme Convention!
WASHINGTON UPDATE


ICYMI | Parthenon Marbles Resolution Introduced
Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues Co-chair U.S. Rep. Carolyn
Maloney
(D-NY) introduced a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece, Sept. 26, 2016. Her caucus co-chair, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and caucus member U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), are original co-sponsors of the resolution, titled H.Con.Res.162.  

Hellenic Caucus Membership at 137. Help It Grow.

 

ACTION ITEM | Help Us Grow the Hellenic Caucus!
 AHEPA asks for your help to grow the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues to newer heights. Let's make a final push to ask U.S. representatives to join the Hellenic Caucus before the 114th Congress comes to a conclusion in December.  Make an effort to outreach to your U.S. representative while he or she is in the congressional district or in Washington, working to finish the 114th Congress.  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 137.
EBUILD SAINT NICHOLAS SHRINE CAMPAIGN


 
THANK YOU!

AHEPA is determined to meet its Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign fund raising goal of $1 million. Donations--large and small--keep pouring in for AHEPA's #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign.  



NEW! | Donations keep coming in! Thank you to AHEPA Chapter 343, Nashville, Tenn. for its donation of $1,500AHEPA Chapter 99, Stamford, Conn. for its $1,000 donation; and AHEPA Chapter 268, Spartanburg, S.C. for its $300 donation to the campaign! 

Visit our #RebuildStNicholas campaign webpage.
ICYMI | AHEPA Rebuild Saint Nicholas Campaign Appeal Video


AHEPA released its appeal video for the AHEPA-Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign at the 94th Grand Banquet.  Check it out and share it with family and friends!
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
 
Photo Credit: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese/D. Panagos

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine Holds "Topping Out Ceremony"
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine held a "topping out ceremony" this morning at its construction site at Greenwich and Liberty Streets in New York City.  This traditional construction ceremony, marking the raising of the highest structural element, was led by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America and attended by representatives of the Port Authority and SKANSKA, as well as the Consul General of Greece, major donors and contributors to the project and members of the original Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church community.
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.
The Ahepan

ICYMI Check out the newly-released fall issue of The Ahepan! Share it withfamily and friends by forwarding this electronic version before it hits mailboxes!
  
Read about AHEPA's successful Journey to Greece program for college students; get a recap of the memorable 2016 Supreme Convention; and AHEPA is proud to announce its national scholarship recipients. Also, don't forget to catch-up on the latest ways AHEPA chapters are giving back to the community through service.

Click on the magazine icon to read it today! 
Upcoming Events
 
December
17 | AHEPA Family Christmas visit to St. Basil Academy, Garrison, New York
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.
 
Greek PM Tsipras, Trump talk about cooperation, security Reuters
(Nov. 23) Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke by telephone to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, his office said, congratulating him on his election victory and underlining the strong ties between the two countries.  Trump and Tsipras discussed Greece's role for peace and stability in the region, its efforts to tackle the economic and refugee crises and the importance of boosting strategic cooperation between the two countries. "The two leaders agreed to maintain steady communication channels," Tsipras' office said in a statement, without providing further details.  
read more

 
Migrant crisis: Turkey threatens EU with new surge BBC News (Nov. 25) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that he will let hundreds of thousands of migrants travel on to Europe if pushed by the EU. He was reacting to a non-binding vote by the European Parliament to freeze talks on EU membership for Turkey. The MEPs were alarmed by Mr Erdogan's "disproportionate" response to a failed coup attempt in July.  The migrant numbers reaching the Greek islands have dropped since an EU-Turkey deal in March to curb the influx.  President Erdogan accused the EU of breaking its promises. As part of the March deal, Turkey was promised aid, visa-free travel for its nationals and accelerated membership talks.  "Listen to me: these border gates will be opened if you go any further," he warned the EU on Friday.  A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ulrike Demmer, said the deal was in the "interest of all parties" and that "threats on either side are not helpful..."  read more 
 

Greece needs to support its 'creative entrepreneurs', U.S. Ambassador Pyatt says ANA-MPA (Nov, 28) U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt on Monday presented the U.S. perspective on the prospects of the Greek economy, echoing U.S. President Barack Obama's emphasis on democracy, innovation but also the responsibility of government's to protect equality and those "left behind" by globalisation. Addressing the 27th annual Greek Economy Conference "Greece and the Global Disruptive Environment: A look into the future" organised by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Athens, he also praised the indomitable Greek spirit and noted that Greeks had not allowed the long years of crisis to break them:  "Instead, what I have seen, throughout the country are creative people making changes in their communities. They're building networks, both in Greece and internationally, they're crowdfunding, seeking ways to attract foreign investors," he said.  read more


 
Interview | Geoffrey Pyatt: Greece-USA cooperation closest it has been for a long time  Ekathimerini (Nov. 27) Greece and the United States are currently enjoying the closest cooperation they have had in the last few decades, US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt told Kathimerini in an interview. Pyatt described Greece as a pillar of stability in a region that is facing a series of challenges, including the economic crisis, refugees flows and terrorism.  read more 
 
 
UN envoy employs shuttle diplomacy to restart Cyprus talks Washington Post (Nov, 28) The United Nations will use shuttle diplomacy to help the rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus to come up with ways of getting back to the negotiating table after reunification talks broke down last week, a U.N. envoy said Monday.  Envoy Espen Barth Eide, the U.N. secretary-general's special adviser on Cyprus, said after speaking with Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci that resuming negotiations won't be easy.  But both leaders are willing to get things moving again, Eide said. "The last mile is always the most difficult one in peace processes," he said. "If there's any consolation in that, I can say that in almost every success...peace talks are preceded by a crisis."...read more

 
Cyprus foreign minister insists talks haven't collapsed Ekathimerini (Nov. 25) Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides insisted Friday that reunification talks with Turkish Cypriots "have not collapsed."  Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Nicosia Friday, Kasoulides clarified, however, that a multi-party summit cannot go ahead unless Greek and Turkish Cypriots agree on the fundamental issues of territory and property.  He said that the Turkish side wants a multi-party summit that doesn't solve these issues but rather bags them together with the issues of security which concern a third party, Turkey, "but not what we want."   read more




 
 
 
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