AHEPA e-News! - Vol. 10 Issue 50 - Wednesday, December 14, 2016 


Joint Statement | American Jewish, Greek American Organizations Welcome Second Trilaeral Summit 
The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (Order of AHEPA), American Hellenic Institute, B'nai B'rith International, and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
issued the following joint statement:

"We welcome the second trilateral summit between Israel, Greece and Cyprus, held in Jerusalem on December 8, 2016. The second summit demonstrates a commitment between the three countries, which share democratic values and common interests, to strengthen their strategic partnership to provide stability to the eastern Mediterranean region. The announcement of a third summit to be held in Thessaloniki, Greece is a further indication of the partnership's development and significance...

ICYMI | AHEPA Mourns Passing of American Hero, Ahepan and Philhellene John Glenn, Jr.
The members of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (Order of AHEPA), the leading association for the nation's millions of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes, are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of American Hero, and Brother Ahepan, John Glenn, Jr., announced Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades.

"Brother Glenn was a true American Hero and Philhellene," Zachariades said. "Brother Glenn exemplified a lifetime of extraordinary service to America as a heroic combat pilot, a trailblazing astronaut, and upstanding public servant in the United States Senate for four terms. We are proud and honored to call him our Brother. Our deepest sympathies and condolences are with the Glenn family.  May his memory be eternal."
 
Then-Senator John Glenn received the 1993 AHEPA Pericles Award for excellence in public service by then-Supreme President John Economou, Akron, Ohio, at the 31st AHEPA Biennial Congressional Banquet in Washington, DC.

Season of Giving | Celebrate the Holidays with a Gift that Makes a Difference
During this Season of Giving, the Order of AHEPA invites the community to give a gift that will help to make a difference in people's lives -- with a gift to the AHEPA Charitable Foundation. The Foundation helps AHEPA to meet its commitment to philanthropy, a facet of the Order's mission. Over the decades, AHEPA has provided millions of dollars in disaster relief or has supported America's military service members through organizations such as the USO. Most recently, AHEPA donated a total of $500,000 to help feed the needy people of Greece through the AHEPA Charitable Foundation, and the AHEPA-Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church & National Shrine capital fundraising campaign is administered through the Foundation.
Santa's Bag
A current philanthropic initiative administered through the AHEPA Charitable Foundation is Santa's Bag, which distributes toys to children at Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC.  Kyriakos Mossaidis, a member of the Sons of Pericles Chapter in Alexandria, Va., chairs Santa's Bag. Donations to Santa's Bag can be received through to December 16. To donate to Santa's Bag:
 
AHEPA Charitable Foundation
Attn: Santa's Bag
1909 Q Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20009
 
Thank you for supporting the AHEPA Charitable Foundation!
 
Save the Dates | 2017 Supreme Convention!
REBUILD 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.  

Brothers from AHEPA Gus Cherevas-Estia Pindus Chapter 326, Flushing, N.Y. presenting their second $30,000 donation to the campaign.

NEW! | Our campaign to rebuild Saint Nicholas has been fortunate to receive generous donations from individuals as well as chapters and districts. Recently, we received a $1,000 donation from Barry G. Kaiman and Toni Victor. Thank you to Barry and Toni!

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! 
 
Next Deadline: February 1, 2017
Upcoming Events
 
December
17 | AHEPA Family Christmas visit to St. Basil Academy, Garrison, New York

January
5 | AHEPA Chapter 16, Tarpon Springs, Fla., hosts Epiphany Banquet
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.
 
  

 
Trump names Dow Chemical CEO Liveris to head Manufacturing Council Reuters (Dec. 9) President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday he would name Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical Co, to head the Manufacturing Council, a private sector group that advises the U.S. secretary of commerce.  Trump made the announcement during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he introduced Liveris, 62, a dual U.S.-Australian citizen who said he had accepted the appointment. read more

 
Greece appeals to EU for support over plan to detain refugees in order to speed up deportations Independent (Dec. 10) Greece has appealed to the EU to support its plan to reduce the numbers of migrants living in overcrowded refugee camps on the Aegean Islands.  The country suggests segregating people from nations with a "low recognition rate" of asylum eligibility - namely Algeria, Pakistan and Morocco - along with migrants judged to be behaving improperly in "pre-removal" detention centres on the mainland. But human rights organisations have previously argued that singling out certain nationalities for removal is "arbitrary and illegal."   The request comes after the European Commission announced that member states should be able to send asylum seekers back to Greece from March 2017.  read more


 
Trilateral summit eyes boosting rescue ops Cyprus Mail (Dec. 8) Cyprus, Israel and Greece on Thursday signed a memorandum of cooperation in the fields of research and technology in the context of a trilateral summit taking place in Jerusalem, with the three nations pledging to further strengthen their relations.The meeting in Jerusalem comes less than a year after a 'strategic alliance' was announced in Nicosia.  President Nicos Anastasiades, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras also issued a joint declaration, the Jerusalem Declaration, pledging to work together in tackling natural disasters and emergencies in the region.  Afterwards, Netanyahu hosted a working lunch. During the talks, Netanyahu floated the idea of establishing a multinational force with a joint command centre coordinating responses to fires, earthquakes, floods and dealing with search and rescue efforts.  read more 
 
 
Energean to invest $1b in Israeli gas fields Globes (Dec. 8) Greek oil and gas exploration company Energean, which has acquired the Karish and Tanin offshore gas fields, says that within six months it will present Israel's Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water Resources with its plan to develop the fields. On Tuesday, the Israeli government's Petroleum Council recommended acceptance of the deal in which Energean will buy the fields from Delek Group Ltd. and Noble Energy Inc. for $148 million. Karis and Tanin together contain an estimated 68 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Energian says that it estimates gas production could begin by 2020 and that the cost of developing the fields will be about $1 billion... read more

 
Nanopoulos: Greece 'may miss the IT revolution' Ekathimerini (Dec. 9) Greece risks missing out on progress in technology and innovation for political and educational reasons, Dimitri Nanopoulos, a distinguished professor of physics at Texas A&M University, has warned."In Greece we have not just missed out on the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the scientific and industrial revolutions, we are also about to miss the revolution in the field of the information and communication sciences," Nanopoulos told an American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce event in Athens on Wednesday.  read more

 
From Athens to Washington - A Global Perspective Medium
(Dec. 8) I was born in Athens and spent most of my life through the end of high school in Athens, with a few years in Crete in between. My father was an engineer, and there was no professional diplomat in my family, extended family, or among our family friends. As far as international exposure goes, I didn't have a lot when I was growing up other than through books and the news. Ever since I was very, very young I liked geography. Even before I started elementary school, I could recognize all the flags of the different nations (although there were a lot fewer back then than now). Now I can't say that I recognize most of the flags, but I rate myself above average in this respect. I started traveling when I was in my teens, first in Europe, then to the United States as a student.  read more

Nia Vardalos on Fame, That Greek Wedding and 'Hamilton' New York Times  (Dec. 9) Before she steps onstage in "Tiny Beautiful Things" at the Public Theater, Nia Vardalos washes her face. To portray Sugar, an anonymous online advice columnist eventually revealed to be Cheryl Strayed (who also wrote "Wild") the play's director, Thomas Kail, wanted her exposed. After all, Ms. Vardalos - who conceived of the play with Mr. Kail and Marshall Heyman, and adapted it from Ms. Strayed's book - is channeling a writer late into an exhausting day, when, with her husband and two children already asleep, she must reach deep to summon words of wisdom for the lost and lonely.    




 
 
 
This is an electronic news service of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
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