AHEPA e-News! - Vol. 09 Issue 40 - Wednesday, October 7, 2015
AHEPA Commends Hellenic Caucus' Summit on Greece
AHEPA applauds a Summit on Greece hosted by the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2015, at the U.S. Capitol, announced Supreme President John W. Galanis.

"AHEPA sincerely appreciates and commends the Hellenic Caucus, under the leadership of Congressman Gus Bilirakis and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, for organizing and hosting the Summit on Greece," Galanis said. "The summit examined the two crises Greece is confronting, economic and migratory.  AHEPA looks forward to contributing to the efforts of Congress, as well as the Obama Administration, to assist Greece and its people."

SP Galanis and SVP Zachariades with Archbishop Demetrios

AHEPA Happenings | Leadership Visits New York City
Last week, AHEPA's leadership visited New York City for a series of events.  Supreme President John Galanis met with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America and Eθνικός Κήρυξ / The National Herald Publisher Antonis Diamataris. AHEPA family officers also attended The Hellenic Initiative's Third Annual Banquet in strong support of THI's programs that assist Greek families in need and young Greek professionals and entrepreneurs. Prior to the banquet, they visited the Saint Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center construction site. Earlier in the week, Supreme President Galanis had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at an event hosted by the Consulate of Greece in New York.
WASHINGTON UPDATE

AHEPA Welcomes Majority Whip 
Rep. Majority Whip Scalise
Steve  Sc alise to the Hellenic Caucus
AHEPA welcomes news that U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), who serves in a leadership position as Majority Whip, has joined the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, announced Supreme President John W. Galanis.  Membership in the Hellenic Caucus now stands at 130.

"We sincerely thank Congressman Scalise for joining the Caucus," Galanis said. "We look forward to working with him, and his staff, on issues of importance to the American Hellenic community."

Majority Whip Rep. Scalise represents the 1st Congressional District of Louisiana. He serves on the Energy & Commerce Committee.














ACTION ITEM: Help Us Grow the Hellenic Caucus!
AHEPA asks that you help us to grow the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues.  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 130.

Senate Expected to Pass NDAA Today
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on final passage today of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation contains a provision that   requests an assessment of the security relationship between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus be conducted and reported to certain federal agencies and congressional committees. In July, AHEPA conveyed its support of the provision to NDAA conferees on Capitol Hill and via letter. However, the bill is under a veto threat from the White House.
The Ahepan

NEW! Want a sneak peek of the fall issue of The Ahepan before it hits mailboxes? Recap the Supreme Convention and catch the latest on how AHEPA chapters give back to the community.

Click on the magazine icon to check it out!
REBUILD SAINT NICHOLAS SHRINE CAMPAIGN


 
THANK YOU!



The administrative year has just started and we are already beginning to see donations being presented for AHEPA's #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign.

We are excited about a few upcoming donation announcements that will be made during the next four to six weeks! We cannot wait to share them with you!

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.
Upcoming Events
 

October
8-11 - Supreme President visits Region 10 Workshop, Stuttgart, Germany
16-17 - Supreme President to attend Archon event, New York City
18 - Supreme President to visit Chapter 72, District 5, Trenton, N.J.

November
6 - Northeast Regional Banquet, Boston, Mass.
9- Supreme President visit Houston Area Chapters
14 - Supreme President visits Atlanta for Leadership Conference in
       Region 1
14 - The 7th Annual Yankee District 7 Hellenic History Tournament,    
       Orange, Conn.
17-21 - TBA National AHEPA Golf Tournament, Reunion, Fla.

December
5 - Supreme President visit Evzone AHEPA Chapter Initiation/Installation, West Chester, N.Y.
12 - Supreme President visits St. Basil's Academy for Christmas Party
13 - Supreme President visits Archangel Michael event in Port Washington, N.Y.

January
6, 2016 - Epiphany Celebrations, Tarpon Springs, Fla.
Greek American  
News Digest
 
Workable Raises $27 Million to Help Small Businesses Compete for Talent - WSJ - September 30 - Workable Technology Ltd. has raised $27 million in a Series B round of venture funding to help small- and medium- size businesses use tech to recruit, sift out the best candidates from an avalanche of applicants, and ultimately bring new employees on board.  Founded in Athens, Greece, in 2012, the startup has since established headquarters in London and a U.S. outpost in Boston. Workable Chief Executive Nikos Moraitakis said the reason his company moved from Athens had nothing to do with the economic turmoil there. Instead, Workable wanted to be closer to its English-speaking customers... read more 

Greece Unveils Tough Draft Budget for 2016 - New York Times - October 5 - As Greece's economy remains on shaky ground, its government unveiled on Monday a tough draft budget for 2016, heralding a series of tax increases and spending cuts to comply with creditors' demands for a third bailout.  While such moves will help Greece to get the first installment of financial aid from the bailout, the budget also portends a difficult economic environment. The recession, according to the plan, will continue - the economy is expected to shrink by 2.3 percent this year and 1.3 percent in 2016. Both figures are in line with creditors' estimates. Greece's debt crisis has weighed heavily on its economy. Despite an increase in tourism, one of the country's few dynamic industries, the imposition of capital controls over the summer dealt a major blow to the first shy signs of growth. The restrictions, which have since been relaxed somewhat, were put in place to avert a banking-sector collapse...read more
 
Excavator: Ancient grave in Greece honored Alexander's pal - AP - September 30 - An opulent underground monument in northern Greece that caused a stir when excavated last year may have been a symbolic grave - but not the final resting place of - the closest friend and general of ancient warrior-king Alexander the Great, the excavator claimed Wednesday.  Archaeologist Katerina Peristeri said she believes the vaulted structure, decorated with sculptures and a mosaic floor, "was a funerary monument for Hephaestion." The Macedonian nobleman grew up with Alexander and died in Persia in 324 B.C., predeceasing the king by less than a year and driving him into a frenzy of grief during which he ordered a series of monuments to be built for Hephaestion across his newly-won empire... read more 
   
Gus Bilirakis Wants DHS to Help Greece With Refugee Influx  - Sunshine State News - October 2 -   This week, on Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., tackled international issues as the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues held its first "Stand With Greece" summit as l eaders looked at how that European nation can deal with the challenges  of increased immigrants from Syria and other parts of the Middle East. "I am so grateful for all of our participants, discussion leaders, and attendees who traveled far and wide to participate in this unprecedented event," said Bilirakis. "This successful summit will help us create policies that will stand up our geostrategic friend and timeless ally Greece."... read more 
 
Tsipras and Kerry discuss energy, refugee crisis - Ekathimerini - October 1 - The prospect of Greece developing into an energy hub in the broader Mediterranean region was among the issues raised in a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington, Kathimerini understands. Also taking part in the meeting was Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.  Also topping the meeting's agenda was the management of the ongoing refugee-migrant crisis, the Cyprus issue, Greece's new bailout deal signed with its creditors as well as the need for the country's debt restructuring... read more 
 
 
Derelict Greek Olympic venues reopened to house migrants - Ekathimerini - October 1 - Greek authorities on Thursday hastily reopened a derelict sports hall from the Athens 2004 Olympics to house hundreds of migrants who were sleeping on the streets of the capital. City buses took more than 400 mainly-Afghan migrants from central Victoria Square to the Galatsi indoor hall. A few days earlier, a similar operation ferried migrants to the Hellenikon hockey centre in southern Athens.  "I want to reassure residents... Victoria Square will be cleared," Yiannis Mouzalas, the junior interior minister in charge of migration, told reporters. Hundreds of mainly Afghan migrants had set up tents on Victoria Square in recent days, and a late-night brawl broke out on Tuesday, prompting protests from the city of Athens and local residents. "We cannot work miracles but the situation will improve," Mouzalas promised...read more  

BOOK REVIEW | 'The Theater of War': Applying Greek Tragedies to Our Own - New York Times - Many roads lead to a career in the healing professions, but the route Bryan Doerries describes in his memoir is as unique as the place it landed him. Mr. Doerries fell in love with ancient languages in college. He studied classical Greek, Latin and Hebrew and, for a senior thesis, staged his own translation of "Bacchae" by Euripides in a makeshift outdoor amphitheater. It was a triumph: Gloriously inebriated Dionysus made a grand entrance in a blue Buick Skylark, and an enthusiastic college bacchanal went on long after the play ended... read more




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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