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AHEPA e-News! – Vol. 10 Issue 3 – Wednesday, January 20, 2016
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President Anastasiades tweets about the Mission’s meeting with him.
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Three-country Leadership Mission Concludes
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PM Tsipras and SP Galanis.
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In Cyprus, representatives from the four organizations met with President Nicos Anastasiades, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulidis, and other high-level government officials and members of Parliament, Jan. 13 and 14.
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The leadership delegation had the privilege of meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss developing relationship between Israel, Cyprus and Greece on security, energy, economics and political areas.
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Additional Coverage
AHEPA Announces Honorees for Midwest Gala
AHEPA is proud to announce its honorees for the Midwest Gala, Feb. 20, 2016,  Hyatt Regency Chicago. They are: 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.
“We salute and congratulate our honorees,” Supreme President John W. Galanis said. “They exemplify excellence in the community. We’re excited about our program, and we’re looking forward to a fun evening.”
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WASHINGTON UPDATE
AHEPA Attends Briefing with U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus
Supreme Vice President Andrew Zachariades represented AHEPA at a briefing U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus Kathleen Doherty held with American Hellenic community leaders, Jan. 13, at the Department of State. The ambassador briefed the community on U.S.-Cyprus relations as well as the United States’ perspective on settlement talks. The detailed briefing lasted one hour. Following the meeting, Supreme Vice President Zachariades visited with staff of U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), who is in his first term in Congress.
AHEPA Applauds Congressional Action on Halki Seminary
Seven key U.S. representatives led by U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), 
member, Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, wrote to President Barack Obama on the occasion of Religious Freedom Day to urge the administration to continue to press the Turkish government to reopen Halki Seminary. In addition to Rep. Sarbanes, signatories on the January 16, 2016 bipartisan-supported letter to President Obama were: U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney, co-chairs, Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues; U.S. Reps. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Juan Vargas (D-CA), co-chairs, Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus; and U.S. Reps. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and James P. McGovern (D-MA), co-chairs, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
“We sincerely thank these legislators for keeping the issue of the closure of Halki Seminary on the agenda of the Obama Administration and echo their call for the administration to press the Turkish government to reopen the seminary,” Supreme President John W. Galanis said.
Hellenic Caucus Membership at 132. 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 132.
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REBUILD SAINT NICHOLAS SHRINE CAMPAIGN
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Ahepans tour the Saint Nicholas construction site.
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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.
- NEW! We sincerely thank our most recent donors: AHEPA Chapter 306, Troy, N.Y., AHEPA Chapter 346, Knoxville, Tenn.; Past Supreme President and Past Chairman of the Board Franklin Manios, Zeus Chapter 88, Warren, Ohio, and Garden City Chapter 251, San Jose, Calif. for their recent donations!
Our #RebuildStNicholas campaig n webpage has been updated to reflect the many generous donations we received over the summer.
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.
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The Ahepan
NEW! 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!
Spring 2016 Deadline: February 1
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Upcoming Events
19-20 – Supreme Lodge, Board of Trustees Meetings, Chicago
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Greek American
News Digest
Greek refugee arrivals spike 2100% in January New Europe (Jan. 19) The European refugee crisis is getting worse as since the beginning of 2016, 31,244 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece by sea. According to figures provided by the Greek Coast Guard, this is some 21 times as many as the 1,472 recorded by the Coast Guard for the whole of January 2015. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that some 48 per cent of Greece’s 2016 arrivals have been Syrians, 29 per cent Afghans, 12 per cent Iraqis, 3 per cent Pakistanis and 2 per cent Iranians. Other nationalities have included Algerians, Bangladeshis, Egyptians, Eritreans, Lebanese and Moroccans…read more
Cyprus settlement deal ‘within reach’ Politico (Jan. 18) A deal on the future of divided Cyprus could be struck as soon as March, with a referendum to follow in the summer, according to a former leader of Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus. After almost 42 years of division and several false starts, many observers are more cautious. Talks are ongoing but the two sides “have not resolved the most sensitive issues,” such as the presence of almost 30,000 Turkish troops on the island, said an EU diplomat…read more
Blood Donor Center named for fallen Marine Nicholas Xiarhos Cape Cod Times (Jan. 15) Every year since U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos was killed in combat in southern Afghanistan in 2009, his family has held a blood drive in his honor. This month, Cape Cod Healthcare dedicated the Blood Donor Center at Cape Cod Hospital in his name. “The whole thing is very special to us and bittersweet. Nick’s loss is, in one way, a way to help others, so it’s a very special day,” Xiarhos’ father, Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steven Xiarhos, said. “It’s kind of like it’s come full circle. Nick was born right there in Cape Cod Hospital.” Xiarhos grew up in Yarmouth Port and graduated from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in 2006. He died at age 21 when the Humvee he was riding in struck a roadside explosive…read more
Oracle opens new hub in Greece Ekathimerini (Jan. 18) Oracle has just opened a new software center in Greece: Oracle’s cloud development hub will develop software applications and tools and provide support for customers of the California-based IT company. According to Oracle officials, this is the company’s second biggest hub out of the the five currently in operation. The other four are in the US, the UK, the Netherlands and India. Oracle’s senior vice president of the Eastern Central Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, Alfonso di Ianni, said that the main factors which convinced the company to create this new hub are the competent and competitive human resources in this country and Greek subsidiary Oracle Hellas’s strong know-how and presence in the region. He added that over 50 percent of the local subsidiary’s staff is involved with international activities…read more
Archbishop Iakovos’ Memory to Be Immortalized at Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History Thanks to Niarchos Foundation Gift Pappas Post (Jan. 18) The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is ensuring that the legacy and memory of the late Archbishop Iakovos will be commemorated and honored properly, as a leader during the Civil Rights Movement, thanks to a gift of $2 million to fund the building of a Reflection Area at the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC…
VIDEO | Antetokounmpo on third straight double-double FoxSports (Jan. 16) Catch the 2015 AHEPA Harry Agganis Award winner’s post-game interview following tying a career-high 15 rebounds in a win against the Atlanta Hawks. “I just tried to be aggressive,” Giannis said. Watch here
An Ottawa model is being used to help Greeks beat tobacco addiction Ottawa Citizen (Jan. 18) Greeks love their tobacco. Thirty-eight per cent of them smoke, the highest rate in Europe and more than twice the rate in Canada. Getting them to quit is a daunting challenge. Sophia Papadakis isn’t fazed, though. Armed with a smoking cessation method developed by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and some grant money, Papadakis is 10 months into a two-year pilot project that aims to teach 52 doctors and medical residents in Iraklion, Crete’s largest city, how to help their patients kick their tobacco addictions…read more
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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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