AHEPA Family Spreads Christmas Cheer at St. Basil Academy

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! St. Basil Academy Executive Director Father Sitaras, Archbishop Demetrios, and St. Basil Academy Board President Tsiadis look on as Supreme President Zachariades presents gift contribution for the children of St. Basil Academy. AHEPA Family Spreads Christmas Cheer at St. Basil Academy Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades presented His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Father Costa Sitaras, executive director, Saint Basil Academy; and Evellyn Tsiadis, PGP and president, Saint Basil Academy Board of Trustees, with the AHEPA's family's annual gift contribution for the children enrolled at Saint Basil Academy, Garrison, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2016. For more than 60 years the AHEPA family has been an active supporter of Saint Basil Academy and will always remain at champion of the academy to help it meet its worthy mission. For more information about Saint Basil Academy, please visit http://www.stbasil.goarch.org/1 Then Supreme President Dr. Spiro J. Macris presents Chairman Gilman (center) with the AHEPA Pericles Award and is joined by then Supreme Vice President Steve A. Manta. AHEPA Mourns Passing of Former Congressman and Ahepan, Benjamin Gilman 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 former U.S. Congressman, and Brother Ahepan, Benjamin Gilman, announced Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades. "Congressman Gilman was an outstanding public servant and distinguished World War Two Veteran," Supreme President  Zachariades said. "A true philhellene, the Order was honored to count him as a Brother. May his memory be eternal." AHEPA honored Rep. Gilman, who chaired the House International Relations Committee, with the AHEPA Pericles Award for excellence in public service at the 1996 Congressional Banquet. He also was honored for his strong support of human rights, justice and international law on the policy concerns of the Greek American community. In acceptance, Brother Gilman noted the importance of the grassroots' input in the formation of policy, stating, "our nation is a land of immigrants which gives us a unique foreign affairs perspective." He also stressed the importance of Greece for peace and stability in the region. As chairman, he held a congressional hearing exclusively on the Cyprus issue--at the time it was the first hearing in recent memory. Brother Gilman was a member of AHEPA Chapter 455, West Nyack, N.Y. READ: Congressman Gilman's obituary 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.  Also, the AHEPA-Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church & National Shrine capital fundraising campaign is administered through the Foundation. TAKE ACTION: Donate online today to the AHEPA Charitable Foundation Thank you for supporting the AHEPA Charitable Foundation!   Book Your Room! | 2017 Supreme Convention! WASHINGTON UPDATE Executive Director Basil Mossaidis represented AHEPA at a  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. ICYMI | 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. CHECK OUT: Our panel of donors 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! Watch it here! 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! Make your tax-deductible donation online by clicking here 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. READ MORE: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese news release  MEDIA COVERAGE: New York Times: Cross Takes Its Place, Temporarily, Atop Shrine at World Trade Center MEDIA COVERAGE: New York Post: Only church destroyed on 9/11 raises cross atop new building  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. WATCH: Live webcam of construction site

The Ahepan ! Share it     Read about how the AHEPA family reached a milestone in cancer research grant-giving, how young professionals from Greece are battling "Brain Drain, and how Ahepans are continuing to provide aid to the victims of the Flint water crisis. Also, don't forget to catch-up on the latest ways AHEPA chapters are giving back through community service. Click on the magazine icon to read it today!    Next Deadline: February 1, 2017 Upcoming Events   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.      Greek School to Open for First Time Since 1964 on Turkey's Imvros Island  Pappas Post (Dec. 17) Perhaps nowhere in Turkey have innocent people come between the cross fire of politics than on the tiny islands of Imvros and Tenedos--islands in the Aegean which have had a Greek identity and population for centuries but were handed to Turkey during the Treaty of Lausanne negotiations in the early 1920s.  Right after Christmas, for the first time since 1964, local Greek residents will finally have a school again, where children can be taught in the Greek language, after years and years of lobbying the education authorities of Turkish government.  read more   Capital Link Forum: Why Invest in Greece?  Hellenic News (Dec. 19) "Greece is open for business." That message came across loud and clear, sounded by Dimitri Papadimitriou, Greece's Minister of Economic Development at the 18th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum, an all-day symposium of political and economic leaders in Manhattan.  read more