ΑΗΕPA:Season of Giving | Celebrate the Holidays with a Gift that Makes a Difference..

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. TAKE ACTION: Donate online today to the AHEPA Charitable Foundation Santa's Bag A current philanthropic initiative administered through the AHEPA CharitableFoundation 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 toSanta'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!   ICYMI | AHEPA Hails Passage of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Congressional Gold Medal Act AHEPA hailed the passage of legislation by Congress that requires arrangement for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Office of Strategic Services in recognition of their service and contributions during World War II. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives, November 30, and heads to the president's desk for enactment. FDR appointed SOP Founding Member Peter Clainos was the OSS' Greek Battalion's commanding officer.   Did you know? Many Greek Americans, including Ahepans and Sons of Pericles members, were recruited into the Greek Battalion of the OSS to help liberate Greece from Nazi occupation? According to Historian Panagiotis Dimitrakis, in January 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ahepan, signed an executive order establishing the 122nd Infantry Battalion, based in Camp Carson, Colorado. FDR appointed Major Peter Clainos (pictured), Manchester, N.H., who was a Founding Member of the Sons of Pericles, was born in Sparta, and graduated from the West Point, the battalion's commanding officer. READ MORE: The OSS and Greece: The Missing Link of the Mediterranean Campaign READ MORE: About the story of late Brother Spiro Cappony, who was an OSS special operative, working behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Greece. (via Library of Congress' Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project) AHEPA Remembers | 75th Anniversary of Attack on Pearl Harbor Today is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. AHEPA asks the community to pause and take a moment to remember the more than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors who died in the attack. Another 1,000-plus were wounded.  READ MORE: The 75th Commemoration (official website) LEARN MORE: Pearl Harbor (via History.com) Save the Dates | 2017 Supreme Convention! WASHINGTON UPDATE CHIA Co-Chairs Praise U.S., Greek, and Cypriot Response toIsrael Wildfires Co-chairs of the Congressional Hellenic Israeli Alliance (CHIA), U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL) praised the efforts of Greece and Cyprus, who were among the first nations to assist Israel in response to devastating wildfires that affected the country a few weeks ago.   "I was very pleased to see the expediency of generosity on the part of Greece and Cyprus," said Congressman Bilirakis. "Disasters, like what we have seen in Israel, have a way of reminding us of what matters - people, not politics. Israel is no stranger to hardship and has overcome many tribulations in its long history. As Israel shifts from response to recovery, the United States will continue to stand with and support Israel. Israel has been and continues to be a steadfast ally in a volatile Middle East. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected."   "As Israel begins to recover from these devastating fires, I'm grateful to the many countries that came swiftly to Israel's aid," said Congressman Deutch."Among the first to respond were Greece and Cyprus, once again highlighting the deep partnership and friendship between these countries. My thoughts are with all of those in Israel affected by these tragic fires. The United States will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our great friend and ally Israel and support her in times of need."   Greece deployed multiple firefighting aircrafts (1 C-130 and 3 CL-145) along with flying and technical personnel. Cyprus provided a firefighting aircraft along with firefighting and civil-defense personnel.    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. Is your U.S. representative a member of the Hellenic Caucus?Click here to find out. DOWNLOAD & SHARE: AHEPA Action Alert to help you outreach to your U.S. representative  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.   NEW! | Donations keep coming in! Thank you AHEPA Hellas Chapter 102, Lowell, Mass. for its $1,000 donation and AHEPA Nick M. Stratas Chapter 310, Mobile, Ala, for its $1,000 donation to help rebuild St. Nicholas! 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 itwith    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 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.       Imia are 'Turkish soil' says Turkish FM, prompting Greek reaction  Ekathimerini (Dec. 1) Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday referred to the eastern Aegean Imia islets as "Turkish soil."  Cavusoglu was responding in writing to a question tabled by a Turkish MP regarding the status of islands and islets in the Aegean.  "As long as the AKP is in power there will be no change in the legal and de facto status of islands in the Aegean," noted Cavusoglu in his statement.  Cavusoglu's comments followed comments made by the leader of the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu in which he accused Greece of occupying 18 islands in the Aegean.  Reacting to Cavusoglu's statement, the Greek foreign ministry issued its own statement on Thursday.  read more      Tarpon Springs Introduces Audio Walking Tour  BHCN (Dec. 5) The City of Tarpon Springs has received two $5,000 grants from the Florida Humanities Council (FHC). Both projects are set for completion in 2017.  Under the guidance of the Florida Humanities Council, the Florida Stories Community Audio Walking Tours initiative supports the creation of cultural, historical and architectural walking tours for communities across the state of Florida. The goals of this initiative include exploring the history and heritage of Florida communities while creating a sustainable cultural tourist product. The audio tours will be available to anyone through an app that can be downloaded to phones or other devices.  The Tarpon Springs audio tour will focus on the Greektown Historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 as the state's first official Traditional Cultural Property.  read more Bad News for Rest of N.B.A.: Giannis Antetokounmpo Just Keeps Improving  NY Times (Dec. 2) Giannis Antetokounmpo, the resident wunderkind of the Milwaukee Bucks, has an offer from Holger Geschwindner, the personal shooting coach of the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, to join him in Germany next summer for a master class in the art of the long-range shot.  "That's a nice invitation right there," Antetokounmpo said.Imagine the possibilities.  Antetokounmpo, 21, who is popularly known as the Greek Freak, already has a way of fashioning his 6-foot-11 frame into the perfect vehicle for so many tasks.  He can consume acres of real estate with his loping strides. He can contort himself past defenders for leaning runners. He can post up, soar for rebounds and whip passes to teammates with his impossibly long arms.   read more  Peter Vagenas : Greek American named LA Galaxy General Manager Tornos (Dec. 3) The LA Galaxy announced that former captain Peter Vagenas has been named LA Galaxy General Manager. The two-time MLS Cup winning Greek-American midfielder will serve as the General Manager and Vice President of Soccer Operations. In his new role, Vagenas will oversee all soccer activities of the LA Galaxy, LA Galaxy II and Galaxy Academy, including player acquisition, scouting and management of the club's coaching staffs.  "Peter has been an influential figure in the continued growth of the LA Galaxy both on and off the field for a long period of time," said LA Galaxy President Chris Klein.  Vagenas previously played for the Galaxy during nine of his 13 years in Major League Soccer and was a part of the Galaxy's 2002 and 2005 MLS Cup championships. He was named Vice President of Soccer Operations in January 2016 after serving as Director of the LA Galaxy Academy since 2013.  read more