“The Greek Service is extremely crucial to the Greek-American community and to the United States’ interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans,” said National President Ike Gulas. “It plays a significant role in communicating an accurate message to a part of the globe that is situated on the doorsteps of the Middle East and the Balkans.”
“The elimination of the Greek Service just doesn’t make sense,” added Gulas, who said the TV broadcast portion receives a 4.5% viewer rating in Greece, and that combined with radio and the Internet, the Service is viewed or heard by one million persons. Ratings for Cyprus are unable to be surveyed due to improper funding.
Last year, the House Appropriations Subcommittee, under the chairmanship of Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), fully restored funding for the Greek Service.
“We look to the Chairwoman’s leadership again this year to correct this budget shortfall,” said Gulas. “We appreciate her interest and support for this government program.”
AHEPA Applauds Sarbanes’ Effort in House; Foreign Affairs Chairman Signs-On
Moreover, AHEPA commends the initiative by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), who circulated a letter about the VOA funding issue to colleagues in the House of Representatives. The letter is directed to Chairwoman Lowey and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who is the ranking member of the subcommittee.
“We are grateful to Congressman Sarbanes for his effort, and we are thankful to those members of Congress who co-signed the letter,” said Gulas. “They are all to be commended by our community.”
In addition to Sarbanes, Hellenic Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), along with Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), Subcommittee on Europe Chairman Robert Wexler (D-FL); and Reps. Zack Space (D-OH), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and James P. McGovern (D-MA) co-signed the letter.
To view AHEPA’s testimony, and a copy of the House letter, please visit www.ahepa.org/mainnews.
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AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, and sister chapters in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by visionary Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice originating from the KKK, and in its history, AHEPA joined with the NAACP and B'nai B'rith International to fight discrimination.
The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.
For more information about the AHEPA family, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, (202) 232-6300, or visit www.ahepa.org.
The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.
