Vol.1, Issue 4 - Monday, September 17, 2007

A Message from the Supreme President

AHEPA Headquarters is Overflowing with Care Packages!
Welcome to AHEPA Headquarters, where almost every office, conference room and corridor is stacked with care packages. It's moments like this that make me so proud to be an Ahepan!

I want to personally thank our friends at Olympic Airlines who have generously offered to ship the care packages directly to Greece! Please remember Olympic when planning your next vacation or making your flight arrangements to our 86th Annual Supreme Convention, this upcoming July in Athens.

AHEPA Headquarters - Care Packages Next, I want to thank all of you who have already sent us packages full of clothes, shoes, and personal health care items. This relief effort was only successful because of you!

I also want to thank all of you who generously contributed to the AHEPA Emergency Greek Fire Relief Fund online. To date, we have received hundreds of donations totalling over $50,000. 100% of this money is going directly to the fire victims in Greece. AHEPA is covering all of the overhead and processing costs to channel your money directly to the families and communities in Greece.

AHEPA Headquarters - Care Packages Lastly, on behalf of the Supreme and District Governors, I offer you another chance to help AHEPA provide direct relief to the fire victims in Greece. Over the next few weeks we will work within the traditional AHEPA network to move the Emergency Greek Fire Relief Fund from our current total of $50,000 to reach our initial goal of $100,000. This goal will not be possible without your help online. If you've given already and can give again, please do so now. If you can forward this newsletter to your friends and email lists, you can help us reach out to others who have yet to help. Together, I know we can reach this important charitable goal!

Ike Gulas,
AHEPA Supreme President

Your Help is Still Desperately Needed!

Contribute to the AHEPA Emergency Greek Fire Relief Fund!
Contribute directly to the relief efforts in Greece through AHEPA's secure online contribution form. 100% of your tax deductible contribution goes directly to the local relief efforts in Greece. Please Give Generously!
Send a Care Package!
AHEPA is working to coordinate the shipment of care packages to Greece. Items needed range from clothes to tooth brushes. Get the Care Package Checklist & Instructions!
Help Spread the Word!
The fastest way to help spread the word is by forwarding this email to your friends and family. For those not yet online, simply download, print out and distribute these 4x6" Palm Cards, at your church or upcoming festival. It's a fun way to meet new people and show that you care! Find Out More!

News From Greece, Cyprus and the Patriarchate

Government Re-elected in Sunday's Elections; PM Reaffirms Commitment for Reforms
Athens, Greece (Athens News Agency) -- September 17, 2007 -- The ruling New Democracy (ND) party and prime minister Costas Karamanlis were easily re-elected to government in Sunday's general elections in Greece, while the main opposition PASOK party posted a slump and the two Left parties -- the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) posted a strong showing, nearly doubling their parliamentary seats, and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) became the newcomer to the first-ever five-party parliament. ... read more.

Cyprus Calls on Turkish Side to Implement July 8 Agreement
Cyprus (Financial Mirror) -- September 14, 2007 -- The Cypriot government has called on the Turkish side to show the necessary political will for the immediate implementation of the 8 July 2006 agreement. In a written statement, Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas notes that if the Turkish government really believes that the presence of the Turkish troops in Cyprus is based on Turkey's rights, emanating from international treaties, then Turkey, in compliance with the UN Charter, articles 33 and 36, can accept the solution of this legal part of the Cyprus problem by the International Court of Justice in The Hague. ...read more.

Patriarch on Reopening of Halki Seminary
Halki, Turkey (Athens News Agency) -- September 17, 2007 -- Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos (Bartholomew) will reportedly broach a handful of crucial issues affecting the Ecumenical Patriarchate -- particularly the question of the reopening of the Halki School of Theology -- during any future meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ...read more.

Patriarch Bartholomew and Other Religious Leaders Unite in Prayer on Climate Change
Oslo, Greenland (Reuters) -- September 7, 2007 -- Religious leaders united in a silent "prayer for the planet" alongside a retreating Greenland glacier on Friday as part of a widening spiritual drive to combat climate change. ...read more.

News From North America

AHEPA Canada Offers Free Online Greek Tutorial

AHEPA Canada & SFU Team up to Offer Free Online Greek Lessons
AHEPA Canada -- Learning Greek has never been so easy! AHEPA Canada has teamed up the Hellenic Studies Media Group of Simon Fraser University (SFU) to offer free lessons through the Odysseas Online Greek Language Tutor.... read more

Race Aims to Capture Spirit of Olympics
Wilmington, DE (Delaware News Journal) -- September 12, 2007 -- Set for its inaugural staging on Saturday, the AHEPA Olympic 5K run/walk has not yet written much of a history for itself. But the traditions that underpin the event hail back much further than its founding. (VWP). ...read more.