A Message from the Supreme President

Greetings,

As District Conventions are convening throughout the AHEPA Domain, I'd like to share with you my experience from District No. 1's convention in Columbia, South Carolina. Although I'm a bit biased as it is my home district, I can state that it was truly a wonderful gathering. The Lt. Governor of South Carolina, R. Andre Bauer, who is an active Ahepan (in fact, he is preparing the meal at the next chapter meeting), addressed our convention about the important role organizations such as AHEPA play by contributing to the well-being of the community through philanthropic and charitable works.

Brother Bauer has made working with the elderly a key component of his public service career, establishing a statewide Task Force on the issue. Moreover, we were addressed by Father Tom who officiated over the opening ceremonies. Father was so moved by good works of AHEPA that he agreed to join after an invitation was extended by Past Supreme Treasurer Likie Beleos.

We learned of tragic news yesterday as a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Greece near the city of Patras. I've issued a statement expressing our concern and sympathy to the families affected by this tragic event. Our Executive Director, Basil Mossaidis, also contacted the Embassy of Greece to offer our thoughts and prayers. Furthermore, I've also asked our chapters in District 25 to assess the situation to see where we can be of assistance.

This week will be an exciting one for our cultural heritage as the bill to honor posthumously Constantino Brumidi, a proud American citizen of Greek and Italian heritage who single-handedly beautified the U.S. Capitol with his artwork, with the Congressional Gold Medal will pass on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. It was a pleasure to work with our Italian-American friends on this effort, and a special thanks to our friends on Capitol Hill for their unwavering support.

Fraternally,

Ike Gulas, Supreme President

News From AHEPA

Brumidi Bill to Reach House Floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AHEPA Action) -- The Senate Version of HR 1609, the House Bill to recognize the contributions of a great American of Hellenic and Italian descent, Constantino Brumidi is scheduled for full vote in the House of Representatives, tomorrow (June 10th) between the hours of 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM (EDT). The AHEPA Family in cooperation with Italian-American Organizations, has worked very hard to create public awareness around this issue. We encourage each of you to watch the discussion on the House floor by tuning into C-SPAN during those hours. For more information about the Brumidi Bill, please refer to AHEPA's earlier Action Alert.

AHEPA Hellas District Welcomes You to Greece!
ATHENS (AHEPA HELLAS) -- AHEPA Hellas District has created a beautiful video invitation for the 86th Supreme Convention in Athens. We hope you'll forward this link to your friends and family and join AHEPA Hellas and all the AHEPA Family for this historic event. ... watch the video

Supreme Convention Schedule of Events
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Supreme Convention) -- The schedule of events for this year's Supreme Convention in Greece is exciting because of the uniqueness of the setting. Many venues will allow for outdoor activities at historic sites. We will not be staying indoors for meetings the entire time we are in Athens. In fact, tours, beach parties and performances will be just some of the activities held outdoors, so be prepared to have fun and enjoy time with your family! ... download the draft schedule of events

Note: All events and times are tentative and subject to change.

Follow the Journey to Greece Online!
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Journey to Greece) -- Follow this year's Journey to Greece class through the Blogesphere. A new Web log ("blog") journal has been launched by South Bay Sons of Pericles President Peter Vasilion to chronicle their trip on the World Wide Web. Visit the Journey to Greece Blog for daily updates, including photos, videos and testimonials from this year's class. Visit journey2greece.blogspot.com and join the Journey today!

Help AHEPA Widen Our Scope of Disaster Relief Efforts!
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AHEPA Relief) -- Recently our nation and world have faced a series of natural disasters which, as Ahepans we can not turn a blinds eye. After the enormous success of our efforts to provide relief to the wild fire victims in Greece, AHEPA asks each of you to join us now, in helping disaster victims, many of whom have been left homeless and severely injured. ... please give generously.

Apply Today for your New AHEPA VISA Affinity Card!
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AHEPA Promotion) -- AHEPA is proud to announce, through our partnership with Bank of America, an offer you literally can't afford to pass by! The New AHEPA VISA Affinity Card offers you, not only the lowest APR available, but at a fixed rate that won't change after the card has been activated -- and a chance to help AHEPA at the same time! Please check out the offer online and appply for your new card today!

AHEPA 2008 Spring Calendar

JUNE
07 District Conventions: Dist 1, Dist 6, Dist 9, and Dist 15
13 District Conventions: Dist 2, Dist 4, Dist 10, Dist 11, Dist 12, Dist 13, and Dist 17
20 District Conventions: Dist 16
21 District Conventions: Dist 19

JULY
1-12 86th Annual Supreme Convention - Athens, Greece

Greek American Weekly News Digest

Quake Kills Two, Destroys Tens of Homes
PATRAS (Kathimerini) -- June 9, 2008 -- 6.5 Richter tremor hits the Peloponnese -- At least two people were killed and more than 100 injured yesterday when the worst earthquake to hit Greece in almost 10 years struck in the northwestern Peloponnese, destroying a number of houses and spreading panic across much of the country. ... read more.

Please Give to the AHEPA Emergency Disaster Relief Fund!

'Liberty Ship' Comes to Greece
BOSTON (ANA-MPA) -- June 9, 2008 -- The transfer of the last remaining American "Liberty Ship", the "Arthur M. Huddell", for use in Greece as a floating museum was sealed on Wednesday during a ceremony on the sidelines of the Posidonia 2008 international shipping exhibition in Piraeus. ... read more.

Other Greek American News Headlines

• Eurasia Daily Monitor - June 3, 2008
  Will Agean Disputes Continue to Block Turkish-Greek Reconciliation?
  
• GreekNewsBlog.com - June 6, 2008
  Pope Makes Curious Comment About Title of "Ecumenical Patriarch"
  
• Hellenic News - June 4, 2008
  Greece Struggles to Reduce its Trash
  

Greek of the Week!

Brother R. Andre Bauer, Lt. Governor of South Carolina
Lieutenant Governor Bauer is one of our many brothers who early in life, heard the call to public service and have made our Order proud. Brother Bauer was inaugurated as South Carolina's 84th Lieutenant Governor on January 15, 2003, and is currently the nation's youngest Lieutenant Governor.

As Lieutenant Governor, Brother Bauer is in the unique position of being part of both the Executive and Legislative Branches of state government. In fact, during his two years of presiding over the Senate, Lt. Gov. Bauer has ruled nearly $1 billion in tax increases out of order, staying true to his conservative values while looking out for the best interests of all South Carolinians.

AHEPA wants to thank Lieutenant Governor Bauer for his moving speech at this weekend's District Convention and for keeping strong his ties to his chapter (Chapter 284 - Palmetto of Columbia, SC) while serving in the highest levels of public office. Please join us in honoring Brother Andre R. Bauer as our Greek of the Week!

Who's Your Greek of the Week?
There are many heroes in our community who often sadly go unrecognized. You can help. Nominate someone to be AHEPA's Greek of the Week! Simply email a short, detailed nomination, along with a digital photo of them to webmaster@ahepa.org.

This Week for Greeks is an electronic news service of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
For more information visit the AHEPA Online Headquarters at www.ahepa.org.
1909 Q Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Tel: 202-232-6300 Fax: 202-232-2140 Email: ahepa@ahepa.org