{"id":23651,"date":"2022-12-20T13:14:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T13:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahepa356.org\/Staging\/?page_id=23651"},"modified":"2024-03-17T22:18:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T22:18:55","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ahepa356.org\/Staging\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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History<\/span><\/h2><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, on the principles that undergirded its fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mission<\/span><\/h2><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChapter 356 History<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

AHEPA Steve Tsagaris Chapter 356, composed primarily, but not solely,\u00a0of Americans of Greek decent living in the Clearwater\/Tampa Bay area, was chartered by the Supreme Lodge of AHEPA on July 26th, 1954. This upcoming July,\u00a0our chapter will celebrate its 62nd anniversary.<\/p>

The group\u00a0was organized in response to the strong desire of a number of these American-Hellenes to join the national AHEPA organization founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia. Their belief was that by working together with other like-minded men, they could help \u201cAmericanize\u201d those who had recently immigrated to this country from Greece and at the same time nourish the history, ethics and ideals of their Hellenic forebears by cultivating a sense of \u201cHellenism\u201d in America.\u00a0<\/p>

The primary objectives of the\u00a0AHEPA were to promote \u201ceducation,\u201d \u201cindividual excellence\u201d, \u201cphilanthropy,\u201d \u201ccivic responsibility,\u201d and \u201cfamily values\u201d. By establishing social and business ties between themselves and other like minded Americans of Greek extraction, they could promote and perpetuate the Hellenic culture and traditions of which they were so proud. They were especially proud of the Hellenic ideals, which are so clearly embodied in our U.S. Constitution and form the basis of our American democratic values.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The original core of\u00a0activists who\u00a0founded Chapter 356 included such brothers as Frank Fotiadis, the first President of the Chapter, along with Charter members, James Andrews, Thomas Andrews, Theo Condos, Sarafem Dervich, James Karalekas, Dr. George Karlton, Pete Katsouropoulos, Constantine Marmaredes, John Maros, Pete Moundredes, A.P. Nichols, James N. Psalta, Pete Psomadakis, Chris A. Sarris and Thomas C. Sarris.\u00a0 Thanks to their vision and dedication, AHEPA has thrived locally.<\/p>

Over the years the Chapter has established itself as a leader in the life of the AHEPA family. In addition to being one of the largest chapters in the AHEPA domain, it has contributed a number of its members for higher national office. Past Supreme Vice President and member of the AHEPA Scholarship Foundation, Gus Stefanadis was a longtime member of Chapter 356.\u00a0\u00a0So too, are Past Supreme Governor Steve Tsagaris and Past District 2\u00a0Governors, Alex Alexander, Michael Mastorides and Domino Giallourakis along with current District 2 Athletic Director Gus Pantelides.\u00a0<\/p>

More recently Chapter\u00a0356 has rededicated itself to the ideals of Hellenism as applied to our current lifestyle. Just as our forebears taught that education of the individual is a critical element in each person\u2019s growth and success and should never stop, so too, networking, pursuit of excellence, good family values and a recognition of one\u2019s civic responsibility are important factors which must be forever considered and encouraged.<\/p>

We believe that the Order of AHEPA has an important role to play in rekindling these Hellenic ideals. By providing our members with an opportunity to become informed about subjects of current interest, by stimulating their interest in charitable, educational and community projects, and by organizing games and athletic contests for exercise and competition in a spirit of brotherhood and respect for each other, we believe AHEPA can be a critical factor.<\/p>

Likewise, we are convinced that AHEPA should defend its Hellenic heritage against those who would revise and distort history for their own ends. We recognize that \u201cAmericanism\u201d as we know and enjoy it today embodies the objectives, elements and traditions of Hellenism, a proud heritage which all Ahepans are privileged to share. We must also speak up and defend our Hellenic traditions and the contributions of the ancient Hellenes to Western civilization. To these objectives and goals we pledge our commitment.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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The mission of the AHEPA Family is to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence.

Hellenism
An important component of AHEPA’s mission is to create an awareness of the principles of Hellenism to society. These principles include a commitment to humanity, freedom, and democracy. The preservation and promotion of these ideals is where AHEPA has, and always will be, deeply committed.

AHEPA educates the community on these matters through symposia, forums, and conferences.

Education
AHEPA’s commitment to education has been well documented throughout its history. Over $4 million is endowed at the local, district and national levels toward the use of scholarships and a half-million dollars is awarded annually. Thousands of young men and women have benefited as recipients of AHEPA scholarships at these various levels. The most famous recipient, perhaps, is ABC News’ Host of This Week George Stephanopoulos.

The scholarship program at the national level is administered by the AHEPA National Educational Foundation. It offers scholarships to a wide variety of students. Recipients are: traditional and non-traditional students; seminarians, including those entering Holy Cross Greek School of Theology; and high school seniors, college and post-graduate students who are looking to become tomorrow’s leaders.

The preservation of Hellenic or Classical Studies programs on college campuses is an important issue for the AHEPA Educational Foundation. A subcommittee of the Foundation, the Hellenic Cultural Commission, actively works to support the study of the Classics at universities.

In addition, educational programs such as “Journey to Greece” and Washington Internships are sponsored by the Foundation.

Philanthropy
Philanthropy and volunteerism have been pillars of strength for AHEPA. From natural disaster relief to raising funds for the elimination of life-threatening diseases to making significant contributions to our local neighborhoods, AHEPA is at the forefront of charitable giving.

AHEPA’s philanthropic deeds are evident in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; in the Halls of St. Basil Academy, a childcare facility in Garrison, N.Y.; in the care packages we sent to our troops in cooperation with the USO; and in the building of healthcare facilities in Greece. Yet this only scratches the surface of the numerous philanthropic works of the association. In addition, countless charitable projects are undertaken every year by AHEPA’s chapters and districts.<\/div>
Civic Responsibility<\/strong>
Our grassroots has a strong voice. With chapters in every major metropolitan city and in rural areas of North America, AHEPA communicates the positions of the Greek-American community to elected representatives at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as to our diplomatic leaders. These issues pertain to Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey; however, our constituents are also interested in domestic policy areas affecting the philanthropic, civic, and community service-based programs in which they are involved. These positions are based upon our American heritage and ideals with the best interest of the United States in mind.

AHEPA educates its constituents about these issues through seminars and conferences, providing expert panelists from the U.S. government, prominent Washington, DC Think-Tank organizations, and the business world.

Furthermore, AHEPA keeps a watchful eye on Congress with its Congressional Scorecard, a tool that evaluates each member of Congress on Greek-American issues.

Family and Individual Excellence<\/strong>
What makes AHEPA unique from other organizations is the creation of the AHEPA Family. Together with three affiliated organizations, the AHEPA Family works as a unit toward the fulfillment of a common mission. Combined, the four organizations have contributed well over a billion dollars to national projects throughout their history.