{"id":23651,"date":"2022-12-20T13:14:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T13:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahepad2.org\/stag\/?page_id=23651"},"modified":"2023-06-12T20:23:52","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T20:23:52","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ahepad2.org\/stag\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) is the largest Greek-American organization with chapters in the United States, Canada, Australia and Greece. AHEPA was founded July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia, by Americans of Greek descent to protect Hellenes from the evils of bigotry and to help assimilate them into American society.
<\/span>The mission of the AHEPA Family is to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence.<\/span><\/p>

Hellenism<\/b>
<\/b>An important component of AHEPA\u2019s mission is to create an awareness of the principles of Hellenism to society. These principles include a commitment to humanity, freedom, and democracy.\u00a0 The preservation and promotion of these ideals is where AHEPA has, and always will be, deeply committed.
<\/span>AHEPA educates the community on these matters through symposia, forums, and conferences.<\/span><\/p>

Education<\/b>
<\/b>AHEPA\u2019s 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\u2019 Host of This Week George Stephanopoulos.
<\/span>The scholarship program at the national level is administered by the <\/span>AHEPA National Educational Foundation<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 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\u2019s leaders.
<\/span>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.
<\/span>In addition, educational programs such as \u201cJourney to Greece\u201d and Washington Internships are sponsored by the Foundation.<\/span><\/p>

Philanthropy<\/b>
<\/b>Philanthropy and volunteerism have been pillars of strength for AHEPA.\u00a0 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.
<\/span>AHEPA\u2019s 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.\u00a0 Yet this only scratches the surface of the numerous philanthropic works of the association.\u00a0 In addition, countless charitable projects are undertaken every year by AHEPA\u2019s chapters and districts.<\/span><\/p>

Civic Responsibility<\/b>
<\/b>Our grassroots have a strong voice.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 These positions are based upon our American heritage and ideals with the best interest of the United States in mind.
<\/span>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.
<\/span>Furthermore, AHEPA keeps a watchful eye on Congress with its Congressional Scorecard, a tool that evaluates each member of Congress on Greek-American issues.<\/span><\/p>

Family and Individual Excellence<\/b>
<\/b>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.\u00a0 Combined, the four organizations have contributed well over a billion dollars to national projects throughout their history.<\/span><\/p>