Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

Brothers & Sisters


Issari. A mountain village like probably a thousand in Greece. A village that not many would have noticed, but for the devastating fires in Greece that almost took this village off the map. At the last moment, it was spared and the flames that had Isari surrounded stopped. A few more feet and we would be talking about a village in ashes and loss of lives.


The Miracle at Issari. We don't know if it was divine intervention or just a change of wind direction. But the people ofIsari who were huddled in the Church know. Now there is a new Icon of St. Phanouris in the Church. It was on hisnameday that the fires stopped their insatiable appetite that consumed all the forrest of evergreen and olive trees that beautified the region. Today, even looking at the scorched earth, Isari is a beautiful mountain village. I can imagine how it must have looked before the fire. Although the village was spared, the water pump supplying water to the village was destroyed. Not a good thing.


Being summer, there were many visitors in Greece. Many came back with vivid descriptions of what they witnessed. "A national disaster." How to help? The Daughters of Penelope, under Karen Stamatiatis, started a Fund Drive to assist in this relief effort.


The AHEPA Chapter of Washington, DC, has members with roots to Isari including some benefactors that have done great thing in Isari. Due to the urgency of the need for the water pump repair for Isari, the Washington AHEPAChapter approached the DOP and asked them to consider this project in Isari. The DOP agreed and the AHEPAChapter who also participated with the Daughters, got them connected with the right people, cutting through the red tape and repaired the water pump.


Probably he most prominent is Professor Ted Perros. Some of you may remember the Professor from the Supreme Convention Committees he participated. An intellectual, determined and a great guy (I cleaned it up). He worked on Legislation & Constitutional stuff and Publications. They have his family tree in the Museum in Isa ri and point to it with pride. With surprise I stated, "I know him."


Isari is near Megalopolis. To find Isari, the young cab driver turned on his Greek GPS. The GPS indicated straight ahead. We went through villages with no people to ask directions. When we ran out of paved road we decided to go back and try another road. The GPS still said "straight ahead." Eventually we got on the right road we had our doubts. And of course we stayed longer at Isari than we had anticipated. The "Home Base" would call the cab driver to get the status and the driver would say, "We are on the road." I don't know how he explained it when he got back. But it was a family business so I am sure it is OK.


So they repaired the water pump, clea ned the Church which had soot, smoke and heat damage. They eventually received additional financial assistance and the village really looks good and ready for the summer visitors.


This is one story. There are many such stories in the remote villages that are=2 0not so lucky. Get your Chapter or District involved. Ask. Find that village that needs help as a result of the fires. You won't regret it.


Kostas Gus Hazifotis
Citizen-AHEPAN