Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

ORDER OF AHEPA
SANTA BARBRA CHAPTER #243
Established October 17, 1929
‘Promoting the Harmony of Greek Culture, Service, and Community”
“Keeping the Spirit Alive”
http://ahepa20.org/~chapter243/
“Let’s Do Something Great in 2008”

These last two quarters of the Ahepa year have been interesting and activity filled for this energetic and forward thinking chapter. In November we held our annual Ahepa Glendi which was a success on many levels. We appreciate the support of our District Lodge and Brother Ahepans who traveled great distances to attend and contributed to a fun-filled and successful endeavor.
December was a month of activity. On December 4th –The name day commemorating the Saint of our parish-Saint Barbara, DOP District Governor and St. Barbara Parish Council member Georgia Gastouniotis chaired a weekend event celebrating the Saint Barbara Parish 60th anniversary and the 21st anniversary of our parish at our present location. With the presence of Metropolitan Gerasimos and local dignitaries the St Barbara museum was dedicated which preserves and exhibits historical memorabilia of our parish community.
Prominently displayed are some of our Ahepa Chapter #243 historical items and reminders that Brother Ahepans from Ventura #220 were important contributors to establishment of this parish.
The Christmas spirit was evident at our annual gathering with our DOP Delos Chapter #103. With the beginning of the New Year we attended the District Lodge visitation hosted by the Ventura Chapter #220. Here we learned that our District Lt. Governor John Triantafyllos, M.D. is going to Iowa in a career move. We will miss him.
Our March 25th celebration was special. PDG Costantino Frangos was instrumental in bringing members of the Los Angeles Greek International Film Festival as the speakers of the day. They provided an interesting program of facts and film clips. We also assisted in the raising of funds for the Orthodox Missions and the special project headed by Brother Alex Haimanis to construct an Orthodox Church-Saint Barbara-in Africa.
Our events in May include a special bus trip to the G. Paul Getty Villa to view Greek antiquities and a special program for Ahepa Sunday.
Plans are already under way for the first and second quarters of the new Ahepa year which will soon be upon us. One special project which we hope will blossom into a District or National fund raising project is to raise awareness and funds to help find cures for Rett Syndrome a very debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder syndrome which primarily affects females.
The thirty-four members of this energetic chapter wish you a joyful summer and remind you that “Rewards come as a result of your service.”

On behalf of our Chapter President James Arger,
James Brown, Chapter Secretary.

AHEPA Condemns Skopje Billboard Depicting Desecrated Greek Flag
Nazi Swastika Replaces Cross in DepictionWorking to Confront Skopje Propaganda on Different Fronts
click here for full print version of billboard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The membership of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), a leading association for the nation's 1.4 million American citizens of Greek ancestry, and Philhellenes, strongly condemns yesterday's billboard depiction in Skopje of a defaced Greek flag that had a Nazi swastika in place of the Cross, announced Supreme President Ike Gulas.
"We are outraged at this disturbing display of hate propaganda," said Ike Gulas. "It is an affront to all those who fought and sacrificed to defeat Nazism and fascism, including many of our members; and a scathing insult to those who perished, as well as the survivors, of the Holocaust, and their families."
"In light of this troubling development, our faith in the diplomatic process has been extinguished. We have patiently sat back, allowing diplomacy to take its course and the road it has taken us to leads us to the bastardization of the flag of the Hellenic Republic; which is an affront to our Hellenic heritage and history. Is this the type of provocative behavior that is to be rewarded with membership in NATO? We firmly support Greece in whatever course of action she chooses to take at the upcoming NATO meeting in Bucharest."
"As an organization that was founded to combat the evils of bigotry and hate at the hands of the KKK, we call on our government officials, both in Congress and in the administration, to join with us in condemning this heinous display of propaganda that is offensive to persons of all races, religions and ethnicities."
"We will work with our chapters, our coalition partners, and the community at-large to ensure our voice is heard and action is taken."

AHEPA Supports Greece's Decision to Exercise Veto
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The membership of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), a leading association for the nation's 1.4 million American citizens of Greek ancestry, and Philhellenes, supports Greece's decision to veto Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) bid to join NATO, announced National President Ike Gulas.
"We support Greece's decision to stand firm with its right to exercise its veto power," said Gulas. "Simply stated, the government in Skopje has not demonstrated good neighborly relations by turning a blind-eye to the dissemination of hate propaganda toward Greece. This week's despicable display of the swastika on the Greek flag is the most blatant example of such propaganda.
"With this veto, Greece sends a strong message to the international community that the issue of a country's cultural and historically identity is one to be taken seriously, and that the theft of one's identity is not to be rewarded. We contend Greece's position will now lead to constructive dialogue and negotiations under UN auspices despite reaction to the contrary by FYROM Foreign Minister Milososki."
"Finally, we applaud Greece's will to find a viable solution that will ensure peace and stability in the region that will ultimately benefit the best interest of the United States."
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