The Ahepan Summer 2017 - 10

Far Left: Supreme President Zachariades,
with his granddaughter, Carissa, AHEPA
Cyprus &Hellenic Affairs Chair Savas
Tsivicos, and Board of Trustees Member
Vassos Chrysanthou with Sen. Menendez.
Left: U.S. Rep. Sarbanes introduces
award recipient Sen. Van Hollen.

Capitol Hill Reception Honors Excellence
in Public Service
Nosh Tarachand and John Sampson, from Denver Chapter
145, met with Rep. Coffman at Capitol Hill Day. Their outreach
demonstrates the effectiveness of AHEPA's grassroots network, said Supreme President Zachariades. The congressman
represents the 6th Congressional District of Colorado, which
includes Aurora. Membership in the Hellenic Caucus is 125
U.S. representatives.

Parthenon Marbles Resolution Introduced

The day's events included a morning reception where the
AHEPA family received remarks from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis
(R-FL), co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus and Congressional
Hellenic-Israel Alliance; and U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), who
now serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. U.S.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), co-founder and co-chair of the
Hellenic Caucus, addressed the AHEPA family members during
a group photo she helped to arrange on the U.S. Capitol steps.
There, Congresswoman Maloney announced the introduction
of a congressional concurrent resolution, H.Con.Res.51, calling
for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. U.S. Reps.
Bilirakis and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) are original co-sponsors
of the resolution.
"We appreciate the strong show of support from the champions of Greek American issues and thank them for their participation, which helped to make the day a success," Zachariades
said. "We pledge to garner
support for the Parthenon
Marbles resolution and ask
for the community's help. We
look forward to working with
our champions to achieve all
our shared policy goals and
objectives."

To conclude the day, AHEPA family members and friends
gathered to honor excellence in public service at a reception to
salute excellence in public service held at the Capitol Visitors
Center. The honorees, who were each awarded the 2017
AHEPA Pericles Award, were:
* U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD),
* U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), and
* U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).
Presenters included: U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD),
AHEPA Cyprus and Hellenic Affairs Chairman Savas Tsivicos,
and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who accepted the award on behalf
of Congressman Diaz-Balart. (The congressman could not
attend due to discussions on the healthcare bill.)
In acceptance, each of the honorees lauded Pericles, commended AHEPA's commitment to civic responsibility over
its 95 years, and spoke to the issues of importance to the
American Hellenic community.
"From battling the bigotry of the early 20th century to
assisting natural disaster victims in the 21st, AHEPA's dedication to education and community engagement is well
documented. I am thankful to be a small part of their storied
history," Congressman Smith said.
Additionally, U.S. Rep. John Gottheimer (D-NJ), who is
in his first term; Supreme President Zachariades, reception
Co-chairs Supreme Secretary Carl Hollister and Supreme
Counselor George Horiates; Executive Director Basil Mossaidis,
all addressed the audience.

AMC President/CEO Art Poly, Supreme President
Zachariades, and ANHC President Angelo Kostarides
present the Pericles Award to Rep. Bilirakis, who
accepted on behalf of Rep. Diaz-Balart of Florida.

THE AHEPAN · Summer 2017

Supreme President Zachariades and AHEPA Cyprus/
Hellenic Affairs Chairman Tsivicos present the
Pericles Award to Rep. Smith of New Jersey.

www.ahepa.org

http://www.ahepa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ahepan Summer 2017