The AHEPAN Spring 2023 - 4

A MESSAGE FROM SUPREME PRESIDENT JIMMY KOKOTAS
What It Means To Be An Ahepan
I believe we are all born Ahepans.
Through the process of initiation, we are set on the path to the realization of what it means to be an
Ahepan. It sets us on a path to become better men, especially outwardly.
How so?
By advancing Hellenic ideals, one of which is philanthropy. Or by simply demonstrating humanity
and compassion toward others, as Hellenism calls on us to do.
As a result, our fellow Ahepans continue to labor to fulfill our mission for betterment of our comJimmy
Kokotas
munities. I am inspired particularly with the work of a couple of our national projects featured in this
issue. In six years since its inception, the AHEPA Service Dogs for Warriors program announced an
amazing achievement. The program reached the $1 million mark in donations received for the sponsorship
of service dogs. I salute the program's chairman, Past Supreme Governor George Karatzia, who
is a veteran, and his team, as well as everyone who rallied to raise money to sponsor a service dog for
a veteran in need. Separately, I also commend the admirable efforts of the Dawson Memorial national
project led by Past Supreme Governor Robert Sexton. Through his efforts to memorialize the hundreds
of victims of the Dawson mine explosions of the early 20th
century, Sexton, a descendant of a victim of
one of the mining disasters, reminds us, as Greek Americans, of the sacrifices our immigrant forebears
made to find a better life in America. Their living conditions were not ideal. Yet, thanks to their sacrifices,
our community is in a better place. Additionally, I applaud the initiative of Ahepans worldwide to
commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As our early visionary Ahepans understood,
we must never fail to call out tyranny and hatred and to remember those who perished at the hands of
tyranny's evil doing. Finally, my heart swelled with pride to see the festive and joyous holiday scenes
from AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope-sponsored affordable senior living communities from across
the country. The smiles on the faces of the vulnerable older adults our communities house is priceless.
And speaking of our community's place in American society, the centennial celebration of
Birmingham Chapter 3's founding is especially meaningful given the city's significance in American
history as the epicenter of the civil rights movement. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that the third
chapter chartered in the Order's history occurred in Birmingham, Alabama. It truly was an honor to
participate at Chapter 3's milestone anniversary celebration given the historical context the city provides
and the distinguished honorees' contributions to the ideals of justice and education-important
principles to all Ahepans.
Our issue closes with a special reminder from the AHEPA archives about the depth to which AHEPA
was woven into the fabric of America in the early 20th
century. You will learn how it came to be that
one of America's most revered explorers at the time, Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, a Medal of Honor
recipient, and only person to have three ticker-tape parades in New York City in his honor, took a Greek
flag with him on his 1926 expedition to the North Pole. And you will learn why Byrd, who became an
Ahepan in 1930, said, " I have yet to find an equal of the Ahepans. "
Our beloved Order is truly a special organization.
So, it is not a surprise in the 21st
plant its flag in the Middle East.
Let's continue to work in unison to advance our mission and ideals that clearly have resonated
beyond us, as Hellenes, to all points of our beautiful Earth.
century to see AHEPA continue to grow in Europe and to see AHEPA
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The AHEPAN Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The AHEPAN Spring 2023