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Honorarium

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Week Ending March 23, 2006

S.CON.RES.14 A concurrent resolution commemorating the 85th anniversary of the founding of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, a leading association for the 1,300,000 United States citizens of Greek ancestry and Philhellenes in the United States.

The Greek community suffered the bigotry and discrimination largely from the Ku Klux Klan, the preamble concludes, and so it formed the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) in 1922 to help Greeks organize and protect themselves.

The ideal of ancient Greece (the cradle of democracy) are promoted through the group to include philanthropy, education, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.

During WWII AHEPA raised over $253 million in war bonds and donated $612,000 for the renovation of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.

The history of the organization as described in the resolution preamble (below) is one of generous donation, service and patriotism.

Sponsor:  Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent March 20, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost

Earmark Certification:   Not applicable to this resolution.

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Whereas the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) was founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia, by 8 visionary Greek immigrants to help unify, organize, and protect against the bigotry, discrimination, and defamation faced by people of all ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds perpetrated predominantly by the Ku Klux Klan;

Whereas the mission of AHEPA is to promote the ideals of ancient Greece, which include philanthropy, education, civic responsibility, and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism;

Whereas since its inception, AHEPA has instilled in its members an understanding of their Hellenic heritage and an awareness of the contributions made by Greece to the development of democratic principles and governance in the United States and throughout the world;

Whereas AHEPA has done much throughout its history to foster patriotism in the United States;

Whereas members of AHEPA have served in the Armed Forces to protect the freedom of the United States and to preserve the democratic ideals that are part of the Hellenic legacy;

Whereas in World War II, members of AHEPA were parachuted behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Greece to help liberate the country;

Whereas AHEPA raised more than $253,000,000 for United States war bonds during World War II, for which AHEPA was named an official Issuing Agent for United States War Bonds by the Department of Treasury, an honor that no other civic organization was able to achieve at the time;

Whereas the members of AHEPA donated $612,000 for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, New York, for which AHEPA received special recognition by the Department of the Interior;

Whereas the AHEPA National Housing Program was awarded $500,000,000 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for its Section 202 Program, which has yielded 4,370 units in 80 properties across 21 States and 49 cities and has provided dignified, affordable housing to senior citizens;

Whereas AHEPA was recognized by the Department of State as an organization that has engaged in `Track Two Diplomacy' to foster reconciliation and rapprochement in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is in the best interest of the United States;

Whereas members of AHEPA raised $110,000 for the George C. Marshall Statue to be erected on the grounds of the United States Embassy in Athens, Greece, in celebration of the historic relationship between the United States and Greece, and in tribute to an outstanding statesman and Philhellene, General Marshall;

Whereas AHEPA financially supports scholarships, educational chairs, medical research, and countless other charitable and philanthropic causes by contributing more than $2,000,000 annually from its national, district, and local levels collectively;

Whereas in the spirit of their Hellenic heritage and in commemoration of the Centennial Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia, members of AHEPA raised $775,000 for the Tribute to Olympism Sculpture, the fan-like structure of which helped to save lives during the bombing at Centennial Olympic Park;

Whereas members of AHEPA have been Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States, United States Senators and Representatives, and United States Ambassadors, and have served honorably as elected officials at the local and State levels throughout the United States; and

Whereas President George H.W. Bush cited AHEPA as one of the `thousand points of light': Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the Congress--

(1) recognizes the significant contributions of United States citizens of Hellenic heritage to the United States;

(2) commemorates the 85th anniversary of the founding of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), applauds its mission, and commends the many charitable contributions of its members to communities around the world; and

(3) encourages the people of the United States to observe the 85th anniversary of the founding of AHEPA and celebrate its many accomplishments.

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