III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 675 

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the American 

Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 15, 2022 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the founding of 

the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. 

Whereas the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘AHEPA’’) was 

founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia, by 8 visionary Greek immigrants to help unify, organize, and 

protect individuals of all ethnic, racial, and religious 

backgrounds against the bigotry, discrimination, and defamation perpetrated predominantly by the Ku Klux Klan; 

Whereas the mission of AHEPA is to promote the Hellenic 

ideals of ancient Greece, which include philanthropy, education, civic responsibility, and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism; 

Whereas, since the inception of AHEPA, the organization has 

instilled in the members of AHEPA an understanding of 


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their Hellenic heritage and an awareness of the contributions that Hellenic heritage has made to the development 

of democratic principles and governance in the United 

States and throughout the world; 

Whereas AHEPA has done much throughout the history of 

the organization to foster patriotism in the United 

States; 

Whereas members of AHEPA have served in the Armed 

Forces of the United States to protect the freedom of the 

people of the United States and to preserve those democratic ideals that are part of the Hellenic legacy; 

Whereas, in World War II, members of AHEPA parachuted 

behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Greece to help liberate Greece; 

Whereas AHEPA raised more than $253,000,000 for United 

States war bonds during World War II, and, as a result 

of the effort, AHEPA was named an official issuing 

agent for United States war bonds by the Department of 

the Treasury, an honor that no other civic organization 

had yet achieved; 

Whereas, in 1990, the members of AHEPA donated 

$612,000 toward 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 has sponsored safe and dignified affordable housing for vulnerable 

senior citizens under the Section 202 Supportive Housing 

for the Elderly program (administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and authorized 

under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 


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1701q)), and the sponsorship has a portfolio of 4,467 

units in 87 communities in 19 States; 

Whereas AHEPA 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, and has enhanced people-to-people ties between 

countries; 

Whereas AHEPA financially supports scholarships, natural 

disaster and humanitarian relief, medical research, and 

countless other charitable and philanthropic causes by 

contributing more than $2,200,000 annually from the national, district, and local levels of AHEPA; 

Whereas generations of Greek American women and 

Philhellenes have worked to strengthen society through 

service organizations, such as the Daughters of Penelope, 

in order to— 

(1) provide affordable housing for older adults; 

(2) sponsor and support domestic violence shelters; 

(3) provide scholarship awards; 

(4) raise awareness and provide financial support for 

medical research and charitable causes; and 

(5) help those in need of humanitarian assistance or 

natural disaster relief; 

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 and Hellenism sculpture, the 

fan-like structure of which helped to save lives during the 

1996 Olympic Bombing at Centennial Olympic Park; 

Whereas members of AHEPA raised $110,000 for the creation of the George C. Marshall Statue erected on the 


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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 General Marshall, an outstanding statesman and Philhellene; 

Whereas members of AHEPA raised $1,000,000 toward the 

rebuilding of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and 

National Shrine at the World Trade Center, which was 

the only house of worship destroyed on September 11, 

2001; 

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 and appointed officials at local and State levels throughout the United 

States; and 

Whereas President George H. W. Bush cited AHEPA as 1 

of the ‘‘thousand points of light’’ in the United States: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the significant contributions to 

3 the United States of citizens of Hellenic heritage; 

4 (2) commemorates the 100th Anniversary of 

5 the founding of the American Hellenic Educational 

6 Progressive Association, applauds its mission, and 

7 commends the many charitable contributions of its 

8 members to communities in the United States and 

9 around the world; and 

10 (3) requests the President to issue a proclama11 tion recognizing the 100th Anniversary and many 


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1 accomplishments of the American Hellenic Edu2 cational Progressive Association. 

Æ 


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