End of the Road

As you can see, I couldn't resist writing one last blog.  They say...'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'.  Well that would be true if you weren't dealing with a Past Grand President of the Maids.  Yes, I am officially a PGP!  This past July the Maids helped AHEPA celebrate their 90th Convention in Las Vegas, NV.  This was the perfect location to hold a National AHEPA Event.  I know what you are thinking...when did the MOA have time to get any work done with all of the exciting things offered in Vegas.






Between the casino, vegas shows, and the pool, the MOA held their meeting on the Tuesday of convention.  During the meeting the MOA selected FARA as the 2012-2013 National Project.





A BRAND NEW MOA Grand Lodge was elected.  It includes Grand President, Angela Armstrong, Grand Vice President Deanna Socaris, Grand Secretary Tria Charnas, Grand Treasurer Penelope Alefantis, and Grand Governor Ioanna Siontas.  You are in for an amazing year under this lodge's leadership.




Love ALWAYS in Pi Alpha, 


Marianthe KolokithasPast Grand President of the Maids of Athena

2 Conventions and one NFL Hall of Fame!

This year we had such a struggle attending District Conventions.  Most conventions were scheduled during the same weekend.  As a lodge we were only able to attend a select few.  Grand Governor Deanna Socaris attended the D16 convention in Texas and Grand Vice President Angela Armstrong attended D2 in Florida and D14 in Minnesota!  I was able to attend the D1 Convention in sunny Pensacola Beach, FL and the D11 convention in Canton, OH!

Since District One is my home district, I made it a point to attend the District Convention in Pensacola Beach.  This was the perfect opportunity to visit family and friends and to attend such a wonderful convention.  While I was there...sunny Pensacola was actually torrential downpour Florida!!!!  While there, Pensacola Beach received the most rain they have received since 1970!  The rain came, but so did the fun!  Deliberations for the convention went well for the weekend and a lot of decisions were made.  All in all it was a wonderful event!

The District 11 convention was held in Canton, OH.  Not only is Canton the home of the NFL Hall of Fame, but also the home of the newest MOA Chapter!  During the District MOA Meeting lead by District Governor Tria Charnas, we were able to initiate 5 members into the future Canton MOA Chapter!  The District 11 convention is always a wonderful event! This year was extra special since Past Grand President Sia Zois was in attendance.  I want to thank Tria for making me feel so welcome, as always!  During the meeting, the district elected a new District Lodge which will be lead by Athena Zois as the new District Governor!  I want to congratulate the new district lodge and I look forward to seeing their continued growth next year!

Convention is less than two weeks away!  I can't believe it is approaching so quickly and that my term is almost over.  I look forward to seeing you all in Las Vegas, NV!

Dignified Roast fit for a Queen

As you know my term is winding down and what better way to celebrate the end of the year other than with a party!  My testimonial celebration was given in Charleston, SC on May 18-20, 2012.  We kicked off the weekend by checking out some of the local downtown restaurants and bars.  It was the perfect way to begin the weekend!  Saturday was party day...however we had all day to get ready for the party, so in the morning we visited the Firefly Distillery.  This is a local wine and vodka distillery in Charleston.  They are known for their sweet tea vodka and muscadine wines.





Saturday night was the big event!  Planned by the local maids, daughters, family and friends..the event was more than I could have dreamed!  Not only was I given a crown, but I was also put on a leopard throne during the speeches.  As my friends and family came up to 'roast' me, I was fanned with palm trees by two of my cousins.  I was also given a selection of cookies and my favorite...Apple Wine!



As the night progressed, I started to get worried what people would say about me!  After the first few speeches, I could breath easy as I realized all of my secrets were being kept safe!  When my sister, Rosie, came up to speak I knew I should be worried!  She revealed so many secrets, but looking back..she could have revealed a lot more!




Sunday was AHEPA Sunday at the Charleston church.  The AHEPA honored me and Grand President Nicky Stamoulis by asking us to speak about the Daughters of Penelope and Maids of Athena.  It was wonderful to see the 50 year members of both the AHEPA and the DOP.  My Yiayia Rosie was actually one of the 50+ year members of the DOP!

I want to thank everybody who attended my testimonial weekend from all over the US and Canada including Calgary, Arizona, Maryland, New York and Ohio.  It was truly a special event and I am so thankful for all of my friends and family who celebrated my year with me!

Four Countries, 5 Cities, and a whole lotta meetings!

As my trip is coming to an end, I am remembering all of the experiences I had and the people I met.  From meeting the President of Greece to visiting with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome.  To update you since my last post..they found the suitcase and we have experienced no lightening bolts or traumatic experiences since then!  The AHEPA delegation has attended over 30 meetings throughout the excursion.  These meetings were designed to allow the AHEPA delegation to learn about issues in Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Constantinople.  During the last part of the Athens trip, we met with the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias.  Only six people got to attend the meeting and I was one of the six!!!

The next day, we were able to take a day excursion trip to Thessaloniki.  We toured the AHEPA Hospital, built in the 70s by the local AHEPA chapter.  It was extremely moving to see the impact AHEPA made on Thessaloniki.  It reminded me of the importance of the AHEPA Family and the impact we can make on society.  You can see the importance of this hospital through the innovative things they do and the enthusiasm of the doctors.  We were able to meet the first patient to receive an artificial heart at the AHEPA Hospital.  

Makedonitissa Tomb 

Imprisoned Graves 

We spent 5 days in Athens, and after this leg of the journey we traveled to Cyprus.  It was so warm compared to Greece.  During our visit to Cyprus we learned about all of the political turmoil that divides the country into the occupied and non-occupied sides.  This subject is such a big part of our culture.  While in Cyprus we were able to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Erato Kozakou Markoulli and the President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias.  Not only did the delegation meet with such high officials, but we also got to tour Cyprus.  We visited the Central Jail of Nicosia, home of the imprisoned graves,  and the Makedonitissa Tomb.

After leaving Cyprus, we traveled to Jerusalem for one day.  We met with his Holiness Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.  He is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church.  After our meeting, we took a tour of the Holy City.  Since our tour guide pulled a few strings, we got to bypass all of the lines to the most important areas of the city including the Jail Cell where Jesus was held and also the Tomb of Jesus.  It was so moving to see these sites in person, especially during Holy Week.  I have read about them in books, but actually coming to see the sites was a very extraordinary experience for me.

From Jerusalem we traveled to Turkey.  We are celebrating Easter with his All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome.  Since we arrived on Wednesday we were able to attend church service on Thursday morning.  Fortunately 2012 marked the year of the Holy Myrrh blessing.  This service is done approximately every 10 years when the reserve of Holy Myrrh nears depletion.  The Holy Myrrh is used during the Sacrament of Confirmation (Baptism).  Metropolitans of the Ecumenical Throne gathered for this service on Thursday morning to help with the Holy Myrrh Blessing. (Article about the Holy Myrrh Blessing).  

Monday we leave for the USA!  The time has flown by so quickly.  Keep a look out for my final blog regarding my trip when I return to the states!

One Bus Ride, Two Plane Rides, Two lightening bolts and a missing suitcase: GREECE 2012

For the next two weeks, I will be writing to you from Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey.   My trip started with a bang.  I took a bus (yes a bus!) to New York City where Elena Saviolakis, the Daughters of Penelope Executive Director, and I met the rest of the AHEPA family travelers.  After a three-hour delay we were off to Athens.  Our flight had smooth sailing until we reached a torrential downpour of rain.  Our plane was struck by lightening not once, but TWICE!  Luckily we landed with only a few scratches on the plane and a few scared passengers.  Once we arrived in the Athens airport and made our way through security, it was time to pick up our baggage.  I saw one bag come through- but not the other.  As the baggage line came to an end, I realized that the airline had lost one of my bags!  After this crazy, but exciting day, we finally made it to the hotel.  I went straight to sleep…jet lag is not something you want to mess with when you are in Athens and have meetings with so many important people.  

American Ambassador 

I started my day overlooking the Acropolis (yes the Acropolis!) while eating Greek Yogurt and honey for breakfast.  I had to get my strength up to power through our busy day in Athens!  Our first meeting of the day was the American Ambassador to Greece.  We discussed issues between Greece and the US and the AHEPA discussed possibilities on facilitating efforts to help Greece.  

After an informative meeting, we were graciously invited to have lunch with one of the local AHEPA chapters.  They chose an excellent location for our lunch.  It was the Yacht Club of Greece.  The view was beautiful and the company was great…who knew that AHEPA Supreme Secretary Phillip Frangos has a sense of humor!  After lunch, we were invited to meet with the Canadian Ambassador to Greece.  After meeting the Ambassador and his wife, I discovered that she was actually a Maid of Athena when she lived in Ottawa, Canada.  She spoke highly of the organization and talked about her experience as a Maid.   After another informative meeting we headed back to the hotel and you guessed it…another meeting!  Grand President of the Daughters of Penelope Nicky Stamoulis, Grand Secretary Anna-Helene Panagakos and Executive Director Elena Saviolakis met with the founders of W.I.N Hellas (www.winhellas.gr).  This is a domestic violence awareness organization in Athens.  There main concern is prevention and there method for prevention is education.  As you know, my president’s project is Domestic Violence/ Penelope House.  This organization intrigued me because they are combating domestic violence in a country where it is prominent (1 in 3 women are subjected to violence) and also not recognized. 

Coming up….a meeting with the President of Greece! Look out for all of my blogs from the OLD COUNTRY.  I look forward to taking you all with me on my trip!

You're cordially invited to visit...THE WHITE HOUSE!

This past Thursday I was fortunate enough to attend the Greek Independence Day event at the White House...hosted by none other than President Obama!  I was truly honored to be one of the select few on 'the list' along with AHEPA Supreme President John Grossomanides, Daughters of Penelope Grand Vice President Joanne Saltas and Sons of Pericles Supreme President Manolis Sfinarolakis.




It was such a thrill going through security, wondering if my name was actually on the list, getting through one security point, another security point and a drug sniffing dog!  Once we were inside the White House we were able to tour some of the most famous rooms..the Blue Room, the Red Room, the Green Room.  We were met with an assortment of Greek dishes including mini-dolmades.  Once we finished having a few mezethes, it was time for the big shots to come out!

Vice President Biden

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden.  Both His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios and Vice President Joe Biden spoke and then the Big Man...President Barack Obama was introduced!  All three speakers discussed the courage of the Greeks.  It truly resinated with me to hear how they spoke of Greece and Greek Americans in the US.  They all recognize the strength of our community.




Check out this clip of President Obama's Speech:

**Clip provided by Greek News Online.

This Friday I head to Greece with the AHEPA Family.  I am so excited to keep you up to date on all of my adventures in the OLD COUNTRY!  

MOA Loves Canada!

Michelle Wright and Grand Governor Deanna Socaris!

This past weekend I attended the Montreal Maids' weekend with Grand Governor Deanna Socaris.  I was so happy to be back in one of the most beautiful cities in Canada!  I haven't been able to visit Montreal since the AHEPA National Convention in 2010.  It was great to see the hot spots we visited in 2010.  One of those 'hot spots' was Mythos Restaurant, the location of Friday Night's greek night.  This event brought back many memories from National Convention...  Some of the same friends were there along with many new ones.  The Montreal Maids were there in full force representing their chapter.

AHEPA District 8 Warden George Panagopoulos! 

Trying the Maple Syrup with Corina Menagias! 

Saturday was an eventful day full of making maple syrup, a petting zoo, a sleigh ride and shopping.  I think I have found my new calling...maple syrup harvester!  Not only did we see how the maple syrup was made but I also got to see my first snow of the season at 'the Sugar Shack'!

My First Snow of the Season!  

Saturday evening the Montreal Maids hosted another Greek night in the city.    Yet again it was a great event!

Sunday morning was the farewell brunch.  Deanna and I were able to speak with the Montreal Maids about their chapter and what plans they have for the rest of the year.  Some of the Maids will be attending National Convention in Las Vegas...so make sure you tell them you read about their successful chapter and event on the MOA Grand President Adventures Blog!

Keep a look out for my next blog when I met PRESIDENT OBAMA with my Co-President Manolis Sfinarolakis!!!!

Love in Pi Alpha,

Marianthe