General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
NEW YORK – In a message dated January 18, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos spoke about the Foundation’s accomplishments in 2021 and looked forward with optimism to 2022 as SNF continues to fulfill its mission of creating a better world for all.
Dear Friends,
Entering a new year offers us the chance to look back, to reflect, to learn, and to grow—both individually and collectively—to try to start from a place of clarity for what comes next.
In 2021, SNF marked our 25th anniversary by celebrating the amazing partnerships that continue to be at the heart of our work, the ideas that guide it, and the people who motivate and implement it. Always seeking to advance the common good, we formed new collaborations and deepened existing ones. We wrapped up a $100 million global COVID-19 relief initiative but remain intently focused on helping combat the ongoing and ubiquitous effects of the pandemic.
We celebrated the long-awaited opening of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) in New York, heralded as a resounding affirmation of the importance of public spaces, and libraries in particular, as we rebound from the challenges of recent years. In August, we gathered safely in person for our annual SNF Nostos, a much-needed celebration of art, culture, learning, and the joy of being together, free and open to all. Anchored by the SNF Conference, two days of participatory dialogue and discussion on the future of humanity and artificial intelligence (AI), SNF Nostos provided both a respite and a look forward.
Reflecting on our history during this anniversary year reinforced that the legacy we’ve been left by our founder, the late Stavros Niarchos, is one of evolution, of adaptation, of being open to new ideas that will help us continue to fulfill our mission of creating a better world for all.
In 2022, we must move on from conversations about returning to “normal” (and what does “normal” mean anyway?) and embrace transformation to be able to respond to ongoing challenges and opportunities as they arise. Working together, we must try to ensure that unfolding changes bring benefits that are as widely shared as possible.
In February, we’ll celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens being given to the people of Greece—and to visitors from around the world. We know that the SNFCC, SNF’s largest single grant to date, will continuously strive to find new ways of entertaining and enlightening in a truly public space that people make their own daily. We’ll see people in Evia begin to rebuild livelihoods after devastating fires, recognizing that things will never be the same, but believing that renewal and revitalization are within reach.
And we’ll continue working to strengthen global access to health care through the SNF Health Initiative (HI) in Greece, a more than $500 million endeavor, and other major projects, putting special emphasis on mental health, sure that whatever else changes, healthy bodies and healthy minds are absolutely fundamental. Health, broadly defined, will therefore be the focus of SNF Nostos 2022, which will welcome all who are interested on June 23 and 24 at the SNFCC.
Continuing to pursue our global mission, we have been collaborating closely in the last few months on several exciting new efforts, and we hope to announce $130 million in new support very soon. Included are a major project at Columbia University in New York in the critical area of mental health, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago as well as the Obama Foundation’s ongoing global leadership programs, and the work of Lincoln Center in New York forming global collaborations and opening access to inclusive public space in New York where everyone can participate in arts and culture.
We’re entering 2022 with our eyes wide open, optimistic that we all have the tools—among them collaboration and respect, openness and flexibility—to create lasting positive change, always keeping our humanity at the center.
Warmest wishes for the year ahead!
On behalf of all of us at SNF,
Andreas Dracopoulos
SNF Co-President
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst.
NASHVILLE, ΤΝ – With a special event organized by the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy - U.
ASTORIA – Greek Minister of the Interior Niki Kerameus offered an informative presentation on postal voting in the upcoming European Union elections for Greek citizens in a well-attended event held at the St.
NICOSIA - A meeting between the ministers of energy for Cyprus and Israel - George Papanastasiou and Eli Cohen - led to an agreement that the countries would make an underwater electric cable link a top priority, linking them to Europe.
LONDON (AP) — The British Museum on Thursday appointed National Portrait Gallery chief Nicholas Cullinan as its new director, as the 265-year-old institution grapples with the apparent theft of hundreds of artifacts and growing international scrutiny of its collection.