NEW YORK – The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York held its annual fundraising event the Greek Independence Parade Gala at Terrace on the Park in Flushing on April 15. The event honored Ahepan and well-known businessman Paul Makropoulos and the New York City Public Advocate, Letitia James.
Among those present, were the official members of the Federation, the representatives of the two major Greek-American banks, and institutional guests from Greece. President of the Federation Petros Galatoulas reiterated the encouragement for a mass turnout on 5th Avenue for the parade on April 22.
Video: TNH/Costas Bej
Both the Chairman of Greek Independence Parade Gala at Terrace on the Park, Nikolas Mpardis, and the Chairman of the Parade Committee, Nancy Papaioannou, shared the same sentiment.
The Consul General of Greece in New York, Konstantinos Koutras, called for a moment of silence for the unfortunate Greek pilot, Giorgos Baltadoros, reminding of the tragic incident that plunged Greece into mourning.
Galatoulas then acknowledged Mr. Koutras’ initiative and announced that next year an invitation to the parade will be sent to the two soldiers being held prisoner in Turkey, as he expects all will be resolved by then and the soldiers will be released.
There will be three vacant seats on the officials’ dais at the parade, one in memory of Giorgos Baltadoros and two in honor of the detained soldiers.
The award presentations followed, first to Letitia James, who will be an honorary grand marshal of this year’s parade. During her speech, she mentioned the important role played by Greek-Americans in New York, while she joked about the nickname “mavroula” that her Greek friends have given her.
“Everyone can feel the strong presence of the Greek community. Greek-Americans have offered much to the city of New York and, like other ethnic groups, are helping New York remain the most important city in the world,” she said, adding words of praise for Greek-American City Council Member Costa Constantinides, who was present and thanked her for her contribution.
Immediately afterwards, the event’s MC, Nomiki Kastanas, presented the award to Paul Makropoulos, praising his contributions to the Greek community and his business career.
“I want to thank you all. This prize is a great honor for me. It is very important to me that I can talk to my children about their Greek-American heritage and show them the parade of Greek Independence,” said Mr. Makropoulos, who also thanked his brothers in AHEPA.
Galatoulas then gave special thanks to the well-known businessman, Yiannis Kalafatis, whom he praised for his contribution to the Greek community and his low profile.
Also in attendance at the event were the Mayor of Corfu, Konstantinos Nikolouzos, as well as the Corfu Chamber of Commerce President Giorgos Chondrogiannis.
FALMOUTH, MA – The police in Falmouth have identified the victim in an accident involving a car plunging into the ocean on February 20, NBC10 Boston reported.
PHILADELPHIA – The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Philadelphia and Greater Delaware Valley announced that the Evzones, the Presidential Guard of Greece will be participating in the Philadelphia Greek Independence Day Parade on March 20.
To purchase a gift subscription, please log out of your account, and purchase the subscription with a new email ID.
On April 2, 2021, we celebrated The National Herald’s 106th Anniversary. Help us maintain our independent journalism and continue serving Hellenism worldwide.
In order to deliver a more personalized, responsive, and improved experience, we use cookies to remember information about how you use this site. By Continuing to access the website, you agree that we will store data in a cookie as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
We use cookies on our site to personalize your experience, bring you the most relevant content, show you the most useful ads, and to help report any issues with our site. You can update your preferences at any time by visiting preferences. By selecting Accept, you consent to our use of cookies. To learn more about how your data is used, visit our cookie policy.
You’re reading 1 of 3 free articles this month. Get unlimited access to The National Herald. or Log In
You’ve reached your limit of free articles for this month. Get unlimited access to the best in independent Greek journalism starting as low as $1/week.