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“Greece is part of AHEPA. Its founders came from Greece, so this bond will always exist. And today it is stronger than ever.”
This was the message from AHEPA Supreme President Chris Kaitson, who spoke about the organization’s enduring ties to Greece in exclusive on-camera remarks to the Orthodox Observer during the AHEPA Awards 2026.
The annual awards ceremony was held Saturday night, Oct. 31, at the Athenaeum InterContinental hotel in Athens. Hellenic Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis attended, along with about 500 members of the AHEPA family, chapter presidents, officers and guests. The evening joined the recognition of excellence with charity, launching a philanthropic campaign to support Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital.
“It is an honor for me to be in District 25,” Kaitson told the Observer, referring to AHEPA Hellas, the organization’s district in Greece. “We have a common history,” he added, pointing to AHEPA’s Greek roots and the importance of preserving that bond.
Greece and the United States: A bond with a past and a future
In his address to the gathering, Kaitson spoke of AHEPA’s founding in the United States by immigrants from Greece and said Hellenism has been the foundation of the organization’s path ever since. The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association was established in Atlanta in 1922.
“The bond between the United States and Greece will continue to grow stronger, because that is what we must continue to support,” he said.
He placed particular emphasis on historical memory and on the hardships faced by the first generations of Greek immigrants. He recalled AHEPA’s fight against discrimination and against the Ku Klux Klan, connecting the organization’s origins with its continuing mission of solidarity and service to society.
“It is very important for our members in the United States to remember the past, to remember where we come from and what difficulties we faced,” he said.
He also congratulated the district’s current and past officers, and its chapters, on what they have accomplished, and looked ahead to the work they will do together.
“The future is in this room”
The heart of his speech was the younger generation and the need to give young people a real role in how the organization operates and makes decisions.
“But where is the future? The future is in this room,” he said, speaking of the young men and women of the Sons of Pericles and the Maids of Athena, the youth organizations of the AHEPA family.
“They are our future, but they are also our present,” he said, and called on AHEPA and the Daughters of Penelope to include young people in their activities and in decision-making.
“They are smart young people who have a lot to offer,” he said. They need to be given an active role, he explained, so that they know how much their participation is wanted and needed.
Describing his meetings with members of the Sons of Pericles, he said: “They are very capable young professionals. They are not kids; they are adults.”
His appeal was also directed at the young. He urged them to learn AHEPA’s history and to draw on the experience of older members who have worked for decades “with blood, sweat and tears.”
“That is our goal: to hand over an AHEPA that is better and stronger than the one we received,” he said, comparing that aim to every family’s wish to grow stronger and withstand life’s hardships.
He ended his speech with a blessing: “God bless AHEPA. God bless Hellenism. God bless Greece and the United States.”
Kaklamanis brings a national message
In his greeting, Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Greek Foreign Ministry spoke in moving terms about the special contribution of AHEPA and of Hellenism in the diaspora.
His remarks also carried a national message. He invoked the historic “OXI,” Greece’s “No” to Fascist Italy’s ultimatum on Oct. 28, 1940, and spoke of the lasting importance of defending freedom and national sovereignty. In that context, he referred to Greece’s armed forces and their readiness to confront any hostile threat, linking historical memory with today’s responsibility to the homeland.
His presence and remarks highlighted the importance of the Greek state’s relationship with the organized Greek diaspora, and the contribution of Greeks abroad in supporting Greece.
A warm welcome from Tsounakis
AHEPA Hellas Governor Anargyros Tsounakis welcomed the Supreme President and the organization’s officers to Greece for the annual event with particular joy and warmth.
Among those attending were a representative of His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece; Nick Karacostas, chairman of the AHEPA Board of Trustees and a past Supreme President; and Basil Mossaidis, AHEPA’s Executive Director in the United States.
Awards Committee Chairman John Chrysoulakis, a professor emeritus, longtime AHEPA officer, and former Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Greek Foreign Ministry, was especially moved as he spoke about the committee’s choices and the paths the honorees have taken.
The 14 honorees of the AHEPA Awards 2026
This year’s ceremony recognized people and institutions whose work spans science, education, culture, business, sports and social solidarity.
The honorees were:
- Dr. Magdalena Simonis: Award for Medical Excellence and Public Health
- Stella Kokolis: Award for Greek Education and the Preservation of National Identity
- Christoforos Charalambakis: Award for Academic Excellence and the Greek Language
- Danai Bezantakou: Award for Maritime Leadership and Youth Empowerment
- David Nachmias: Award for Cultural Heritage and Musical Tradition
- Byron Nicolaides: Award for International Entrepreneurship and Lifelong Learning
- George Tsarouchas: Award for Innovation, Technology and New Entrepreneurship
- Alexandra Gravas: Award for Cultural Diplomacy and Musical Excellence
- Stavros Nicolaou: Award for Leadership in Public Health and the Greek Diaspora
- Alexandra Stamatopoulou: Award for Athletic Excellence and Mental Fortitude
- Antonia Moropoulou: Award for Scientific Excellence and the Preservation of World Cultural Heritage
- Dr. Thomas Bisbas: Award for Frontier Research and Astrophysics
- Viohalco Group: Award for Industrial Leadership and Social Contribution
- ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with Cancer: Award for Humanitarian Service and Social Solidarity
For the children of Agia Sofia
The charity gala was the opening event of a broader AHEPA Hellas campaign to support Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital in Athens, the largest pediatric hospital in Greece.
The initiative aims to mobilize businesses, foundations, organizations, private donors and Greek diaspora groups. The needs it will cover are to be identified together with the hospital’s administration, so that the assistance answers specific priorities.
The evening in Athens thus marked the start of a continuing effort to turn the collective strength of AHEPA and Hellenism into real support for the hospital’s work, for the benefit of the children and their families.
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