The National Hellenic Society's Heritage Greece Program at the American College of Greece is in full swing!  Yesterday, June 19th, our 80+ students got together with The Hellenic Initative’s Regeneration Program on campus to discuss ideas about how we can help rebuild Greece’s economy through entrepreneurship, and unleashing the vast creative energies of Greece’s next generation in tandem with input and guidance from the Greek diaspora!  The panel, officially titled Youth Initiatives: Bridging Social & Economic Impact for Greece was moderated by Dr. Matilda Chatzipanagiotou, and students listened to speakers Dr. Gregory Katsas and Mr. Michael Printzos.  After a brief coffee break, Heritage Greece Participants and other students in attendance participated in break-out sessions and presentations in a session called Youth Voice and Leadership: Building Bridges and moderated by Mr. Vasilis Vasileiadis.

This past Thursday, June 6, 2019, participants in the National Hellenic Society's 2019 Heritage Greece Program convened in Washington, DC before making their journey to Greece.  They attended a welcome reception on the roof of the Order of AHEPA National Headquarters and were welcomed by NHS Executive Director Art Dimopoulos, NHS Board of Directors member Mike Manatos, and NHS Board of Advisors member Lea Soupata.  Also welcoming the students were Heritage Greece Alumni Network Co-Chair Paul Markakis, Order of AHEPA Executive Director Basil Mossaidis, and American Hellenic Institute Executive Director Nick Larigakis.  Following the night's reception, participants spent the next day touring Washington, DC before boarding a bus to catch their flight in Newark.  Check out our full album of pictures below, and follow our Heritage Greece Program participants by keeping up with their blog!

On Monday, May 20th, 2019 the National Hellenic Society hosted Greek American real estate industry professionals attending the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) ReCon in Las Vegas, Nevada! John Chang, Senior Vice- President of Research Services for Marcus & Millichap provided an insiders look at the state of the industry, outlook for the future of it, and fielded many questions!  Members and guests considered this event to be one of the highlights of ICSC!

This past weekend, the National Hellenic Society was pleased to be in Chicago as guests of the National Hellenic Museum for their Gala celebration!  The Museum and the NHS co-hosted a well attended VIP reception in honor of Doctor George Korkos, a Board Member of both organizations.  On the following day the NHS held its Board Meeting in collaboration with the NHM to explore mutual collaboration on joint projects advancing our shared mission to preserve and pass on Hellenic Heritage in America.  Following the board meeting, the NHS held a lunch reception with keynote speaker Lea Soupata, former Board Member and Senior Executive of United Parcel Service (UPS), who serves as a mentor to many of the Heritage Greece Alumni.  A mentorship meet and greet followed the lunch which also included Pan Hellenic Scholars.  On Saturday evening the National Hellenic Museum hosted their annual gala for their entire parea at The Geraghty in Chicago. 

On Thursday, May 9th, National Hellenic Society members were treated to a private tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.  The tour took place before the school's annual benefit gala at Capitale NYC.  A special thank you to the ASCSA for hosting such a spectacular and memorable event!

On Wednesday, May 8th, the National Hellenic Society's New York chapter hosted a screening of Cliffs of Freedom.  This complimentary screening of member Marianne Metropoulos' hit film was attended by NHS members and guests from up and down the East coast.  The film continues to get rave reviews, and more and more Greeks from cities all over the country are hosting screenings of their own.   To learn about hosting your own screening of Cliffs of Freedom, click here.

On May 4, 2019, Nick and Athena Karabots hosted a group of National Hellenic Society members at their 270 acre Karamoor Estate in Pennsylvania.  The Estate features pristine gardens and grounds and includes 23 lush acres of vineyards yielding a selection of award-winning wines.  Our Members enjoyed an exclusive wine tasting, cheese tasting and tour with special guest Diane Kochilas, star of the PBS hit series, My Greek Table!

The National Hellenic Society's New York Chapter hosted  Dr. George Koutsouflakis, Markos Garras and teammates from the Institute of Historical & Archaeological Research at NERAI Restaurant for an exclusive inside look at their incredible discoveries. Dr. Koutsouflakis and his teams' discovery of 50+ ancient and medieval shipwrecks in the Fournoi Archipelago have made worldwide headlines. The team's discoveries have changed the paradigm of how ancient Greeks and other people in the region lived, worked & traded. Greece's launch of an Underwater Archaeological Museum is headline news all over the world.  New technological advances and the way satellite imagery is used have provided scientists with tremendous capabilities and tools for exploration, especially underwater.

This past weekend, National Hellenic Society member Dennis Mehiel hosted a phenomenal reception honoring the Grand Marshal of the 2019 New York City Greek Independence Day Parade, NHS Founder George Marcus! NHS Members and Heritage Greece Program Alumni came from all over the country to celebrate  together!

NHS Boston Chapter was pleased to have members & friends meet the amazing team of the Benaki Museum at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.  The Benaki Museum was donated to the Greek nation in 1930 and was inaugurated in April 1931. Over the years it has emerged as one of the most innovative cultural foundations in Europe and has stood as a beacon for the Greek diaspora, to which its founder, Antonis Benakis, belonged. The Museum's extensive collections of Greek and world art are constantly enriched and since the 1990s they are being re-housed in a network of ten buildings around Athens and beyond. The Benaki Museum team will deploy the range of activities and collections offered to the public, will explain how the Museum braved the Greek crisis through rational management and visionary approaches and will present the major 2021 exhibition organized to celebrate the Greek Revolution bicentenary.  Guests at the event enjoyed learning about the history of the Benaki Museum and a reception following the event.  Visit nationalhellenicsociety.org to find out about benefits the Benaki Museum has generously offered NHS members!