AHEPA Chapter 317, Tallahassee, Florida

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AHEPA Chapter 317, Tallahassee, Florida President: Stelios Manias
VP: Armen Atayants
Treasurer: Victor Gavalas
Secretary: Mark Burrell Chotas, James Campbell, Spiro J. Franklin D.

The mission of AHEPA is to promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. The AHEPA was founded as a fraternity in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 26, 1922. Its initial mission was to promote the image of Greeks in America, assist them with citizenship and assimilation into American culture, and combat prejudice. During that inaugural meeting, it was decided that AHEPA's purposes would be:

To advance and promote pure and undefiled Americanism among the Greeks of the United States, its Territories and Colonial possessions

To educate the Greeks in the matter of democracy, and in the matter of the government of the United States

To instill the deepest loyalty to the United States

To promote fraternal sociability

To practice benevolent aid among this nationality

With the full assimilation of Greek Americans, its mission evolved toward philanthropy, education, and promoting and preserving the Hellenic identity of the Greek Americans and the ethnic Greeks of other countries where AHEPA is present, such as Australia, Canada, the Bahamas as well as Greece and Cyprus. In recent years, AHEPA has also expanded to other countries in Europe, besides Greece and Cyprus, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and UK. The founders of the fraternity were eight men, all residents of Atlanta, who conceived the idea of the establishment of an association of mainly citizens of Greek descent, although not limited only to such members. The eight founders of the Order of AHEPA, who were also the members of the first Supreme Lodge of the organization, were Nicholas D. Stamos, Harry Angelopoulos, George A. Polos, John Angelopoulos, George Campbell, James Vlass. Roosevelt was initiated into the Delphi Chapter on March 11, 1931, and was an active dues-paying member for 14 years, to the time of his death. The office of Supreme President is the highest office in the Order of AHEPA. There have been 71 Supreme Presidents since the founding of the organization on July 26, 1922

06/27/2026

AHEPA Stands Against the $700 Million Jet Engine Sale to Turkey, Writes to President Trump.

The Trump administration formally notified Congress its intent to sell $700 million of jet engines to Turkey, yesterday, June 25.

This policy stands in stark contrast to the initiatives AHEPA and the U.S. Congress have championed in limiting and preventing Turkey from acquiring U.S. weaponry.

Supreme President E. Chris Kaitson, in response, has written the following and mobilized AHEPA's political efforts in an attempt the block the sale. The abbreviated letter reads as follows:

As Supreme President of the Order of AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) and on behalf of the 1.2 million Greek American and Philhellenes in the United States, we are deeply disturbed at the developments regarding the current administration’s reversal in policy regarding the Republic of Türkiye’s purchase of F-35 airplanes, engines, upgrades and technology.

Türkiye has repeatedly demonstrated that it is neither a reliable ally nor a dependable strategic partner in advancing American interests or preserving stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has consistently pursued policies that undermine regional security, weaken democratic institutions, and disregard the rule of law.

They’ve been accused of restricting religious freedom, violating international law, persecuting religious minorities, suppressing freedom of the press and political dissent, and imprisoning thousands of journalists, political opponents, and civil society activists. These actions stand in sharp contrast to the democratic values shared by the United States and its closest allies.

Mr. President, I respectfully urge you to preserve the longstanding bipartisan policy of ensuring that America’s most advanced military technology is entrusted only to dependable allies that consistently uphold our shared strategic and democratic values.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter and for your continued leadership in protecting America’s national security interests and those of its democratic allies.

To view the full release, click the following link.
https://conta.cc/4g49EPX

04/15/2026

Email from AHEPA   Volume 20, Issue 8 | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 2026 Mavroyannis Scholarship Application Available AHEPA Educational Foundation Chairman George Vorkas, on behalf of Supreme President

03/25/2026

Two hundred and five years ago, Greece rose up against four centuries of Ottoman rule. And no name is more synonymous with that fight than Theodoros Kolokotronis, the man history remembers as "The Old Man of the Morea."

Born in 1770 in the Peloponnese, Kolokotronis came from a family of klephts, the mountain fighters who had kept armed resistance alive under Ottoman occupation. He spent decades as a guerrilla commander, learning the terrain of the Peloponnese the way most men learn their own homes. When the Greek Revolution officially broke out on March 25, 1821, he was ready.

His greatest military achievement came in 1822 at the Battle of Dervenakia, where he trapped and nearly annihilated an Ottoman army of roughly 20,000 men led by Dramali Pasha. The Ottomans were attempting to push south and crush the revolution before it could take hold. Kolokotronis used the mountain passes of the Peloponnese against them, turning geography into a weapon. The Ottoman force was decimated. It remains one of the most decisive Greek victories of the entire war.

He wasn't without controversy. Greek factional fighting during the revolution was brutal, and Kolokotronis was at the center of much of it. He was even imprisoned by rival Greek factions in 1825, only to be released when Egyptian forces under Ibrahim Pasha landed in the Peloponnese and the Greeks desperately needed him back in the field.

He died in Athens on February 4, 1843, at age 72. His statue stands outside the Old Parliament in Athens today, a permanent fixture of Greek national memory. The man who helped birth a modern nation from the ruins of Ottoman rule.

03/19/2026

This Week: Supreme President Kaitson Demands Turkey Withdraw F-16 Fighter Jets from Northern Cyprus; Call to all aspiring lawyers; Security Developments Affecting Cyprus; AHEPA Congressional Banquet; Team Registration opens for SOP Greeks in Atlanta Basketball Tournament; Greek American News Digest & More! https://conta.cc/4rBNOoO

02/01/2026
12/01/2025

Address

1645 Phillips Road
Tallahassee, FL
32308

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