By David Bjorkgren, editor
Special to Hellenic News of America
As the Hellenic News from America works to unite the Greek diaspora in America, Greek Americans and their supporters credit the newspaper and the efforts of founder Paul Kotrotsios with helping them spread the word about their business, cause and mission.
Guests and honorees at a 30th anniversary gala on November 12 reflected on how the Hellenic News from America has helped them over the years.
Thanks for reading Hellenic News of America
Peter Georgiou, owner of Argo Packing and Shipping in Brooklyn, New York, says the newspaper is the best way to target his business to Greeks.
“I’ve been advertising in his newspaper for a long, long time,” says Georgiou. “We meet a lot of people in the industry,” he said.
Argo Packing and Shipping began in 1965 to help the Greek population living in the United States ship or import their personal belongings to and from Greece. The company, run by Georgiou, with the help of his wife Marina and daughters, now handles olive oil imports from Greece and shipments worldwide. They can handle everything from small crates to vehicles and boats.
Georgiou says most of her clients are Greeks or Greek-Americans living in the United States, which makes the Hellenic News from America a valuable partner. He and his family attended the gala to show their support for the newspaper and the Kotrotsios family.
“We are just happy to have the support of Mr. Kotrotsios and that of our customers,” says Marina Georgiou.
Businesses aren’t the only ones that benefit from the newspaper’s reach. When disasters strike Greece or the United States, Hellenic News from America can help build support.
Louis A. Zagami is responsible for developing international Orthodox Christian charities in Baltimore, Maryland. His organization provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
“We want to thank Paul and the newspaper for all the work they have done to help us promote all of our important work,” he said.
Teams are currently on the ground providing hurricane relief in Texas and Florida, as well as Greece. IOCC assistance ranges from emotional and spiritual assistance to survivors and first responders to cleanup, needs assessments, supplies and rebuilding.
Simply showcasing the organization’s work in the newspaper to readers helps maintain support. “And that’s a huge advantage for us.” There are still a lot of people who don’t know who we are,” he says. “We are the official humanitarian agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.”
Tony Pantazopoulos, chair of the IOCC Greater Philadelphia Committee, gives credit Hellenic News from America keeping everyone in the loop, letting each person and organization know what interesting activities they are doing.
During a recent humanitarian fundraising event with the IOCC Greater Philadelphia Committee, they raised $52,700, leveraged seven times in matching funds, meaning that in one night they generated 369 $000 in humanitarian aid. This was an incredible accomplishment and something that spread throughout the community due to the Hellenic News from America.
Dorie Klissas, vice president of marketing and communications for Mt. Sinai Health System in New York, says it’s important to continue reporting on Greek culture and community in these modern times when people are moving away more and more of their heritage. (The newspaper) It’s sort of the force that unites us all and it reminds you how important it is to be part of your community,” she says.
Larry Kaliamouris, owner of Maritsa’s Main Street Café in Maple Shade, New Jersey, says Greek-Americans wouldn’t know about their heritage without newspapers like the Hellenic News from America.
“The local information that we had in our villages is what we have here: local information,” he said. “It is very important for us who left our country and came here. We connect with each other.
Demi Kollias, owner of Claymont Steak Shops in Delaware, is a former assistant editor of Hellenic News from America. Kollias, who came to the United States from Greece, describes her native country as “the alpha and omega throughout my life.” The journal helps him retain his thoughts on Greece.
“We admire what Paul (Kotrotsios) has done over the years because he really sacrificed personally and put in a lot of effort to be able to hold it together all these years and support the Greek community,” she says .
Four members of the Delco Press Club attended the gala. Barbara Ann Zippi, former president of the Press Club, offered her own perspective on ethnic newspapers like Hellenic News from America and their influence in the community.
“With the limited number of print media we have today, the ethnic newspaper attracts more than one person who is interested in this issue. It circulates a lot,” she says. “Everyone knows this newspaper. When I meet a Greek, I say to him: “you know the Hellenic News from America?’
They all know it, so maybe they won’t subscribe to it, not everyone, but a subscription gets a lot of eyes on this edition.
Nancy Papaioannou, president of Atlantic Bank, NYCB, highlighted the newspaper’s ability to strike a positive note, connecting businesses and pitinerant trade. Papaioannou received the Women in Leadership Award at the gala as the first woman to lead Atlantic Bank.
“As a banker of the oldest Greek-American bank in the United States, I really admire its efforts and the fact that the newspaper has tried to positively help Greece in today’s difficult times,” says -She.
Jimmy Athanasopoulos, Libra Group’s Head of Social Responsibility, extended his congratulations to Paul Kotrotsios and Hellenic News from America. Libra Group is a private international business group owned by the Logothetis family with subsidiaries in aviation, energy, finance and diversified hospitality, real estate and shipping. The Libra Group was the sponsor of the anniversary gala.
Athanasopoulos spoke about the role of the Libra Group at the gala.
“We are not here to promote ourselves,” he stressed. “We are here to promote the importance of Hellenism and the work of Hellenic News from America,” he says.
The 30th anniversary of a Greek newspaper is a blessing, says Dr. Spiro Spireas, owner of Sigmapharm Laboratories and chairman of the November 12 gala.
“It is out of pure love for the Hellenic Greek-American community that I want the newspaper to stay alive. I want to save the institution, by promoting Greek heritage, Hellenic heritage and Hellenic ties, he said. “The challenge is to keep it for another 30 years. I wish Paul and his family keep him as long as they can.
Dr. Emily Spireas, co-chair of the gala, says the anniversary event honors Paul Kotrotsios for the newspaper, but she thinks it goes beyond that.
“He’s great at networking, bringing Greeks and Greek Americans together, promoting their businesses and connecting with each other for mutual benefit. He’s truly a wonderful, one-of-a-kind person,” she says. “I think if he’s not here, people will miss him and I don’t think they realize how important he is to the community.”
