P resident ’ s M essa g e
The PAA Continues to Make a Strong Impact in Crete
D
ear members,
First, I want to thank all of the elected
and appointed officers of the PAA and PYA,
and their committees for accepting their positions. I also thank all of our former presidents
for their best wishes and commitment of support during my term. Over the next two years,
these committed individuals, from teenagers to
the 90s will spend their time and money travelJohn Sargetis
ing to PAA Board meetings and chapter events
PAA President
and participating in multiple teleconferences to
[email protected]
fulfill our purpose to promote and preserve our
heritage and culture and provide charitable assistance to those in need. We are all volunteers
and we will strive to make you feel proud to be
a member of the PAA.
Beginning July 25, several PAA officers, former presidents and I attended meetings and
events in Crete with religious leaders, local officials and Cretans from around the world. We
began with the events of the World Council of
Cretans conference (PSK). We all felt extremely
proud as Cretans of the U.S. to be part of this
worldwide organization. We are everywhere: the
Americas, Europe, Australia, South Africa, etc. ! !
“Kai pou then emaste;” (Where aren’t we?).
At the Akron convention, the delegates voted
for the PAA to give $10,000 toward the PSK Conference. The families of former PAA President
Stavros Semanderes and George Savakis also
gave $5,000 each to help cover the expenses of
the conference. I can assure you the money was
well spent. Although the PAA is now into second
and third generations, our roots are in Crete.
When we go to Crete and participate in organized activities, we need the support of their
political, cultural and religious institutions. The
connections we made in Crete this summer, continuing the relations previously established by
past administrations, is something we can all be
proud of and which will benefit us in the future.
On the first day of the PSK conference, on July
25, I gave a speech on how our initial immigrants
about 100 years ago struggled and survived in
the U.S. I personalized my speech by reflecting
4
KPHTH | SEPTEMBER 2013
on what my father went through as one of
those early immigrants. My speech is on Cretanscongress.com (click on live streaming and
then on the first day event). Later that d