If we were to say that March was an extremely busy month for AWOG, you may think it’s an April Fool’s Day joke!  We’ll tell you what we did and you can judge for yourselves.

It was necessary to have two Board meetings in order to finalize all the upcoming events.

The first extraordinary event which took place on March 23 was a lecture celebrating Philhellenism with a variety of speakers.  The moderator, Liana Mitrakos, first introduced Cindy Harvey, Public Affairs Officer of the American Embassy, Athens, who spoke about the friendship between the United States and Greece and the various events that have been planned during 2021, ending on December 31.  The main speaker, Mr. Constantinos Velentzas, spoke about well-known Philhellenes like Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, but also others less well-known such as George Jarvis, J.P. Miller, David Farragut, and Dr. Howe’s wife, Julia Ward, author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  It was fascinating to learn about the support given to the Greeks through their fundraising and personal involvement in the Greek Revolution.  Finally, the event came to an end with comments by two of Howe’s descendants, Ms. Gillian Kellog and Mr. Nathan Ticknor.  Once Covid restrictions are lifted, we can all visit the Museum of Philhellenism at Zissimopoulou 12 in Psychico which Mr. Venentzas spent ten years trying to create!  If you missed the presentation on Zoom, here is the link:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/oGVT-rmhkA7ik20fra-N6qVuQRDw0wQMzbvMgxPpI5147Mk89S4bSmDRiG8HRVAV.S1LuwGFgn5Y998y8
Passcode: 0C!v&tXR

The second event that needed further planning was the Bazaar/Fundraiser April 1-4.  During these four days, on the AWOG site, you can shop to your heart’s delight to support AWOG and AWOG’s sponsors for the worthy cause of the Lighthouse for the Blind in Kallithea.  We hope to raise enough money so they can produce Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey in Braille for their library.

 

The third event that is in the planning is a General Assembly set for April 15.

We must note here that all the above-mentioned events have taken/will take place via Zoom.

Finally, in celebration of Women’s Day, the AWOG Literary Club met on March 8 to discuss American women who stood up for women’s rights as early as the late 1790s.

Now, do you believe us about having had a busy March?

After what we hope will be a successful fundraiser, a successful General Assembly, and another Literary Club discussion, we will all take a step back to prepare for the holy days of Easter with our families and loved ones.