Service and Anniversaries

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Our cover story this month profiles a remarkable Greek American success story that began as a dream in the mind of one man and continues to this day in the dedication and service of his wife, Evangeline Douris.

She has kept the dream alive for nearly forty years as the head of the New York social services agency HANAC, and with her efforts she has kept alive the hopes and dreams of tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have been aided by her organization, from the young to the old, with services that range from counseling and employment for the young, to housing, food, and transportation for the old.

As she herself says of HANAC’s efforts on behalf of decent housing for seniors, “at this stage of a person’s life things should be full of comfortable and aesthetically appealing environments, with attention to creating nice surroundings in every way and with great detail in all areas.”

It’s a dedication to service that has become Ms. Douris’ life mission and that our writer Pandora Spelios calls philanthropy in the best sense of the word.

Speaking of service: the midterm election this year promises to be apocalyptic for the Democrats, according to the polls, with certain bright spots on both coasts, but with decimation in the middle—according to the polls. President Obama has been out on the campaign trail once again and been stumping hard (for those that want to campaign with him—in typical reaction to a sitting president in his first term who almost invariably becomes toxic to the electorate in the midterm, particularly one, like Obama, who undertook such an ambitious and controversial agenda.)

Democrats hope that Tea Party candidates will dilute Republican gains by scaring off the independents, and it might be wishful thinking, or it might not. As one pol put it recently off the record, “All bets are off this year.”

On the record is the fact that NEO is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year and that NEO is increasingly entering the lexicon of our Greek American world, which is a source of pride for us.

It’s not easy putting out a monthly magazine in these tough economic times, it certainly wasn’t easy five years ago when we undertook it, and in fact it’s never been easy even in the best of times. The effort is largely shouldered every month by Dimitri Rhompotis, who seems to get a cold and congestion around the same time of the month that we have to go to print and all the pieces of the month’s puzzle have to be put together in record time to get a magazine out.

But the magazine does go out, and the magazine is now a presence everywhere, and it remains a valiant effort to give a voice (and a face) to our Greek American community and to the people who make it both distinguished and unique.

To many more issues and many more years serving you, with your help, and with many thanks for the years you’ve afforded us so far.

Dimitri C. Michalakis

©2010 NEOCORP MEDIA









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