Greece in Ashes - A First Hand Experience
by Penny Khorraminia, Daughters of Penelope District Governor #10

Being in Greece during and after the fires was a sad experience for me. To pass through these once beautiful picturesque areas and find them covered with a black ugly blanket of ashes reminded me of horror movie, it was overwhelmiing. Gone were the elata (fir trees), the countless olive groves, the fig trees. It was like I was passing through a foreign land, not one that I have passed countless times before.

I sat on the beach in Kalamata and we could see the helicopters buzzing over our heads, filling their humongous buckets with sea water over and over again all day they continued. The blue sky that we all know and love about Greece was gray for days, the blue ocean was also gray and full of ashes. As I sat there I was thinking I must do something, I must help, I must make even the smallest difference.

I had e-mailed the Daughters of Penelope, President of Greece, Georgia Anastasopoulou, and Chris
Penny Khorraminia Michigan District Governor,Despina Anastasopoulou, Sparta Chapter Secretary,
Chris Papadopoulos Past Canadian President, Dimitris Drako Governor of Messinia, Greece,
Georgia Anastasopoulou, Greek President, Treasurer of Sparta Chapter Despina Anastasopoulou,
President of Sparta Chapter Matina Perthikoyianni

Papadopoulos, Past Canadian President, who was also in Greece. Sure enough Georgia got in touch with us and we made plans to meet in Kalamata. Not only did we meet with the Sparta Chapter, we also met with the Governor of Messinia. We introduced ourselves and what our organization is all about and asked what we could do to help. He gave us some valuable information about what was needed most, money to replace the trees and animals lost in the fires. Money to help the people that lost their livelihood from the fires, he was very receptive, kind and helpful in explaining how and what we could do to help in the effort.

The list is extensive and its only for the state of Messinia, I am committed to help as much as I can, back in the states, Elena
Kerasiotis, and I are helping with the American Hellenic Congress Benefit Concert for the Greek Fires Relief Fund. I am also helping through the Messinian Association which I belong to and how have voted to send monitory help to Messinia to help them replace the olive trees and animals were lost. What would we do without the Olive Oil and olives from Kalamata?

I urge all my sisters through their Chapters and through their Greek-American Organizations in their area to step up to the plate and help replace the burned trees in Greece!! Hope to see you on November 2, 2007. I am attaching a flyer from Grand President, Karen Stamatiades, outlining the Daughters of Penelope initiative. We can and must make a difference!

Penny Khorraminia
DOP District Governor, # 10
Daughters of Penelope

Malista!