Successful Greek Heritage event honors five outstanding Greek-Americans

State legislators joined on Saturday, April 3 to celebrate Greek heritage and honor outstanding Greek-Americans within the community.

Once again, State Senator Marty Golden and Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis partnered with AHEPA Brooklyn Chapter 41 and were joined by honorees and others for the festivities, hosted at Dimitrios and Georgia Kaloidis Parochial School, 8502 Ridge Boulevard.

The fun-filled afternoon featured traditional Greek music and performances.

“I am very proud of my Greek heritage and enjoy celebrating with those in the community at our annual event with AHEPA.  We honored exceptional individuals and enjoyed a wonderful exhibition of traditional Greek dances by local schoolchildren,” Malliotakis said. “Bay Ridge, in many ways, is a perfect microcosm of the melting pot we call New York City.  It is comprised of so many different cultures, ethnicities and religions, which make it such a beautiful community to represent.”

The event honored five individuals who have made a difference within the community in education, faith and youth programs, including Stella Kafkis, Ioanna Giannopoulos, Bob Geroulanos, Anastasios Gementzopoulos. Additionally, Jim Athanasatos was honored posthumously.

“It is always such a wonderful event to celebrate Greek Heritage and the contributions of so many Greek-Americans to the success of our community. This year, alongside of Assemblywoman Malliotakis and AHEPA Chapter 41, we recognized some true leaders who have made a difference in education, civics, youth programming, Boy Scouts of America and more,” added Golden. “And the entertainment and cultural pride on display truly make the afternoon enjoyable for all who attended.”