NEW YORK, NY – by Revekka Papadopoulos
[Photos: GANP/ Dimitrios Panagos]
New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosted the annual reception celebrating Greek Independence and the Greek-American community on April 9 at the Gracie Mansion in NYC.
Attending the event were His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Consul General of Greece in New York, Dr. Dinos Konstantinou, and Member of the European Parliament, Evangelos Meimarakis, as well as prominent members of the Greek American community, including billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis.
“We have the largest Greek population here in New York”, Mayor Adams said. “It’s not a new community for me. It’s a community I know very well from my days in Brooklyn as borough president” and invited everyone to the Greek Parade on 5th Avenue on Sunday, April 14 at 1:30 pm.
“You have come here as we recognize the rich Greek history and your contributions to this city” added Adams, focusing on Greek Americans’ devotion to ideals such as family and faith, stressing that New York could be characterized as “the Athens of America”.
Archbishop Elpidophoros gave the invocation and thanked the mayor for organizing the event for another year.
During the event, Mayor Adams honored four Greek – Americans for their contributions to the Greek American community and the city of New York, in general.
This year, citations were presented to Federation of Greek-American Educators President Stella Kokolis, photographer Dimitrios Panagos, New York City Board of Elections Operations Manager Georgea Kotzamanis, and presiding priest of Zoodohos Peghe in the Bronx Fr. Vasilios Louros.
