[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 209 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 209

  Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Daughters of Penelope, a 
preeminent international women's association and affiliate organization 
 of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA).


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 4, 2009

Mrs. Maloney (for herself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Payne, Mr. Garrett of New 
   Jersey, Mr. Capuano, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. 
   Tsongas, and Mr. Brown of South Carolina) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
                           Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Daughters of Penelope, a 
preeminent international women's association and affiliate organization 
 of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA).

Whereas the Daughters of Penelope is a leading international organization of 
        women of Hellenic descent and Philhellenes, founded November 16, 1929, 
        in San Francisco, California, to improve the status and well-being of 
        women and their families and to provide women the opportunity to make 
        significant contributions to their community and country;
Whereas the mission of the Daughters of Penelope is to promote the ideals of 
        ancient Greece, philanthropy, education, civic responsibility, good 
        citizenship, and family and individual excellence, through community 
        service and volunteerism;
Whereas the chapters of the Daughters of Penelope sponsor affordable and 
        dignified housing to the Nation's senior citizen population by 
        participating in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 
        section 202 housing program;
Whereas Penelope House, a domestic violence shelter for women and their children 
        sponsored by the Daughters of Penelope, is the first of its kind in the 
        State of Alabama and is recognized as a model shelter for others to 
        emulate throughout the United States;
Whereas the Daughters of Penelope Foundation, Inc., supports the educational 
        objectives of the Daughters of Penelope by providing tens of thousands 
        of dollars annually for scholarships, sponsoring educational seminars, 
        and donating children's books to libraries, schools, shelters, and 
        churches through the ``Open Books'' program;
Whereas the Daughters of Penelope is the first ethnic organization to submit 
        oral history tapes to the Library of Congress, the tapes which provide 
        an oral history of first generation Greek-American women in the United 
        States;
Whereas the Daughters of Penelope promotes awareness of cancer research, such as 
        thalassemia (Cooley's anemia), lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), 
        Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, and others;
Whereas the Daughters of Penelope provides financial support for many medical 
        research and charitable organizations, such as the University of Miami 
        Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (formerly the Papanicolaou Cancer 
        Center), the Alzheimer's Foundation, the American Heart Association, the 
        Special Olympics, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy, the 
        Children's Wish Foundation, UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity, St. Basil 
        Academy, and others; and
Whereas the Daughters of Penelope provides support and financial assistance to 
        victims and communities affected by natural disasters such as 
        hurricanes, earthquakes, and forest fires: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the significant contributions of American 
        citizens of Greek ancestry, and Philhellenes, to the United 
        States; and
            (2) commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Daughters of 
        Penelope, applauds its mission, and commends the many 
        charitable contributions of its members to organizations and 
        communities around the world.
                                 <all>