III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 117 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 29, 2009 Ms. Snowe (for herself and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary March 26 (legislative day, March 25), 2010 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 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 (12 U.S.C. 1701q); 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, providing 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 of America, the American Heart Association, the Special Olympics, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the Children’s Wish Foundation International, the United Nations Children’s Fund (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

That the Senate— (1)recognizes the significant contributions of people of Greek ancestry, and of Philhellenes, to the United States; and (2)commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Daughters of Penelope in 2009, applauds its mission, and commends the many charitable contributions of its members to organizations and communities around the world.