[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 172 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE PANCRETAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2023

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise to honor the Pancretan 
Association of America (PAA) on their many achievements throughout 
their 94 years of dedicated service. I am thrilled to congratulate the 
PAA on the establishment of their first-ever National Headquarters at 
the Hellenic Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and on the recent election 
of their organization's first female president, Diane Kounalakis.
  The PAA and the Pancretan Youth Association (PYA) offer a rich array 
of programs to cultivate and preserve the extraordinary heritage of the 
island of Crete. The PAA and PYA have supported the enrichment and 
personal development of both Cretan Americans and the general public 
through educational events, study abroad scholarships, dance and music 
workshops, and translations of Greek literature. The PAA also has a 
long and storied history of advancing essential causes on the island of 
Crete and throughout both Greece and the United States. From helping to 
establish Crete's first public hospital in the 1950s to supporting 
orphanages, food pantries and disaster relief today, the PAA has made 
immense contributions.
  I have no doubt that President Diane Kounalakis, a longtime PAA 
member and volunteer, will be an exemplary leader for the PAA. Mr. 
Speaker Pro Tempore, I urge my colleagues to join me in applauding the 
PAA for its many decades of service, and in wishing the PAA all the 
best in the years to come.

                          ____________________