[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11047]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 117--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)

  Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 117

       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
       Resolved, 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.

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the 
founding of the Daughters of Penelope. I rise today to introduce with 
my colleague, Senator Menendez, a resolution honoring their history of 
selfless service and achievement during these eight historic decades.
  Founded November 16, 1929, in San Francisco, CA, the Daughters of 
Penelope was established to improve the well-being of women and provide 
them with the opportunity to make significant contributions to American 
society. Today its mission is to promote the ideals of ancient Greece--
education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family, and individual 
excellence through community service and volunteerism.
  An affiliate organization of the American Hellenic Educational 
Progressive Association, AHEPA, a leading association of American 
citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes, the Daughters of Penelope 
have worked both within and beyond the Greek-American community to 
achieve remarkable accomplishments. Over its history, its members have 
tirelessly sought to strengthen the status of women in society, shelter 
the elderly and the abused, educate our youth, promote Hellenic 
heritage, and raise funds for medical research.
  One project adopted by the Daughters of Penelope is particularly near 
and dear to my heart--its charitable aid to St. Basil Academy, a Greek 
Orthodox Archdiocese home for children in need, which I attended for 
several years. Beginning in 1954, the Daughters of Penelope have been 
providing charitable aid to St. Basil Academy when it embarked on a 
Christmas Seal Campaign to raise funds to build the new water works for 
the Academy. Since then, the Daughters of Penelope contributed to the 
furnishing of new buildings that have been built on campus, built a 
heated outdoor swimming pool for the children, and has provided funds 
for ongoing maintenance and renovations to the Academy for such items 
as replacing outdated appliances and worn-out roofs.
  In matching their own personal achievement with the desire to help 
others also achieve their goals, the Daughters of Penelope exemplify 
the very best in American and Hellenic values. As they embark on 
another 8 decades of service and accomplishment, I ask my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating them on their distinguished past, and wishing 
them every success in the future.

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