Helping Hellenic HEROes (Hellenic Emergency Response Officers) is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to bring firefighters and police officers from Greece to compete in the 2015 World Police and Fire Games in Fairfax, Virginia. This gift puts Helping Hellenic HEROes within approximately $10,000 of its original fundraising goal of $50,000.
Due to the Greek economic crisis, these public safety athletes were unable to participate without financial assistance. The Greek delegation, comprised of 32 firefighters and 21 police officers, will compete in 15 sports, including sports where they have previously won gold, silver, and bronze medals.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the generosity of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the opportunity to partner with them,” said Dianne Katsakis Quebral, Helping Hellenic HEROes’ Chief of Social Innovation. “Both the Greek-American community and the local community have come together to support these public safety athletes. This grant is a great step forward to help us reach our $50,000 goal; we need just $10,000 more to close this gap. Please consider making your donation today at www.HelpingHellenicHEROes.org.”
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org) is one of the world’s leading private international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. The Foundation funds organizations and projects that are expected to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact for society at large, and exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also seeks actively to support projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare.
From 1996 until today, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has made grant commitments of $1.59 billion / €1.23 billion, through 3,020 grants to nonprofit organizations in 111 nations around the world.
In 2012 and 2013, the Foundation announced two new initiatives of €100 million ($130 million) each, in addition to its standard grant-making activities, to help address the ongoing crisis in Greece. While the initiative in 2012, which has been completed, aimed to provide immediate relief against the adverse effects of the deepening crisis, the one in 2013 aims to address the high percentage of youth unemployment, seeking to create better employment prospects and new opportunities for the young.
The Foundation’s largest single gift ($796 million / €566 million) is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in Athens, which is expected to be completed in 2016. The project, designed by Renzo Piano, includes the new facilities of the National Library of Greece, and of the Greek National Opera, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park. The SNFCC is a testament and a commitment to the country’s future. It is also an engine of short- to mid-term economic stimulus.
The World Police and Fire Games is an international athletic competition for firefighters and police officers that is held every other year. Fairfax, Virginia is preparing for 12,000 first responder athletes from 70+ countries to participate in more than 60 sports, competing for 1,600 medals in more than 50 venues in Fairfax County and the National Capital Region. For more information about the 2015 World Police and Fire Games, visit Fairfax2015.com.
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