Hellenic American National Council

About HANC

What is it? | Main Character | The Future

The Future

It is the strong belief of many prominent Greek Americans, that if the Hellenic American National Council (HANC) did not exist today, it would have to be invented, in a great hurry. This organization will grow quickly by leaps and bounds into the hearts and the minds of all Americans and Canadians of Greek ancestry, who share its purely democratic goals and ideals of our Hellenic heritage, and who wish to contribute to strengthening the relations, among the United States and Canada on the one hand and Greece and Cyprus on the other.

Maintaining of our awesome Hellenic Heritage is exceptionally significant, because we live into a shrinking world where all nationalities are striving for cultural identification and for retaining their roots. We are after all in the midst of a powerful modernizing and homogenizing imperative. Thus, we can foresee, that this relatively new organization, with its announced intention to evolve quickly into a powerful forum of men and women of all ages, and into an ultramodern, heavy in brain power, computerized, and a well financed entity to boot, will inescapably be a powerhouse of new ideas, and the launching platform towards the unity of Hellenism and other worthy undertakings. This will be its most appropriate role indeed, within our rapidly changing world and with the 21st Century just around the corner. Thus, the Hellenic American National Council will be perfectly suited to begin a new era.

• The immediate need for a healthy cash flow for HANC by the timely collection of dues from the constituent Federations and Associations, and by imaginative, aggressive and intense fund raising activity, probably under the guidance of a fund raising Consultant Firm. The need for establishing appropriate and efficient office facilities for improved logistical support at the Hellenic American National Council (HANC) Headquarters in Chicago.

• The need for a HANC office in Athens Greece for maintaining effective contact with the relevant Ministries, for effective first hand monitoring of issues of interest to the Greek-American Community, for efficient data gathering and for better bidirectional information flow.

• The need for a HANC Office in Washington D.C. for maintaining direct contact with the Centers of Power at the nationÕs Capital. This function cannot and should not be left totally to another party.

• The need for organizing a group of 5 to 7 individuals per Congressional District all across the nation, for painstaking work in presenting our issues to members of the 104th Congress and to their Staffs as soon as possible. This is our great challenge.

• The need for periodic contacts in Washington D.C. with the White House, State Department, the Pentagon and with members of the National Security Council, Members of Congress, selected members of Think Tanks and others. This should be done proactively and not only at the time of crisis. A reputable lobbying firm will be of great value in this serious undertaking by offering guidance and assistance.

• The significant need for close and genuine cooperation with all other established Greek-American Organizations (AHEPA, UHAC, and AHIPAC) including the Church.

• The great, and vital need for recruiting young people and women into the organization through the Constituent Federations and Associations. The young members could participate as observers at the semiannual meetings and they could also hold their own meetings in a parallel fashion with HANC, with their own agendas.

• The need for recruiting into our Constituent Organizations large numbers of additional dedicated individuals especially from the Professions, Business, Academia and others, systematically on a State by State basis. Recruiting constitutes an Art and a Science and it takes a few special people in each area for this task.

• The need for dissemination of information across the US, Canada and in Greece, about the Hellenic American National Council, its Democratic Structure and its goals, by first publishing a Special monthly or bimonthly Bulletin and by sponsoring articles in the Greek-American , and the Greek Press and by fostering other similar activities. It has been noted that the Greek Newspapers talk only vaguely and non-specifically about Òthe Greek LobbyÓ in the United States.

• The need for producing a special booklet about HANC, and the sponsoring of radio, and TV programs, CD-ROM discs, and videotapes on key issues as well as the sponsoring of a lecture and series and a Think-Tank Symposium per year, with published Proceedings. All this modern activity will be expensive.

• The need for a Central Confidential Computerized roster of all Americans who identify themselves as being of Hellenic ancestry (with names, addresses, phone and FAX numbers) for quick and easy access and communication and for disseminating educational and other materials to them. This roster will be invaluable for eventually distributing HANC's Bulletin and for soliciting small voluntary contributions from an huge number of people.

• The need of establishing an extensive roster to include precious friends of Hellenism (starting with Professor Donald Kagan of Yale University who wrote the superb Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, published by the Free Press 1991) in the United States, Canada and Europe, with periodic recognition of their support for our rightful issues. The establishment of a special and coveted award sponsored by the Hellenic American National Council, will be of paramount significance in this respect.

• The vital need for a working "Advisory Council" which should include carefully selected individuals with Management experience and with Analytical and Planning Skills, who should meet periodically with the President and the Executive Committee in closed session (for Review, Analysis and Planning on various issues) and the development of a dynamic "Blueprint for Action."