International Friends of ELEPAP, Inc.
Testimonials
&
Letters
In spite of their disability, the children's smile moved me to tears. What impressed me the most though were their teachers. I was impressed by their love, care and devotion towards the kids. I thought that this organization deserves so much and that I am doing my duty, as an individual and through Atlantic Bank, to mobilize our community. It is an organization worth supporting.
Nancy Papaioannou
President of Atlantic Bank
Translated excerpt, please find relevant article (in Greek) below
I was amazed with the organization, commitment and the professionalism of the staff and its infrastructure. The reason I was amazed is because despite the crisis we are facing in Greece, they are still people who support these causes, these institutions.
The people there were excited, the young staff that worked there served a cause! Congratulations to Marianna and to all who support this kind of institution.
People must find out to support, there needs to be information, that these things do happen in Greece in spite of the situation, that there is professionalism and the will to continue these projects.
Dr. Ann Kolokathi
Infectious Diseases Speciliast
Translated excerpt, please find full video here.
As a parent with a 22-year-old child with disabilities I will tell you from my experience that the sooner you help the child, the higher the level he will reach when he grows up. It is very important that there is organized help, expert people who will explain to parents that it is not their own fault, which will help them understand the behavior of their child, and remain a united family without blaming each other and feeling guilty. We need to strengthen organizations like ELEPAP because that’s the only way we can avoid the tragedies that can happen.
Dr. Antonios Lazanas
Head of Portfolio and Index Research at Bloomberg
Please find relevant article below
When someone enters the facility he sees a paradise, the amazing work all of them conduct. Everyone who works there gives so much time and so much love, something you do not see here in the US. When I heard that Marianna wanted to do something here in NY, I said I would help!
It's good for Greeks visiting home to have this organization in their mind and plan for a visit. What is achieved in this facility cannot be achieved by a personal caretaker.
People must know about what happens over there, they truly work miracles.
Miranda Kofinas
Pediatrician and Neonatologist, President of Philoptohos Society in NY
Translated excerpt, please find full video here.
I have been going back and forth to Greece, to meet with the staff of the Brain Injury Unit.
I cannot guarantee about the other programs they offer, I have heard rumors though from other doctors that they are the best.
The brain injury though, I know it to be the best in Greece.
I am looking forward to my visit this March and to attending conferences organized by ELEPAP.
Yehuda Ben-Yishay, Phd Adjunct Professor, NYU Langone Health
Excerpt, please find full video here.
Letters
We received this letter from Antonis N. Diamataris, Publisher / Editor, The National Herald, and we would like to share it with you.
03 December, 2018
Dear Marianna Moschou hello,
I am embarrassed to say that I had not visited ELEPAP, the Hellenic Society for the Protection and Rehabilitation of Disabled People, until recently. Even though it was founded all the way back in 1937, and we have written about it repeatedly.
But now, finally, I have visited. And thanks to a good friend who insisted I had to find the time to do so.
Because when we expats return to our Greek homeland to visit, there is so much to do, so many friends and relatives to see, as well as trying to relax and have a good time, inevitably, someone will be left off of our itinerary. And at times, unfortunately, that means missing important visits, such as to visit charities like ELEPAP, which offer valuable services pro bono.
In Pagrati, in the center of Athens, at the ELEPAP facilities (they also have offices in Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Chania, Volos, and Agrinio), there is an oasis of love.
Upon entering the courtyard, one needs no second glance to realize this is another world, something quite different from what we normally encounter in Athens.
Two small buses, specially equipped and parked in the yard, reveal the secret: it is a foundation for children with special needs. ELEPAP describes its mission as the “functional rehabilitation of children with motor disabilities and developmental difficulties.”
We are instantly welcomed by ELEPAP Chair Marianna Moschou, who for the past eight years has been the foundation’s heart and soul. After a successful career in the banking sector, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of ELEPAP and then as its chair. With her easy smile and leadership qualities, she emits trust, security, and gravitas.
But above all, she transmits love. Love for children who need it more than anything else, and that makes her strive constantly so that the institution can offer them the best possible care.
Mrs. Moschou guided us to the swimming pool, where the children, with the help of their teachers did various exercises, while we visited numerous classrooms.
We saw children, teachers, parents. We watched the children sing, read, and smile. They thanked us for our visit; we experienced a joyful, optimistic atmosphere.
We were impressed with the courtesy and dedication of the teaching staff and everyone else who works at that institution.
Probably the only one not smiling was me. Only because I was so moved.
The teaching staff consists of young people who obviously do not see their work as a job, but as a mission. They studied – one studied in New York, at the New York University – not to make millions, but because this is their life’s calling.
I noticed the plaques on the wall of the lobby filled with names of donors. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) lends a hand here too.
There is a special sign dedicated to it, as well as a photograph of the late Stavros Niarchos.
The large donations are very useful, of course, but even the smallest also makes a difference. Every donation is valuable.
So please, if you can, give them a hand. They deserve it. For the kids sake.
Antonis Diamataris
Publisher/ Editor, The National Herald
