ESTIA Neas Smyrnis

Donators and Benefactors

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The Onassis Foundation steadily supports the cultural and intellectual work of ESTIA through the courteous sponsorship of Yearbook 2016.

 


The manifold work of Estia would not have been realized without the assistance of generous donations by Minor Asia Greek donators. Thanks to these people who believed in its vision, Estia managed to fulfill its highly intellectual mission and keep the traditions and memories of the grand Asia Minor culture alive for almost one century, proving in practice that the Minor Asia Greek community, even “chased away”, can flourish in economic, cultural and intellectual terms.

 

The construction of the monumental House of Estia Neas Smirnis, the Museums, the Art Gallery, the Collections, the Library, the Schools as well as the completion of the Elderly Care Facility “Oikos Galinis” have been made possible to a great extent thanks to big donations by citizens of Asia Minor descent, such as the philanthropist benefactor Aristotle Onassis, as well as many private and public legal entities.


Estia Neas Smirnis has in the past honored its major donators, while the names of all its benefactors are engraved in golden letters, as a token of gratitude, on special marble columns located at the entrance of Estia’s House.


Estia also publishes science books and grants scholarships to higher-education students, through the legacies of Maria Karatzopoulou, Mihail Hatsos and his spouse Anna Hatsos, Eleni widow of Georgios Tsakiroglou, Ioanna Spitieri, Issidoros Gounaris and Eleni Karatza.
Today, in the context of the present difficult financial conjuncture, Estia’s work is exclusively based on the efficient financial management of the immovable property acquired by the Club but in particular on big or small donations of private and public legal entities. Besides the above, Estia receives no state subsidy, which considerably limits the horizon of its work.


For this exact reason, any contribution, even the smallest, is vital for both the operational needs of Estia to be covered and for its work to be continued in the future; for the rescue and passing on of the intellectual, historical and folk wealth of the Greek community of Asia Minor, Pontus and Thrace, as well as of the Greek-orthodox Ionian ethos in general. As Smyrna born poet Giorgos Seferis put it: “By erasing one part of the past one erases a respective part from the future; and, as far as this part of our history is concerned, we are not willing nor do we intend to do so”.


“Any contribution, even the smallest, is vital for both the operational needs of Estia to be covered and for its work to be continued in the future; for the rescue and passing on of the intellectual, historical and folk wealth of the Greek community of Asia Minor, Pontus and Thrace”

 

 

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