The Canadian Order of AHEPA (COA)

The Canadian Order of AHEPA was established on October 28, 1928 in Toronto by AHEPA Supreme President George Philies and by 1938 it encompassed chapters across Canada from Halifax, NS to Vancouver, BC. The anti-Greek riots of Toronto in August of 1918 had paved the way for AHEPA in Canada. Today, AHEPA, along with its affiliate organizations the DOP, SOP and MOA is the oldest and largest Greek heritage service organization in the world, with over 400 chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. Its membership comprising both Hellenes and Philhellenes numbers over 15,000. The American Hellenic Educational Progressive As­sociation (AHEPA) is the oldest and largest Greek service organization in the world. It was founded on July 26, 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, by 8 visionary Greek American businessmen. Its mission has been to sup­port Greek-American charities, causes, and com­munities. It works closely with the Greek Orthodox Church. Its ladies’ auxiliary, the Daughters of Pe­nelope, was founded in 1929. It supports two youth groups, the Sons of Pericles (established in 1926) and the Maids of Athena (1930). The AHEPA was founded following growing attacks on Greek Americans and Greek American businesses by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and others. Its initial mission was to promote the image of Greeks in America, as­sist them with citizenship and to fight against KKK at­tacks. In the 1960s AHEPA was at the forefront of the civil rights movement, teaming up with B’nai B’rith and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to bring racial justice and equality to America. With the full assimilation of Greek Americans and the success of the civil rights movement, its mission evolved toward philanthropy, education, and promoting and preserving and honouring the Hellenic identity of the Greek Americans and Greek-Canadians.