Exclusive Interview with Daughters of Penelope Executive Director Elena Saviolakis

The Daughters of Penelope was founded by Alexandra Apostolides in San Francisco in 1929. As the organization states: "Her inspiration of a strong Hellenic women's organization has progressed into an international association who members are leaders in philanthropic, educational and cultural activities".

NGTV: Can you tell us about Daughters of Penelope?

ESS: The Daughters of Penelope was the realization of Alexandra Apostolides' dream. Her desire was to create a woman's organization and because of her perseverance and the encouragement of her husband Dr. Emanuel Apostolides, a devoted AHEPA, she formed EOS Chapter#1 with 25 charter members on November 16, 1929 in San Francisco, California. She was elected the first Grand President of the organization in 1931.

The objectives of the Daughters of Penelope are to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family & Individual Excellence. The Daughters of Penelope encourages and promotes loyalty to the country in which they live; cultivates the ideals and traditions of Hellenism; promotes opportunities of education; and promotes the spirit of cooperation and works closely and in harmony with the whole AHEPA Family – AHEPA, Daughters of Penelope, Maids of Athena and Sons of Pericles.

The Daughters of Penelope is non-partisan and non-denominational.
Today, the Daughters of Penelope is a leader in philanthropic, educational and cultural activities with local chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece and Cyprus

NGTV: How do you attract new members?

ESS: We attract new members through our available networking opportunities as well as educational and athletic scholarship opportunities. Promoting education is very important to the Daughters of Penelope and we realize how important scholarship opportunities are as a membership benefit.

We also attract members via our national programs and community outreach. Because we are able to make a difference in the community locally and globally, we find that many women are interested in joining and becoming a part of what we do.

NGTV: What states have the largest Daughters of Penelope presence?

ESS: We have a very large presence in California as we were founded in San Francisco. However we do have a large presence in almost every state in the USA and in Greece.

NGTV: How do you stay relevant?

ESS: Even during tough financial times, we have managed to increase membership. We promote our organization through a variety of ways including social media.

The Daughters of Penelope do have a Facebook page in addition to a Twitter Page, Google+ Page and You Tube Channel. Social media helps not only to attract new and young members but also allows our organization to really engage with our members.

NGTV: What are the goals of the organization?

ESS: The goals of the Daughters of Penelope are to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family & Individual Excellence. Each year we donate to several charities and give out educational and athletic scholarships.

We also work together to create domestic violence awareness as we support two national domestic violence shelters in the USA and one in Greece. We not only focus on Greek-American issues, but also women's issues as a whole.

NGTV: Do you have chapters in Greece?

ESS: We have 15 chapters throughout Greece including Athens, Sparta, Kalamata, Thessaloniki, Xanthi, Alexandroupoli, Kefalonia, Kavala, Komotini, Larissa and Preveza. We even have a chapter in Stuttgart, Germany! Our organization is really an inspiration and we are very excited to do what we do and continue to thrive.