The support of Olympiacos to Mandras, Attica, continues in all possible ways in order to help the town return to normality. Our Club spends every day there and offers substantial aid in terms of supplies and services. Yet, Wednesday evening, the Legend came up with an additional way to support our tormented fellow people that were hit by deadly floods. The Club, via the Megara and Salamina Holy Metropolitan Church, offered pecuniary support to the flood-hit local pupils!
Representing Olympiacos, our players Pape Cisse and Paris Doumanis and Karaiskakis SA President and CEO Vassilis Vassiliadis attended the Christmas event organized in SEF’s “Melina Merkouri” Hall by the Holy Church of Piraeus Schools. Mr Vassiliadis, on behalf of Olympiacos leader Mr Evangelos Marinakis, together with our team stars delivered a 10,000 euro cheque to his Reverence Metroplitan Konstantinos of Megara and Salamina as an aid to Mandra pupils. They also have the right, like all children across the world, to get educated, to attend school despite obstacles still present in the area!
SEF’s “Melina Merkouri” HALL, offered by the Parapolitika Group President and CEO Giannis Kourtakis, was filled with children! From Piraeus, Megara and Mandra! Holy Church of Piraeus Schools prepared a beautiful celebration including theatre plays, songs and Christmas carols in an amazing festive atmosphere!
The event was attended by his Reverence Metropolitan Serafim of Piraeus and Faliro, Holy Church or Piraeus Canon Nifona Karagiannis, Holy Church of Megara and Salmina Canon Father Prokopios Georgiou, Mrs Giannoula Konidi, the President of “Ag. Polykarpos-Ag. Georgios” Youth Protection Foundation of the Holy Church’s Schools, and lots of children and their parents. All young children that performed on stage put us all in a Christmas mood and reminded us why these Holy days are twice as significant: they symbolize human offering and dissemination of love!
In their addresses, Mrss Serafim, Konstantinos, Vassiliadis and Kourtakis let their emotions and sympathy for Manra, Attica, emerge. They all agreed to do everything humanly possible to provide relief to the Mandra people who need us. They also thanked the leader of Olympiacos Mr Evangelos Marinakis for their offering to Mandra!
Amongst others, they stressed:
His Reverence Metropolitan Serafim of Piraeus and Faliro: “I would like to thank my special friend and great man, who carries within him the message of love, caring and non-stop support, also today, he is here no just to rejoice together with our children, but also as a statement that Olympiacos represents a complicated concept for Piraeus; it’s an organization always promoting fair competition as a way of living for young people. He came here to offer his bit, like our Metropolitan Church, namely a gift of major spiritual value. It is a gift to the kids and people of Mandra, hit by that ferocious storm and awful floods”.
Karaiskakis SA President and CEO Vassilis Vassiliadis : “I would like to inform you Your Holiness Father, that the day after the Mandra destruction, following an order by our leader Mr Evangelos Marinakis, staff from Olympiacos FC, Karaiskakis Stadium, Thrylos Sa and the Rentis Training Center came to the town of Mandra next to local people and helped in all ways we could. We brought in using our own tracks quantities of water, basic foodstuff and blankets.
With the help of Olympiacos earth-moving machinery we keep on removing muds off squares, houses and home yards, until the work is done. We removed mud off pavements, streets, squares, sporting installations, the cemetery and other premises. Using our Olympiacos tracks, we carry and will keep on doing so.
Our water tenders washed clean residential buildings and home yards, pavements, streets, sparing facilities and-during the first 3 days-the cemetery in order to allow for proper burial of all victims. Our people helped clean all sporting venues, the municipal cinema etc. We transferred and delivered some 14,200 mud sweeping equipment, 6,400 pieces of cleaning supplies, and we also gave away wind jackets, sweat suits and other sport apparel.
Out craftsmen built a new reinforced concrete surrounding wall for the municipal cinema, to replace the previous one taken down by the tsunami. To date, no less than 560,000 euro have been spent. Instruction by our leader, Mr Evangelos Marinakis, were to spend as much money it is required, so that Mandra residents may stand back on their feet; and, indeed, we will be there, Your reverence, for as long people in Mandra need us. Be it Christmas or New Year’s Eve or weekends..
Our chieftain, Mr Evangelos Marinakis, and the whole Olympiacos family wishes to all people of Piraeus Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I apologise for my strong emotions; I have spent 34 days in Mandra, buried under mud and you can hardly imagine what this people is going through. Only those crossing by the area and seeing mothers, grandparents and children in the mud may understand me. As a minimum contribution of ours, please accept this cheque from us. Thank you very much.”
Parapolitika Group President and CEO Giannis Kourtakis: “If someone merely watches images for this land of torture on TV and the media, then he might go to be more easily every night. The day I went to this town while returning home, I wanted to put my trivial powers to the service to this town. So, in that trip of mine, in that thought of mine, I came across a long-standing ally, which is your very Church and personally Metropolitan Serafeim.
During a brief chat, we said we would join forces because, like I usually say, in these hard times, in these dark days of transition, we should all cast some light in order to ease the pain and give solutions to problems generated, sadly, by the State. So we agreed that, without seeing it hard to reach a deal.
Via the Holy Metropolitan Church of Piraeus, we shall offer your cause 2 tons of foodstuff; I would like to wish you all happy holidays. Stay strong and always creative and never stop showing solidarity to everyone, your Reverence”.
All the above were warmly welcomed by his Reverence Metropolitan Konstantinos of Megara and Salamina; he also thanked Mr. Marinakis. Both Olympiacos players, Papae Cisse and Paris Doumanis, wished the best for these days and lots of love. Actually, our central defender, who comes from Senegal, talked also in Greek! Festivities continued with lots of singing, carols and short poems from around Greece! A great, festive atmosphere for a great cause: to provide help to our fellow-people!
To see the photostory, click HERE.
