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Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. President,
Your Grace, the representative of the Archbishop,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of my colleagues on our Board of Directors
one of whom, Mr. Agouridis, is with us today
and on behalf of all of us at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation,
I would like to welcome you to today's presentation
and thank you for honoring us with your presence.
The terrible crisis plaguing our country
over the last few years has reached a breaking point.
There are no more excuses.
All of us must help, each one in any way we can.
There is no justification for just standing by and watching.
Words are superfluous. The only solution is effective action.
Anders Aslund, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute
of International Economics in Washington, DC,
in an article published recently, cites the need for a
Social Welfare Society instead of a Social Welfare State.
There is no doubt that in today's complicated
and often too polarizing world we need all the help we can get
in order to respond to the great challenges we face.
But in the last decades, even before the challenges
became so interrelated and increasingly too complex to solve,
both the State and the Private sector everywhere have been unable,
for various reasons, to provide on their own the necessary
and appropriate environment for our societies not only to survive,
but also to thrive and excel.
John F. Kennedy, almost half a century ago,
inspired us all with his memorable
"ask not what your country can do for you
—ask what you can do for your country".
In many instances, the problem today is that
we don't even ask the question, but instead all of us
are eager to criticize, patronize, and find excuses why things simply
"do not work".
The need for a Social Welfare Society is there,
and it is a need for a fair, dynamic and viable society,
where all members, from all sectors,
including public, private, not-for-profits,
supranational organizations and humanitarian institutions,
have to contribute towards creating a healthy society,
able to defend itself against today's many
and complex challenges.
A society which is also able to provide for its citizens
the basic needs of life, to allow for decency, dignity,
and civility, and, last but not least,
to provide an opportunity to dream, to help make
dreams become reality, and to hope for a better tomorrow.
All positive forces have to collaborate towards this end.
One of the most constructive ways to help is through Philanthropy,
which can be expressed in many ways.
Financial support is an effective way, but not the only one.
Volunteerism is another way.
Without the true volunteers who man the not for profit organizations,
financial support could never be as effective.
Aristotle had said: "Educating the mind
without educating the heart is no education at all".
Today, philanthropy is one of the few fields that make
the whole of society commit morally,
connect emotionally, and truly unite.
Philanthropic foundations, the institutionalized form of philanthropy,
get the moral satisfaction that comes from having played,
hopefully, a productive role in complementing the State's efforts
in providing a better society for all.
Philanthropy, however, cannot and should never,
in any case, replace the State.
Philanthropy does not just happen by itself,
and it is not a "divine" force of good.
It needs time and financial resources,
it needs a certain commitment, and in a larger scale it is not
unlike running any other successful for-profit enterprise.
Instead of looking at the Profit & Loss statement
at the end of the year, Foundations focus their attention
of creating a better society for all.
The multiplier effect of collaborations can be dramatic,
both practically speaking and, indeed, psychologically too.
Cousins Evangelis and Konstantinos Zappas worked hard,
succeeded, and gave a lot to their country.
This space that we're in today, the Zappeion,
was inaugurated 125 years ago,
in 1888, and is one of their many charitable works.
The Greeks have always excelled in several areas,
one of them being philanthropy, a Greek word,
guided by a sense of responsibility, but also by the Greek "philotimo",
a word that cannot be translated into any other language.
The crisis plaguing our country for years now has not, sadly,
managed yet to arouse the Greek philanthropic philotimo,
as it simply ought to, but it's never too late.
It's not a matter of choice. It is the duty of the privileged
to put their hands in their pockets and help ease the suffering
of a society in pain.
We at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation have
focused our attention on doing everything we can
in order to help provide relief for our society,
relief that is absolutely essential.
Our Foundation has been active since 1996 and has a global reach,
having committed over 1 billion euro to philanthropic causes,
in 109 countries, of which over 80% has been allocated
to Greece.
In early 2012 we launched an additional Special Social Program for Greece,
which also represents the Foundation's most recent initiative
to provide relief against the adverse socioeconomic conditions
faced by the Greek people today.
We have committed, for this purpose, an additional 100 million euro,
54 million of which has already been allocated to 156 organizations.
Today, we have invited representatives
from all 156 organizations with which we have collaborated
on food aid and social housing programs,
centers for the homeless, programs to support day care centers for children,
orphanages, retirement homes, healthcare units, inoculation programs,
training and retraining centers, programs to support our
fellow humans of advanced years or with special needs, etc,
and they will shortly present some of these extraordinary efforts,
which contribute to a dignified "today" and a better "tomorrow".
We would like to thank all 156 organizations,
in this ever-important effort to provide relief for
our fellow human beings.
We are not here to brag about our grantmaking.
We know how lucky we are to have been given by our Founder,
Stavros Niarchos the opportunity to be able to contribute to society
in a meaningful way.
We are always open to collaborations and ideas,
to anything that can multiply and amplify everyone's contributions to society.
There is nothing to be antagonistic about,
since there is no "crowding out" effect in the area of philanthropy.
Everything is about the aggregate support
Foundations and acts of Philanthropy as a whole,
including, among other things, volunteerism,
can generate in order to improve everyone's efforts
to alleviate social pain and to improve in any possible way
everyone's quality of life.
Finding prospective grantees is not difficult,
especially during such crises.
Yes, to implement a grant efficiently can be sometimes rather "demanding",
but when there is a will there is a way.
Our starting point is really simple:
Does the proposed grant add value to society?
In this specific environment, does it alleviate pain,
provide relief and restore dignity?
Are the people involved ethical, professional, committed
and able to implement the project's mission?
Greece needs all of us.
This is not the time to criticize or patronize,
but rather to help in any way possible.
We can all learn from one another,
and at times adapt to the new realities.
We need to sustain the basic pillars of society
and democracy at large, to ensure that we will have
a basic structure upon which to build anew, when the time comes.
And the time is now!
We cannot let everything fall apart and then expect it improve all by itself.
Last but not least is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
We are within budget (€566,000,000) and on track for its delivery
to Greek society at the end of 2015.
According to the main results of a study conducted
by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG),
It will yield a €340 million direct output in Greece,
while the overall contribution direct, indirect and induced effects
of SNFCC construction to the total output of the Greek economy
will be approximately €1 billion.
It will furnish a much-needed stimulus to the industrial
and construction sectors, where approximately 80% of the impact
will be concentrated.
1,500 to 2,400 people will be employed each year
to support SNFCC construction and all backward-linked economic industries.
The Center is the Foundation's largest singe gift,
a project that can inspire all of us to dream of a new Greece.
At this point, I would like to thank a man very close to our hearts,
Theodore Maravelias, for everything he has done
and continues to do to bring this project to fruition
in the best possible way.
Mr Trohopoulos, CEO of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center,
will say a few words about our vision,
a vision based on all health forces working together
with the sole aim of creating a fair and strong society,
where the hope of a better tomorrow is always alive.
I would like to thank our Founder, my uncle,
the late Stavros Niarchos, for giving us this opportunity,
by means of our Foundation, to be able to play a constructive role
in trying to solve the problems of today
and contribute to a better tomorrow.
Equally, I am honored and privileged to work with my great colleagues
at our Foundation's offices on both sides of the Atlantic,
some of whom are with us this evening.
Working with them towards achieving our mission
makes it a very fulfilling experience indeed.
Thank you!
And now I would like to invite the Prime Minister
to say a few words.