At just one of the many events compressed into his 6-day visit here, more than 1,100 Greek-Brazilians and their friends joined οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ V.P. Chris P. Tomaras and Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) members Constantinos Lambros Katsonis and George Tsoulfas (Brazil), and Eduardo Karavias (Argentina) in celebrating Hellenic culture during an evening of music, danceοΏ½and even plate-smashingοΏ½that lasted into the early morning hours.  οΏ½I knew that our fellow Hellenes in South America enjoy being Greek, but this crowd is just amazing,οΏ½ said Tomaras as he arrived at the event.  οΏ½But the primary reason for our trip is to visit BrazilοΏ½s Hellenic communities, where new generations are learning to appreciate and live their Hellenic heritage,οΏ½ he continued, οΏ½and that is what is truly remarkable: their love of both Greece and Brazil, and their work for the preservation of Hellenism in this huge, beautiful country.  Our οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ visit hopes to strengthen the ties between us even more.οΏ½

V.P. Tomaras also met with Consul General of Greece in Sao Paolo Dimitris Zoitos and other local omogenia leaders in the greater Sao Paolo area, including: Stylianos Nikiforos, Pres. of the Federacion das Comunidades Helenicas do Brazil; Michael Bakirtzis, Pres. and Nikos Papadimitropoulos, Chrmn. of the Trustees, of the Colectividad Helenica de Sao Paolo.  They discussed the communityοΏ½s plans for the future, which include development of a medical diagnostic center next to Sao PaoloοΏ½s Greek Orthodox Catedral de Sao Pedro and the communityοΏ½s Cultural Center. 

On Oct. 30, in a meeting organized by Prof. Panagiota Vasilopoulou, who heads οΏ½οΏ½Ε’s WomenοΏ½s Network in Brazil. V.P. Tomaras met with a number of local physicians interested in providing their services to the omogenia families in the area, and networking with their colleagues worldwide through οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½.
 
The visit had its more formal moments as well.  V.P. Tomaras and his RCC members met with a series of Sao PaoloοΏ½s State officials including the Hon. Sidney Beraldo, Pres. of the State Legislature, congratulating him on the appointment of οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ RCC-Member Constantinos Lambros Katsonis to Sao Paolo StateοΏ½s newly-formed Multi-Ethnic Council, representing the many diverse communities who have made their home there.  In appointing Katsonis, Beraldo said, οΏ½We admire the Greek Community for its accomplishments in our State, for the hard work and the many successes of its members, and their contributions to our society as a whole.οΏ½  The meeting was also attended by current State Legislator (and former President of the Legislative Assembly) Vanderlei Macris, who is himself of Greek ancestry.

V.P. Tomaras and his RCC members also had the honor of meeting with the Vice-Governor of the State of Sao Paolo, the Hon. Claudio Lembo, and presented the Mission, Programs and accomplishments of οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ at the World and Regional levels. Vice-Governor Lembo in turn expressed the affinity that the people of Sao Paolo, and he personally, have for the Hellenes of Sao Paolo, saying, οΏ½So high is the esteem in which we hold the Hellenic Community here in Sao Paolo State, that we would like to offer it the use of the GovernorοΏ½s Palace for your celebrations of Greek Independence Day on March 25.οΏ½ 

No such visit would be complete without the participation of the local representative of the Hellenic Republic.  That representative is Consul General of Greece in Sao Paolo Dimitris Zoitos, who attended virtually all of the events during the 6-day visit, and with whom V.P. Tomaras discussed a number of issues pertaining to the life of our omogenia in the region.    

Mr. Elias Grinzos, representing the Greek community of the distant capital city, Brasilia, journeyed to take part in the weekοΏ½s activities, bringing with him their renowned Dance Troupe, who performed at many of the events.  The visiting dignitaries also attended an exhibit of Greek-Brazilian artists at the State Legislature where a number of paintings, sculptures and other works of art were exhibited. 

During the 6-day visit, V.P. Tomaras was accompanied by three members of The Americas RegionοΏ½s 8-member Regional Coordinating Council: Eduardo Karavias of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Georgios Tsoulfas of Sao Paolo, and Constantinos Lambros Katsonis of Santo Andre.  Together with V.P. Tomaras, Messrs. Karavias, Tsoulfas and Katsonis supervise and coordinate all οΏ½οΏ½Ε’s activities in South America.