The Eftychia Project
"Helping Greek Adoptees Find Their Roots"
Save the Date!
Third Annual Greek Adoptee Reunion
June 20-22, 2024
Complete details coming soon!
About Us
Ever since our President, Eftychia/Linda Carol Trotter, found her Greek family in June 2017, she had it in her heart to "pay it forward", so to speak, by helping other Greek adoptees find theirs, at absolutely no cost to the adoptee. Out of that desire, and with the help of dear friends with like minds, The Eftychia Project was born. We are a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization classified as a public charity with tax-exempt status by the IRS. Donations to our organization are tax-deductible (Pub 78).
We are devoted to providing assistance and support to Greek-born adoptees searching for their roots and Greek families searching for their children lost to adoption. We also seek to advocate on behalf of all Greek-born adoptees with the Greek government concerning the issues of transparency about our adoptions, unfettered access to our adoption and birth records, a DNA database for adoptees and their biological families, and Greek citizenship for all Greek-born adoptees. Our current board of directors consists of 4 Greek-born adoptees and a Greek family member searching for their lost children: President, Linda Carol Trotter; Vice-President, Pangiota "Toula" Vrisiotis; Treasurer, Merrill Jenkins; Secretary, Dimitrios Christo; Board Member, Steven Graeter.
While we aid Greek-born adoptees (those born in and adopted from/in Greece) from any era, we especially want to assist the thousands of Greek children adopted by American parents in the scandal-ridden years between 1948 and 1962, as time is running out if we have any hope of finding our birth parents still living. Your interest and support of our efforts are greatly appreciated.
If you are a Greek adoptee looking for your Greek roots or a Greek family looking for an adoptee and you would like to request assistance, please send your request to the emails listed in the Contact Us section of the website, to our general email at theeftychiaproject@gmail.com or click on the Facebook link on the homepage to send a message to our Facebook account. For media inquiries, please send your requests to info@theeftychiaproject.org
Second Annual Greek Adoptee/Greek Family Reunion 2023 a huge success!
From The National Herald
https://www.thenationalherald.com/greek-adoptees-poised-to-meet-in-greece-for-second-annual-reunion/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/historic-second-annual-reunion-in-greece-as-greek-adoptees-meet-in-the-homeland-photos/
From the Greek Reporter
https://greekreporter.com/2023/11/20/reunion-greek-adoptees-meet-greece/
From the Greek Press Service (APE-MPE)
https://www.amna.gr/home/article/768197/Xekinise-i-2i-sunantisi-ton-uiothetimenon-stin-Ameriki-paidion-apo-tin-Ellada
https://www.amna.gr/mobile/article/769223/Brike-ton-biologiko-tou-patera-meta-apo-63-chronia-kai-epestrepse-ekei-opou-perase-tous-protous-mines-tis-zois-tou
From Star channel (national Greek TV) popular morning show "Alithies me tin Zina"
https://www.facebook.com/staralithies/videos/865005461739533
From SKAI TV (national Greek TV) popular weekend show "Oi Dekatianoi"
https://fb.watch/oJNH9q-0rf/
From Alpha TV (national Greek TV) weekend news with Manesis:
https://www.facebook.com/100000924259726/videos/872721614448892/
Our thanks to our speakers, sponsors and advertisers:
Save the date - THIRD ANNUAL GREEK ADOPTEE REUNION - june 20-22, 2024
SAVE THE DATE!
WE'RE BACK IN THE USA FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL GREEK ADOPTEE REUNION
JUNE 20-22, 2024
Make your plans now to join us for bonding, fun and fellowship as as we return to the USA for the Third Annual Greek Adoptee Reunion, June 20-22, 2024.
Location and complete details coming by the end of December. This Reunion will have fun organized group activities and plenty of time to share our stories and for getting to know each other, but will be without a conference/speakers.
So mark your calendars and get ready for an amazing time with your fellow Greek adoptees! We can't wait to see you there!
WE'RE BACK IN THE USA FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL GREEK ADOPTEE REUNION
JUNE 20-22, 2024
Make your plans now to join us for bonding, fun and fellowship as as we return to the USA for the Third Annual Greek Adoptee Reunion, June 20-22, 2024.
Location and complete details coming by the end of December. This Reunion will have fun organized group activities and plenty of time to share our stories and for getting to know each other, but will be without a conference/speakers.
So mark your calendars and get ready for an amazing time with your fellow Greek adoptees! We can't wait to see you there!
Τhe "Orphans" From Greece - A Powerful Documentary
***WATCH THIS BEAUTIFULLY-DONE, AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY BY ACCLAIMED JOURNALIST ANDREAS BOUSIOS FOR VICE-TV SPECIALS***
In Τα "Ορφαωά" από την Ελλάδα (The "Orphans" From Greece), the Greek adoptions of the the dark Cold War decades of the 1950's and 1960's are seen through the eyes of three differnet people: two Greek-born adoptees, Merrill Jenkins and Linda Carol Trotter, and a Greek family member searching for his lost siblings, Bobby Kalogeropoulos. While the voice-overs and Mr. Kalogeropoulos' interview are in Greek, the interviews of Jenkins and Trotter are in English. We hope to soon have a copy of the film with English subtitles. The film won multiple awards at the recent DIME Digital Media Awards in Greece. Truly one of the best documentaries about this dark page in Greece's history.
https://video.vice.com/gr/video/the-orphans-from-greece/63ce708329c972063d033fc1
Events - greek adoptees have voice at un meeting
Thanks to Lynelle Long of ICAV (Intercountry Adoptee Voices), Greek-born adoptees had a voice in Geneva, Switzerland as the UN marked the one-year anniversary of the release of the Joint Statement on Illegal Intercountry Adoption. The program featured testimony from the lived experiences of intercountry adoptees and biological parents, with our own Eftychia/Linda Carol Trotter representing Greek-born adoptees and giving her powerful testimony about her own proxy adoption . Follow the link for an article about the meeting at the UN, as well as links to the video of the meeting and the text of Eftychia's testimony.
Article in The National Herald
https://www.thenationalherald.com/greek-adoptees-have-voice-at-united-nations-for-first-time/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/greek-adoptees-have-voice-at-united-nations-for-first-time/
Video of UN Meeting (Eftychia's’s powerful speech begins at the 1:38:14 mark)
https://media.un.org/en/asset/k16/k16z33p1uc
Text of Eftychia's speech
https://shorturl.at/iGMV2
The Eftychia Project & "My Big Fat greek wedding 3"
It all started when, on a whim, Eftychia answered a casting call on Facebook for superfans of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. She never expected to hear anything back — after all, thousands of people responded to the call. But, suddenly, she was cast in a joint production of Focus Features and Rotten Tomatoes in conjunction with the release of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3”, which was filmed just 4 days before she left for Greece yet again. You can follow the link below to watch the video - watch until the very end to see a special little clip filmed in Nafpaktos. This was an amazing opportunity to bring the mission of The Eftychia Project to the attention of a much larger audience. We can’t wait to watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3" - how about you?
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/were-just-like-my-big-fat-greek-wedding/
Contact Us for free help
Information
For general information about The Eftychia Project, please contact us by clicking on the email link below.
Greek Adoptee Help
If you are a Greek adoptee looking for family members, please contact us by clicking on the email link below.
Greek Family Help
If you are a Greek family searching for loved ones, please contact us by clicking on the email link below.
Donations
The Eftychia Project is grateful for the outpouring of support we have received worldwide. If you would like to make a donation to The Eftychia Project to help us in continuing our mission of providing assistance and support to Greek adoptees searching for their roots and Greek families searching for their lost children, you may do so through our PayPal account or by mailing a check or money order to our mailing address The Eftychia Project,1224b Columbia Ave #110, Franklin, TN 37064. Please make checks or money orders payable to "The Eftychia Project". We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind and generous support!
$25
The Lost Children of cold war greece video
PARTNERSHIPS
The Eftychia Project is pleased to partner with MyHeritage to provide free DNA kits to Greek-born adoptees searching for their roots and Greek families searching for their children lost or, presumably lost, to adoption. MyHeritage is one of the largest DNA companies in the world and has the largest DNA database in Europe. We are grateful to MyHeritage for their generous donation of DNA kits and for their technical and research support. To visit the MyHeritage website: www.MyHeritage.com.
ADVOCACY
***IN 2021, THE EFTYCHIA PROJECT LAUNCHED A GREEK-BORN ADOPTEE-LED INITIATIVE FOR A DIALOGUE WITH THE GREEK GOVERNMENT CONCERNING TRANSPARENCY, ACCESS TO RECORDS, A DNA DATABASE AND GREEK CITIZENSHIP FOR ALL GREEK-BORN ADOPTEES***
***GREEK-BORN ADOPTEES, WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!***
TEP is passionate about furthering the quest of a growing chorus of Greek-born adoptees for the Greek Citizenship they so rightfully deserve and the other pressing issues of supreme importance to all Greek-born adoptees/Greek biological families that need to be addressed by the Greek state which, at the very least, owes us the opportunity to present our concerns and the courtesy of hearing us out:
(1) We believe that the knowledge of their roots and their biological family origins are basic human rights of all adoptees
(2) We believe that Greek-born adoptees and Greek biological families are entitled to transparency from the Greek government and all Greek adoption-related institutions and organizations reagrding these adoptions
(3) We believe that Greek-born adoptees are entitled to unfettered access to Greek court, orphanage, institutional and organizational records related to their adoptions, as well as copies of ALL of their adoption-related documents
(4) We believe that Greek-born adoptees and Greek families are entitled to the establishment of an adoptee/biological family DNA database by the Greek state for the purpose of reuniting adoptees and their biological families, at no cost to either the adoptee or the biological family
(5) We believe that all Greek-born adoptees are entitled to Greek citizenship, and that the pathway to Greek citizenship should be streamlined, with minimal bureaucratic processes and at minimal or no cost to the adoptee
If you are a Greek-born adoptee, your input is vital for formulating this citizenship plan and presenting these issues to the Greek government. Your lived experiences are crucial to this initiative. If you would like to participate, please email us as soon as possible at theeftychiaproject@gmail.com and let us know of your interest and your contact information. We will then email you information regarding partcipation. It is our hope that by Greek-born adoptees working together, we will be able to convince the Greek government to right the wrongs of the past, to open the door to those documents and records to which we are entitled and to which access for many of us has been denied, to establish a DNA database through which we might be reunited with our biological families, and to reclaim the Greek citizenship that is our birthright. There is strength in numbers - let's work together and make what has long been a dream into a reality!
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