Daughters of Penelope

Penelope’s Pen - August 2025

Happy summer vacation to all! We hope everyone reading this is keeping cool in the heat wave. Many of our sisters have scattered to far-flung places, some to Greece, so there's little to report. In June, DOP Sisters and others gathered at Pegasus Restaurant for an evening of delicious food, exceptional company, and conversations on June’s Book Club selection, The Women.

We will be sponsoring a cultural meet-up in September at the VMFA for the Frida: Beyond the Myth exhibit. There will be two dates to choose from: September 27th and 28th. Please note that the exhibit’s last day is September 28th so we are encouraging everyone to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.  Click here for more details.

There will be a Book Club meeting on September 17th at 5pm. The book for September is The Briar Club by renowned author, Kate Quinn. The meeting will be held at the new location of The Brick House Diner located at 100 Schofield Road in Westchester Commons. Come and join us as we support the Routsis family in their new location and enjoy awesome food and conversation!

One of our soon to be Sisters, Tammy Sotos, is attending the 2025 AHEPA Family Conference being held in Orlando. She will be attending as many functions as possible and providing a strong presence for Antiklea Chapter 68 as well as joining several others from District 3.

Sisters, please make note of our first meeting of the year. It will take place on Sunday, September 21st after Church. Details of the event will be provided later.

We wish everyone a continued restful, and we certainly hope cooler, summer. Have fun!          

Chapter Officers for 2024-2025

Jackie Harmon, President

Connie Chavez, Vice President

Zoe Mouris, Recording Secretary

Shelia Demetriadis, Corresponding Secretary

Kathy Bazianos, Treasurer

Daughters of Penelope

The Daughters of Penelope (DOP) 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 AHEPAN, she formed EOS Chapter #1 with 25 charter members on November 16,1929 in San Francisco, California. The objectives of the Daughters of Penelope are to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence.     


Who is Penelope?

In ancient Greek legend, Penelope was the wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca. Odysseus left her and their son, Telemachus when he went to the Trojan War. When the war ended, many mishaps and weary wanderings kept him from returning home. As time went on and he did not return, many suitors claimed her hand and her kingdom. For a long while she put them off with a plea that she must finish weaving a robe for Laertes, her father-in-law. However, every night she unraveled what she had woven by day, thus remaining faithful to the memory 0f Odysseus and steadfast to the sanctity of her home.

Finally, Odysseus appeared after an absence of twenty years to reclaim his wife, his throne, and his home. In the name of our Order, the Daughters of Penelope, the word Penelope symbolizes all the noble virtues, of kindness, tolerance, unselfishness, truth, goodness, beauty, self-improvement, purity, loyalty, and patience, which were evident in the character of Penelope. As her Daughters, we strive to exemplify and uphold these same values in today's world.

Antiklea Projects and Events:

Red Tent Project for Homeless Women

Koulourakia Baking

Holy Land Crafts Booth

Tsourekia, Koulourakia, and Psalms CD Sale

New Year’s Vasilopita Sale


Charities that DOP Supports: 

Daughters of Penelope Foundation, Inc. Scholarships
Penelope House-Domestic Family Violence Center: Mobile, AL
Penelope House-Domestic Family Violence Center: Brockton, MA
Penelopean Foundation Day Care Center: Athens, Greece
University of Miami, Sylvester Cancer Research Center
Saint Basil Academy-Home for young children