Courage in the face of a powerful oppressor

John, Androniky, Neely and Brook hold the Greek and Ukrainian flags in front of the statue of Maroula, a heroine from the island of Lemnos. Maroula was the daughter of General Isidore Komnenos and Euphrosyne, protectors of Kotsinas and was just 18 years old when Suleiman Pasha attacked the island on May 21, 1478. Greeks and Venetians defended the Turkish advance on the fortress but when General Komnenos was killed and as the Venetians were retreating, Maroula picked up her father’s bloodstained sword above her head and rushed forward into battle, inspiring her fellow Greeks to attack and vanquish the Turkish armies and forever equating her name to courage in the face of the enemy, preferring to do battle and be victorious even against all odds. We feel that we see this same spirit in the Ukrainian men and women who are fighting for their freedom and to save their country.

Androniky, Neely, Brook and John are a Greek-American family who lives between Austin, Texas and Lemnos, a Greek island in the Northern Aegean. As the events in Ukraine unfolded we watched in disbelief, feeling angry and powerless. We were inspired by spontaneous humanitarian efforts in Europe to accommodate the hundreds of thousands, now millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives and decided to take action and do whatever we can to help in our part of the world. Because of our backgrounds (tech, hospitality,
marketing) and to match the need for housing in Greece, we decided to launch GR4UA a nonprofit foundation. Our nonprofit legal entity is TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOUNDATION doing business as GR4UA which was registered in the books of the ATHENS PROTOCOL COURT with Registration Number AM. 489788 Filing Number A.C. 122/2022.

As we were inspired to do something and take action, we want to invite you to participate in this humanitarian effort in whatever way you feel is appropriate for you. This is a huge undertaking and we cannot do it alone. If you are an individual that would like to donate your time and talents, please Volunteer here.

If you are able to contribute funds to be used for assisting refugees in their journeys to their accommodations in Greece, food and other expenses, please Donate here.

If you or your organization are interested in participating in our Public-Private-Partnerships for the People, please reach out by emailing john@gr4ua.org.

Thank you for whatever you are able to do in this crisis.