Press Release
The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation announces:
This summer was marked by the deadly fires of Eastern Attica, which so far have cost the life of 99 people . Although we know that no money will ease the pain of the relatives of the deceased, it’s a fact that life for these families continues and we are sure that their expenses at the moment will be extremely high.
It is in this context, that the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation today announces the grant of direct and personal allowances to the closest relatives of our fellow human beings who were lost in July 2018 from by these fires . The total amount of the donation is estimated at € 500,000.
In particular, a lump-sum of € 5,000 will be given in cash with a bank deposit to the closest, up to a second degree relative of every deceased person.
The order of priority begins with the spouse (including those who have a cohabitation agreement), followed by the oldest child – if this is over 18 years old and has a bank account – whereas if there is no adult child, the sum will be given to the father of the deceased.
If this is not feasible, then financial support will be given to the mother. If there is no living first-degree relative, the allowance will be paid to his or her oldest sister or brother (second-degree affinity).
The amount of € 5,000 will be given to the closest relative based on the above mentioned order and will not be divisible.
This series has been chosen for practical reasons, but the Foundation’s hope is that there will be a fair distribution of the amount among the relatives to benefit the whole family. If the same person is the closest relative to more than one of the deceased, then that person will receive all the amounts corresponding to him.
Regarding the procedure, applications will be submitted in writing and in person by the closest relative during all working days (Monday to Friday) from 08:00 to 12:00 on the second floor of the Foundation , located in the center of Athens (Euripidou 10, Athens, PC 105 59). In addition, you can contact mr . Babis Roussos, Kostas Seretis and Panagiotis Kostarakis by phone at +30 210 3226797 during these hours for more information . In that same building there is the daily distribution of Food from the Heart, from 07:30 to 12:00 .
The submission process will be running from Friday the 5th of October to Friday the 4th of November. Payments will be made by bank transfer to a bank account of the closest relative and will be completed by the end of November for all those who will have successfully completed and submitted their application.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: “I have been monitoring all the donations and announcements that were made from the government, other institutions and companies for the past 3 months. We gave 100,000 euros to the Red Cross just a few hours after the fire. Now is the time for a more immediate and tangible move for the people who lost their relatives. It is the only loss that is can never be replaced with anything “.
The Procedure:
The Foundation has appointed a three-member committee that will audit each applications and the supporting documents. The final decision for each beneficiary will be taken by Stelios Haji-Ioannou himself after the whole procedure is completed.
If the closest relative can not attend in person, then he / she may be represented only by another close relative with a written attorney to complete the application.
However, the payment will still be made to the closest relative, as defined above. The application must be accompanied by the necessary supporting documents, such as the death certificate and the family status certificate. The names of the deceased will be cross – checked using the published list of names by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
For the sake of transparency, the names of the beneficiaries will be published on our website (after their written consent to the application) . The presentation of the proof of payment of the € 10,000 benefit granted by the Greek State , based on the published law (Government Gazette A 138 / 26.07.2018), will accelerate our payment to the beneficiary . Under the same law it is stipulated that donations of this type are not subject to donation tax for the beneficiaries.
For more information, please contact: Mr. Ria Spouchla, V + O COMMUNICATION, tel. 210 72 49 000, 6936 750 457, e-mail: rp@vando.gr.