Olive Trees+Honey Bees

Fundraising campaign by George Vetter
  • €5,724.00
    raised of €5,000.00 goal goal
114% Funded
32 Donors
Help this ongoing fundraising campaign by making a donation and spreading the word.
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Every summer since I was 6 months old, we went to Greece to visit our relatives. My favorite part of the trip was always going down to our ridiculously small village of Konakia, in the mountains of Mani, in the southern Peloponnese. The stone houses are surrounded by olive groves, and you can see the Taygetos mountain range in the distance. As a little boy from New York, I was fascinated by the plethora of insects and animals I had never seen before and thrilled to eat food straight from my aunt Maria’s garden. But what truly made me love Konakia were the people, who did everything they could to welcome me, making me special pitas, letting me dig for vegetables, and telling me animal stories. This summer, record soaring temperatures in Greece resulted in a slew of wildfires in many parts of the country, including Konakia. The fires in Mani went from one end of the peninsula, up and down mountains, across fields, all the way to the sea on the other side. When I went down to visit, the silvery-green landscape was now black. The houses had been saved only because the villagers had fought the fire themselves, with buckets, branches, and tractors. But the olive trees that people had cultivated for years, the bees they had raised, and the fields where their animals grazed had all burned. Lots of animals died too. Those that survived have nowhere to graze. The look of despair in my usually animated and cheerful relatives’ eyes was crushing. The destruction is immense—little Konakia alone lost 50,000 olive trees and 250 hives. People have lost their only means of income. How will they survive now? What will they do?

KONAKIA NEEDS YOU! To replace an olive tree costs 50 euros (25 euros to clear the burned remains, and 25 for a new tree, fertilizer, labor for planting and watering). To replace a hive costs 100 euros (without the bees). All donations go to the village. Together we can restore Konakia, so next summer we can meet at Maria’s for some pitas, olive oil, and honey!

Organizer

  • George Vetter
  •  
  • Campaign Owner

Donors

  • Melina Kotsaki
  • Donated on Jan 25, 2022
€50.00
  • Mary Frangakis
  • Donated on Jan 18, 2022
  • I love the Mani region and hope my small donation provides help with planting an olive tree or starting a honey bee hive. Keep up the good work there! Mary

€50.00
  • Peter Poulos
  • Donated on Jan 18, 2022
  • in memory of my grandmother Mary Menoudakou, my father John Poulos (Poulimenakos) and my uncle Nicholas Poulos (Poulimenakos).

€500.00

No updates for this campaign just yet

Donors & Comments

32 donors
  • Melina Kotsaki
  • Donated on Jan 25, 2022
€50.00
  • Mary Frangakis
  • Donated on Jan 18, 2022
  • I love the Mani region and hope my small donation provides help with planting an olive tree or starting a honey bee hive. Keep up the good work there! Mary

€50.00
  • Peter Poulos
  • Donated on Jan 18, 2022
  • in memory of my grandmother Mary Menoudakou, my father John Poulos (Poulimenakos) and my uncle Nicholas Poulos (Poulimenakos).

€500.00
  • Gail Huggins
  • Donated on Jan 17, 2022
€50.00
  • Michael Georgoulakos
  • Donated on Jan 17, 2022
  • Dear Yorgo, What you are doing is an amazing act of kindness. I pray that all your efforts will soothe the soul of Konakia! Love, Uncle Mike Georgoulakos

€1000.00
  • Connie Bitetzakis Cutrone
  • Donated on Jan 03, 2022
€200.00
  • Nicholas Pascarella
  • Donated on Dec 31, 2021
  • Hello Yorgo, Happy New Year ! It is great to see your Charitable inclination! Keep up your good work ! Nick Pascarella

€176.00
  • Jonathan Brody
  • Donated on Dec 30, 2021
  • Growing up in NYC, my closest friend’s family from Mani, one of her grandfathers was from Konakia. I’ve heard so much and seen beautiful pictures but have never had a chance to visit. I hope even this small donation can help. And so proud of her son for creating this campaign.

€100.00
  • Anonymous
  • Donated on Dec 15, 2021
Amount Hidden
  • Anonymous
  • Donated on Nov 29, 2021
  • Please help rebuild the lives of so many that lost their livelihood! Thank you Valerie and George for setting this up! XO

€150.00
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Followers

8 followers
Ethan Parker
Michael Georgoulakos
Zapheria Nomicos
Catherine Stamatacos
Peter Mehas
Evonne Winst
Marina CORODEMUS
Catherine Gavalas
€5,724.00
raised of €5,000.00 goal
114% Funded
32 Donors

Help this ongoing fundraising campaign by making a donation and spreading the word.

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