UGS’ event in honor of the donors of Saint Nicholas action plan for restoring Thessaly following the passage of Storm Daniel

Melina Travlou, President of the Union of Greek Shipowners: “In Greek shipping, we are not about words, but about actions towards our homeland. “When we join forces, we can turn adversity into creation.”

This event of the  Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) in honor of the donors of the “Agios Nikolaos” action plan for the restoration of the affected areas of Thessaly, was held with great success on Monday the 10^th of November 2025, at the Athens Conservatory. The event was honored with the presence of Greece’s  Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who delivered a speech.

With a high turnout and the presence of Greece’s political leadership, members of the Government, the Leadership of the Armed and Security Forces, as well as members of Greek Shipping – donors to the action plan, the multidimensional social footprint of which was presented through a dedicated video at the start of the event.

Viewers can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/_PGnf0kB0PU

Top of the range students, together with their teachers, representing the affected schools of Thessaly, which were reconstructed and upgraded within the framework of the UGS’ action plan, were present at the event. A particularly moving moment occurred when three students from the Farkadonas High School in Trikala, Giorgos Argyris, Mariza Bagiotis and Vasilis Kounis, took the floor, coming from the area where all the schools were embraced by the “Agios Nikolaos” action plan, after they had been destroyed by Storm Daniel in early September 2023. They sent a message of optimism and hope, expressing the strength of the new generation of Thessaly, stating: “You did not just rebuild the buildings. You rebuilt our faith, you rebuilt our hope.”

Afterwards, the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) Melina Travlou, in her speech stated:

“Our dear children, we thank you for the joy you gave us to be with us today. Mariza, Vasilis, Giorgos, you moved us with your words and showed us what it means to hope, to support, to move forward together and move ahead. Your true expression of sayings reflects to Thessaly that stands tall, with optimism, dignity and strength of soul.

A big “thank you” and “congratulations” to the honorees from the schools of Thessaly… who are here today, together with your teachers. You represent and you are the future of your place, of our place. A very touching and to the point speech.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (pictured above), during his greeting, thanked the UGS as well as welcomed the students, teachers, parents and locals who witnessed this despicable natural disaster as a result of the Storm Daniel “passing” through Thessaly. He was very touched by the performance of students leaders Giorgos, Mariza and Vassilis from the Farkadonas High School in Trikala – Giorgos Argyris, Mariza Bagiotis and Vasilis Kounis as everybody was attending the event.

He made a special mention of “the role of the Union of Greek Shipowners and the Greek shipping industry over time and to ask, of course, my dear Melina, for your constant and ongoing support, because there are always needs. The needs are always greater than our capabilities.”

Donors of the Action Plan from the UGS for the restoration of the affected areas in Thessaly, Central Greece, Saint Nicholas, in alphabetical order:

Family and private (personal) donors, as well as in Memory of family members