Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, Family & Individual Excellence are core values for The Daughters of Penelope.

Every year our chapter generously donates to DOP Foundation/Scholarship, Maids of Athena, Penelope House, Penelope’s Place, Penelopean Day Care Center, Water by Women, Community House Damaris (Greece), Open Door (Greece), Little Greeks United and The LAM Foundation. All the funds raised at this event will enable us to continue reaching our goals and helping others.

Thank you in advance for your support!
Daughters of Penelope, Orion Chapter 130, Boston

Protecting marine biodiversity and restoring ecosystems

Tropical coral reefs are the ecosystems most threatened by climate change. Warming surface waters and increasing marine heat waves are causing coral bleaching and the disappearance of reef-dwelling species, which account for about 1/4 of the world's marine life. 98% of the Australian Great Barrier Reef is affected, and more than half of the corals have died in the last 20 years. Almost all current reef replenishment initiatives consist of cuttings of still resistant adult corals, with the short-term objective of maintaining the ecosystem services they used to provide (including fishing resources and tourist attraction). But these colonies of the same genetic heritage (clones) are particularly sensitive to bacterial and viral infections, and offer no guarantee of resistance to further warming. Sexual reproduction of corals allows for genetic innovations, and favors long-term resilience of the reefs, but less than 1% of larvae reach adulthood. Jennifer Matthews' team has developed an energy mix in the form of lipid nanoparticles, allowing 46% of larvae to eventually form new colonies. The project aims to (1) adapt the quality and quantity of the cocktail to the water temperature, and (2) develop a simple feeding strategy, to make it affordable and easily replicable by local stakeholders. It includes a double phase of ex-situ experiments in laboratory nurseries before reintroduction, and in-situ experiments on some high value sites of the Great Barrier Reef. The results will be shared in the form of methodological guides and demonstration videos to encourage wider adoption, and thus hope to improve the resilience of warm-water coral reefs.

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