The success of the family in the area of shipping and the financial boost that followed right after it resulted in raised awareness of the family members. From then on, their primary goal would involve both supporting and promoting their place of origin, Oinnouses, and offering all kinds of help to their fellow human beings.
That goal was pursued with consistency by all the family members, who donated money and gladly offered their time in favour of: the promotion of Shipping and Education of Oinousses in Greece; the support of social welfare for the people in need; the strengthening of national defence and the upholding of the institutions of the Church and the family.
The contribution of the family – that both the State and the Academy of Athens have acknowledged – comprises the following important projects:
- The construction of the Oinousses Educational Complex, where the Marine Junior High School, the Unified Upper Secondary School and the Vocational Upper Secondary School have been operating since 1951
- The family’s financial contribution to the completion of the Greek General Hospital of Clerics and the provision of its medical equipment;
- The construction of the Oinousses Model Boarding School in 1972 which, in the course of time, has accommodated more than 1,500 boarders from all around Greece, the majority of whom have pursued professions in the shipping industry
- The construction of the Pateras Building in Evaggelismos Hospital for the free hospitalisation of Greek seafarers and their families. The building was inaugurated in July 1977 and more than 21,000 seafarers and members of their families have been hospitalised since then
- The construction of the 1st Elementary School of Chios in 1977
- The purchase and donation of the landing craft Oinoussai to the Hellenic Navy in 1977
- The purchase and donation of the passenger ship Oinoussai II in 1982 which addressed the needs of the island in relation to sea transport until 2007
Furthermore, the family has donated and still donates significant amounts of money for the maintenance and equipment of churches, hospitals and other public facilities, as well as for the support of our fellow citizens in need.
Apart from the above, the elder son of the family and national benefactor Ioannis D. Pateras conceived the idea of founding and operating the Pateras Foundations. Those would assure continuous contribution and help to vulnerable social groups, to shipping, to education and to the family’s place of origin.