One of the benefactors of Kardamilla was Michalis Markos Xylas, a shipowner who gave lots of money to the village, built churches, roads and was a fine example of the public-spiritedness that is needed to keep the island of Chios beautiful and running smoothly. As people in Greece have discovered through the years they can't count on the government so they need to help each other, especially those with more to give.