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Looking ahead at the New Year, Jurate Kazickas reflects on 2017 and shares her gratitude:
"As we come to the end of 2017, I am so gratified to see all the good work the Kazickas Family Foundation is doing with its support of more than 70 programs for education, culture, and social affairs - more than 50 of them in Lithuania. Since its inception in 1998, the foundation has donated about 11 million dollars to worthy charities.
Our web site, www.kff.lt has a full listing of our giving as well as up to date information on our many activities.
What was most exciting about KFF this year for me was the continuing engagement of the next generation – the eleven grandchildren of Joseph and Alexandra Kazickas. Three years ago, my three brothers and I decided to give them the opportunity to donate funds to some charities and organizations that were important to them, and not limited to Lithuania.
They came up with a very varied list in different areas: heath, education, disaster relief, the environment, cultural awareness and more. For example, through their involvement, KFF helped provide more mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa and is supporting a prison creative arts project along with programs to prevent sexual violence and help stem the opioid crisis.
I am extremely proud of my three children – Alexandra, Nicholas, Kristina Altman - and my 8 nieces and nephews: Alex, Victoria, Annalina, Augie, Peter , Sophie, Kiki and Jack. They have shown a true commitment to philanthropy as well as real initiative in finding and researching non-profit organizations that strike a chord with them. The most meaningful giving comes when the heart is touched.
A special shout out to Peter Kazickas for his enthusiastic involvement with the Basketball Power program. As a volunteer in Zimbabwe for the ‘Hoops for Hope” non-profit a few years ago he saw the potential for something similar in Lithuania. Now Basketball Power, under the leadership of Arminas Vareika, brings volunteer coaches to teach life skills and social responsibility to more than 300 boys and girls throughout Lithuania. And kudos for his sister Annalina for taking on the thankless task of rounding up the cousins for a timely distribution of their donations.
I look forward to 2018 with great enthusiasm. It is a very significant year for Lithuania which will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Act of Independence on Feb. 16, 1918. But more important for the Kazickas family, will be the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of our father and grandfather, Joseph Peter Kazickas, who was born on April 16, 1918 and devoted his long life of 96 years to his homeland. Some wonderful and interesting events are being planned for the year to celebrate his memory.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Neila Baumilinene and Zenonas Bedalis, our KFF executive directors in New York and Vilnius, for their faithful commitment to the work of the foundation as well as Ginte Genender, who updates the KFF web site with such skill and creativity. I would also like to thank Rolandas and Kristina Auksakis, who maintain our home in Vilnius so it is always ready for our visits.
But in this Christmas season, let us not forget all those who suffer misfortune and hardship around the world. There is still a great need for our work. The purpose of KFF is to do good and help wherever we can.
In the words of Joseph Kazickas, as quoted in his autobiography, Odyssey of Hope: ”Life only has meaning when one is sharing good fortune with others and contributing to a better life for everyone.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Jurate Kazickas