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Jurate Kazickas: I finally had the opportunity to meet Arminas Vareika, who is doing such a wonderful job with our Basketball Power program.

On TUESDAY evening, he took us to Veliuconys, where there was a facility for juvenile offenders. These boys, ages 16-18, had committed some petty crimes and were spending up to 9 months at this detention center. The building can house 25 and was near capacity when we visited.

In October, 2016, Arminas started a twice weekly basketball practice session in the evening with the help of another volunteer coach. It was clearly popular. The boys spent more than an hour running around, doing drills, dribbling balls, and shooting baskets. (I saw some good three-pointers!)

And then it was time for the real purpose and strength of the BP program.. a chance for the young men to be with a positive male role model and learn some life skills. Most of the boys come from broken homes and have no one to guide or care about them.   

Arminas asked me to say a few words. In short, I told them it did not matter why they were at the center or what had happened in the past. That upon leaving, they had a wonderful opportunity to start anew and make something of their lives. I asked them what were their dreams, what did they hope to do.

At first, they seemed reluctant to talk but then one boy said he wanted to own some land and be a farmer. Another said he wanted to work with computers. Another said he would finish school and try to get work as a mechanic.

I talked about our beloved father’s attitude towards life : that  nothing was impossible. Believe in yourself. Never give up your dreams. Your life has value. Don’t listen to the nay sayers.

Arminas followed up with some inspiring remarks to the boys. I watched how they listened to him so carefully as he spoke in a gentle tone about the importance of making a commitment to change their lives. 

Overall, I was so impressed by his dedication to these kids and the program. He also told me how much BP meant for his own life and self-worth. All this was so much beyond just being a basketball coach.

Alexandra Altman: When we visited the boys' detention center, I thought you could tell right away that the Basketball Power program and coaches meant a lot to the boys. When we arrived, they immediately ran up to Arminas and Edmintas and greeted them with high fives and fist bumps. And while they were a little shy at first. once they started talking about their dreams, you could tell they were eager and happy to have someone listening to them.

I see that as a major strength of the BP program, because all kids need to believe that their voices matter, and that someone cares about them -no matter where they come from or what choices they've made. I felt there was a lot of potential in that room, beyond basketball skills, and was honored to meet these kids and their very hard-working coaches. At the end of the practice and discussion, the boys all came up to shake our hands and thank us for coming-and we even got a hug from one of them!

Jurate Kazickas: THURSDAY: When I first heard that Lithuania had committed to receiving 1105 refugees from Syria, Iraq, Eritrea and other countries, I knew I wanted to meet some of these families.

The first refugees arrived in December, 2015 but it was not until this last trip to Lithuania that I was able to learn more about the country’s refugee program when we visited a center not far from Kaunas.

We met with Robertas Mikulenas, the director, who explained some of the details of the program. At that time, 78 refugees were housed in a large building, though previously there were 170. Each family was given clothing, bedding, dishes etc. as well as a small monthly sum (up to 489 euros depending on the size of the group) for food and other necessities. 

The refugees spend three months at the center then have to decide whether to leave or stay when they would be integrated into local municipalities around the country. (While they are in Lithuania they are permitted to travel to any other EU countries.) During their time at the center, the refugees are required to take Lithuanian language lessons.

“Labas rytas,” said Mahmoud with a big smile on his face.

He had arrived just two weeks earlier from Greece via Turkey having left his home in Aleppo, Syria in January. We sat and talked together in the spacious room that housed his family: four children aged 7, 5, 3, 13 months and a newborn little girl. The only Arab speaker in Lithuania, Ibrahim Hicham, a Lebanese who came to study 20 years ago and never left, translated for us.

“We had to leave Syria because of the bombing. We took the risk of trying to get to Greece. Some people would say we were crazy. We had to tie the children to the boat. The seas were very rocky. 

Two of my children have asthma and had to go straight to the hospital when we landed in Lesbos. The conditions there were terrible. The people with money were able to get to Germany but we had no money. We were given a list of 25 countries to choose from.”

Mahmoud listed his first choices: Ireland, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany …

“And then we were told we were going to Lithuania. My wife cried for three days. Why there? We had never even heard of Lithuania.”

Mahmoud said he had relatives in Germany but was told if he refused to go to Lithuania, the family would end up homeless on the street. Desperate, he even asked if he could go back to Syria. No, he was told.

But Mahmoud was trying to make the best of his situation and was quick to add that his family was well treated at the center. He wished he could get an apartment for his family and could find a job but was worried about economic conditions in Lithuania. Back in Syria he had a small shop.

“Very few refugees want to stay here,” admitted Mikulenas. “They don’t see any job opportunities here. They all want to go to other countries in Europe but they all worry what will happen to them when they leave. “

As we posed for pictures, Mahmoud said he wanted to thank the government and the Lithuanian people. “We feel very safe here,” he said. His wife even smiled.

Alexandra Altman: It was a privilege to meet some of the families at the refugee center. I was struck by the warmth in their eyes and smiles and their friendly greetings-they even gave us a traditional Syrian snack to eat while we toured the center. I can only imagine how intimidating it must be to be sent to some strange country -especially if you do not want to be there in the first place. I feel these resilient, kind people would surely be a credit to Lithuania if they did settle there.  I felt humbled that they shared their stories with us.

Jurate Kazickas: That afternoon I went to Kaunas Technological University (KTU) to meet with 4 winners of Dr. Jouzas Kazickas scholarships. KTU always arranges these little award ceremonies for me when I am in Lithuania.

As always, I was impressed with these bright young people. They spoke in English in deference to Alexandra about their studies and their future career ambitions. One woman who majored in chemical engineering was trying to develop a new mineral.  Povilas Peciukonis was studying construction engineering and working on the renovation  of public spaces. He said he would use his scholarship money to buy a new laptop.

At the ceremony, I told the students they were the best and the brightest and the only hope Lithuania had for its future. Too many young people are leaving the country to live elsewhere in Europe.

I am always so pleased to have the opportunity to spend time with our JPK scholars. They really do represent the future of our homeland and would certainly have made our late father very proud. 

Alexandra Altman: Finally, it was really fun and illuminating to meet the Juozas Kazickas scholars in Kaunas. They were friendly and polite and spoke such good  English. I enjoyed learning about their various projects and fields of study and was heartened to hear they wanted to stay in Lithuania so that their knowledge can benefit the country they love.

It was a real pleasure to be in Lithuania with my mother. While I've visited the country before, I have never been able to stay for so long and meet so many interesting people. I am very proud of the work of the Family Foundation and thank everyone who welcomed us so warmly