News
Last Saturday, November 16th, a special guest, KFF Vilnius office director Agne Vertelkaite, stopped by at the Alexandra Kazickas Lithuanian School. It was one of many special places visited during her three week trip to the USA.
A. Vertelkaite already visited Lithuanian communities in Chicago and Boston area, learned about their work preserving Lithuanian heritage. Compared to such large Lithuanian communities, A. Vertelkaite was genuinely surprised how small but personal A. Kazickas Lithuanian School community is. The guest observed some older students' classrooms, chatted with the younger ones during the break. She shared her personal story with the teachers, told them what an experience it was to return to live in Lithuania after spending many years in the US. She indicated that according to the statistics, for the first time more Lithuanians are returning that leaving, shared her observations that amount of opportunities for young people in Lithuania has been certainly growing.
A. Kazickas Lithuanian School serves Eastern Long Island Lithuanian Community of approximately 500 Lithuanians. Alexandra Kazickas' kindness, care and generosity reached not just Lithuanian children on Long Island, whose parents started the school in 2006 and named it after Alexandra Kazickas. Thanks to Alexandra Kazickas Grant Program (AKGP), started in 2012 after her death and providing financial help to Lithuanian schools in the US, it continues to touch more than 2,000 children learning Lithuanian language, history and culture at 44 Lithuanian schools all across America.
Most of the work the Kazickas Family Foundation does is in Lithuania with a goal to benefit its people and in the Lithuanian communities in the US in order to preserve Lithuanian heritage. Quite often different work areas crisscross and connect with each other, no matter which side of the Atlantic ocean they are. Lithuanian schools in the US, raising young Lithuanian language ambassadors, teach and encourage them to build stronger bridges with Lithuania, spread its name across the world and share their experiences with young people growing up in Lithuania.