2025 was a highly productive year for the Lithuanian Foundation

The 63rd annual Lithuanian Foundation Members’ Meeting took place on April 25, 2026, at the Lithuanian World Center (Lemont, IL). Juozas Kapačinskas, Chair of the Board of Directors, opened the event. The national anthems of the United States and Lithuania were played.

Fr. Artūnas Sederevičius, SJ, Director of the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis Mission, and Fr. Donatas Kuzmickas, SJ, read the invocation. A moment of silence was observed to remember and honor the Foundation’s members who passed away in 2025–2026.

Regimantas Jablonskas, Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania in Chicago, and Edita Buzėnienė, President of the Lithuanian American Community, delivered greetings. A video greeting was sent by Dalia Henke, Chairperson of the Lithuanian World Community. Dainius Petronis, President of the Lithuanian World Center, sent a written greeting.

Board member Ieva Dilytė presented a summary of last year’s annual meeting minutes, which were approved by acclamation.

Saulius Čyvas, Chairman of the Registration Commission, reported that members holding 11,148 voting rights cast ballots. Their votes by mail, online, and in person at the members’ meeting representing 22.8% of all possible votes. A quorum was maintained.

Marius Kasniūnas, Chairman of the Nominations Committee, presented the candidates for the Board of Directors.

Juozas Kapačinskas noted that during its existence, the Lithuanian Foundation has contributed a total of $32 million to initiatives that preserve and promote Lithuanian identity around the world, including nearly $2 million in 2025 for projects and scholarships.

President of the LF Executive Committee Viktoras Kaufmanas emphasized that 2025 was a year of interesting and significant meetings and productive cooperation across the Atlantic for the Lithuanian Foundation. He highlighted close cooperation with the Lithuanian American Community (LAC), noting that a solid number of LAC National Executive Committee members attending the Foundation’s annual members’ meeting is further evidence of this cooperation. Kaufmanas expressed his hope that the Lithuanian Foundation has a bright future and that the Foundation’s opportunities to promote Lithuanian heritage will continue to grow.

Chairman of the Finance Committee, Gintaras Vaišnys, Treasurer Laima Kilienė, and Chairman of the Grants Commission, Tauras Bublys, also presented their reports.

The report of the Vote Counting Commission was presented by its Chairman, Vytenis Kirvelaitis. After counting the votes received by mail, online, and in person during the meeting, the following were elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term: Tauras Bublys, Juozas Kapačinskas, Laima Kilienė, Gintaras Vaišnys, and Dalius Vasys.

At the end of the meeting, J. Kapačinskas thanked former member of the Board of Directors, Milda Davis, who served on the Board from 2017 to 2026 and was the President of the Executive Committee from 2021 to 2022.

At the meeting, the Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania in Chicago, Regimantas Jablonskas, and his wife, Ramutė, became members of the Lithuanian Foundation. They also gifted the Foundation’s membership to their newborn grandson.

Following the meeting, E. Buzėnienė gifted membership to her children, Eglė and Marius. Additionally, Romas Jelinskas, Vice President for the LAC Information Affairs, and Rita Šuliauskaitė, Vice President for the LAC Sports Affairs, became members of the Foundation. We welcome all new members and are delighted that the flame of Lithuanian identity will continue to be passed from generation to generation.

A meeting of the Board of Directors took place after the annual members’ meeting, at which Juozas Kapačinskas was re-elected as Chair of the Board and Viktoras Kaufmanas as President.

 

The Lithuanian Foundation, Inc. 2025 Annual Report (pdf)

2025-lf-metine-ataskaita-2025-lf-annual-report.pdf