Lithuanian Foundation Annual Members’ Meeting as Vibrant as Ever

On April 26, 2025, members of the Lithuanian Foundation gathered for their 62nd annual meeting at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont, IL. Juozas Kapačinskas, Chair of the Board of Directors, welcomed the participants and introduced the guests of honor. Fr. Arūnas Sederevičius SJ read the invocation. A moment of silence was observed to remember and honor the organization’s members who passed away between April 2023 and April 2025.

Regimantas Jablonskas, Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania in Chicago, greeted the participants, noting that the event is first of all a celebration because the Lithuanian Foundation is an extraordinary success story. He thanked the organization for “preserving its direction, faith, and vision” and wished the participants meaningful discussions and inexhaustible motivation.

Video or written greetings were sent by Audra Plepytė, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States and Mexico, Dalia Henke, Chair of the Lithuanian World Community, Edita Buzėnienė, Chair of the National Executive Committee of Lithuanian American Community of the United States, and Consuls General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York and Los Angeles, Dovydas Špokauskas and Sandra Brikaitė.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ieva Dilytė, a member of the Board of Directors, read a summary of last year’s annual meeting minutes. The summary was approved by acclamation.

Dalius F. Vasys, Chair of the Registration Committee, informed that members with 9,404 votes, representing 19.81% of all possible votes, had voted at the meeting. The quorum was maintained.

Marius Kasniūnas, Chair of the Nomination Committee, presented the candidates for the Board of Directors: Saulius Čyvas, Jonas Didžbalis, Viktoras Kaufmanas, Vytautas Mačiulis, Aidas Mattis, Rimas Radzevičius, and Loreta Sadauskas.

While the votes for the Board of Directors were being counted, the chairs of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and other committees and commissions reviewed the Foundation’s activities for 2024. Juozas Kapačinskas, Chairman of the Board of Directors, expressed his delight that during its existence, the Foundation had donated $30 million to Lithuanian culture. He stressed the $2 million donation received last year from the Lilija and Antanas Kušeliauskas family as a special case in the history of the organization, emphasizing that this was a gift and not a bequest.

President Audronė Pavilčius-Karalius highlighted events in Lithuania—the centenary of the Lithuanian Song Celebration and the Day of World Lithuanian and Lithuanian National Communities which took place during the festival. She expressed her delight at the close ties with the National Executive Committee of the Lithuanian American Community of the United States, the Lithuanian World Community, and the Lithuanian consulates in the US.

Activity reports were also delivered by Finance Committee Chair Gintaras Vaišnys, Treasurer Laima Kilienė, and Grant Committee Chair Tauras Bublys. A report, sent by Development Committee Chair Jonas Howes, was read by Audronė Pavilčius-Karalius.

The report of the Vote Counting Committee was read by its Chair Vytenis Kirvelaitis. After counting the votes received by mail, online, and in person during the meeting, the following individuals were elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term: Saulius Čyvas (7,170), Jonas Didžbalis (6,655), Viktoras Kaufmanas (5,972), Aidas Mattis (5,634) and Rimas Radzevičius (6,840).

At the Board of Directors meeting held after the annual members’ meeting, Juozas Kapačinskas was re-elected as Chairman of the Board, and Viktoras Kaufmanas was elected as the new President.