CHICAGO

In our small Lithuania, nearly 15,000 children live with intellectual or physical disabilities. That is approximately one child out of every 200 people. The needs of these children depend on their disabilities, which can range from very mild to severe, requiring 24/7 care, psychological support, and significant financial resources.We spoke with several families raising children with disabilities, and every single one of them expressed that the support from the state is insufficient, there is a severe shortage of psychologists, and integration into society is lacking. So, how much does it cost to raise a child with special needs in Lithuania? Hundreds, or even thousands of euros, are required to ensure the child receives various rehabilitative services such as massages, hydrotherapy, specialized therapies, or even special dietary food to maintain their weight. Why does all of this fall on the parents' shoulders when life is already challenging? It is difficult for us to answer this question, but the least we can do is try to provide them with some financial stability, even if temporary.On October 7th, the charity event "You Matter to Me" took place at the “Siela” Gallery. The goal of this event was to support children with disabilities—Gustas, Urtė/Elzė, Erikas, Emilius, Ramunė, and Urtytė. These children share not only their unique health conditions but also the determination of their parents, who refuse to give up in their search for help. The event featured a concert and a charity auction, with all proceeds going to support these children's families.We are delighted by the incredible number of wonderful people who contributed to making this project a reality. We extend our deepest gratitude to singer, performer, actor, vocalist, and composer, as well as judge of the "Lietuvos Balsas" project, Justinas Jarutis, who immediately agreed to travel to Chicago and dedicate his solo concert to our cause. Joining him from Lithuania was Daiva Tamošiūnaitė-Budrė, a radio and TV host, event presenter, film voice-over artist, and representative of the “Save the Children” organization.This project was also made possible thanks to our wonderful volunteer photographer, Vika Aniulienė, who, along with TVS Digital Media founder Rytis Januška and Rasa Januška, traveled across various Lithuanian cities, taking the time to get to know these children, understand their struggles, and listen to their parents’ heartbreaking stories. Their work resulted in a beautiful photography exhibition and short video stories, allowing Lithuanians in Chicago to get a closer look at the lives of these children.Despite the thousands of kilometers between us, the kindness of people can reach even distant America.To make the event as productive as possible (in this case, to raise as many funds as possible for these little ones), many people living in Chicago also contributed. We express our gratitude to the director of the “Siela” Gallery, Asta Zimkus, for donating the venue for the children’s benefit, and to photographers Giedrė Gomes (Pictures by GG) and Agnė Tumpis (Agnė Kolete Photography) for capturing the special moments of the evening with their powerful cameras.A big thank you to Joana Bernotė, owner of the floral salon “Floral Lodge,” for the beautiful flower arrangements, to Daiva and Henrikas Malūkas, directors of HMD, for providing an auction prize, to Darius Žukas for donating tickets to a Fojė concert, to motorsports racer Benediktas Vanagas for his surprise auction contribution, to artist Edita Suchockytė for donating a painting, and to artist Agnė Valickas for her donated artwork. We also thank chef Kęstas Mickus for his culinary donation to the auction and our longtime supporters, “Baltic Food Distributing,” for their generous gift.We appreciate the support from “Bravo Bites” for providing snacks for the guests and Biatričė Liaucytė for the delicious desserts.A special thanks to young performers Ieva Techonovaitė, Paula Juzenas, musicians Emilija Baltrukonytė, and Elizabeth Romanyuk.A heartfelt thank you to singer, songwriter, and composer Rimantas Pažemeckis for his continuous friendship and support of the foundation, as well as to “3 Girls Party Decor” for creating a wonderfully cozy atmosphere at the gallery and working tirelessly through the night to ensure everything was perfect.We also thank everyone who participated in the auction, for your generosity and willingness to raise your hands for the sake of these children. You all created a true miracle—thanks to your kindness, we managed to raise an incredible $25,000!Of course, we cannot save all the children of Lithuania, but if we can improve the quality of life for even a few of them, then everything we do is worth it, and we must not give up.

 

With love,Chicago Mothers’ Foundation