WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER

Dear community members,

Despite the bitter divisiveness of our national political dialogue, the San Francisco Lithuanian community has shown a glimpse of hope and unity working together toward common goals. 

Starting with Cepelinu Balius and culminating at our annual Fall Ball, we have exceeded our Fundraiser goal of raising $10,000 for San Francisco Lithuanian community. One half of all the donations will go to support the amazing work being done at Saturday Lithuanian School "Genys". The rest will benefit the events for our community. 

Special thanks to the many community members who supported or led these efforts including our community's leadership, Cepelinu Balius chefs, Saturday School teachers, Fall Ball organizing committee Marija Steibliene and Laura Dunn and the largest donors Nerija and Jason Titus, Donatas Januta, Rita & Keith Rosicker, Jurate Raulinaitis & Kirk Schneider, Aida Sakalauskaitė ir Vytautas Staraitis, Virgilija  & Martin Tali and many others. This couldn't happen without YOU! You can find the list of all donors here.

For these collective efforts, San Francisco Lithuanian Community stands as a beacon to this nation, showing how community can thrive, how people can collaborate, and how we can move forward together. 

We may have disagreements over the coming years, but where we have a common purpose, we have to stay strong. Since the new U.S. leadership has expressed doubts over automatically defending NATO allies in the Baltics if they came under Russian attack, it's especially important for the Lithuanian community to stay united. The role of our community has never been more important.

Never doubt- We are stronger together. 

Sincerely Yours, 
 

Tomas Janusas

Parodyk, kad ir tau rūpi bendruomenės gerovė!

View fullsize

Virgilija Tali

Chiropractor by day, Lietuviškos mokyklos GENYS vedėja by night

Paskaudę kojos, sunki galva, rankose - jėgų tik mažas likutis, bet šypsenos nepalieka mūsų veidų žiūrint į virš 100 žmonių, susirinkusių į Cepelinų balių! Labai smagi ir skani buvo rudens planavimo pradžia. Daug savanoriškų rankų triuso virtuvėje ilgas valandas suruošti šią nuostabią puotą. Ir žinote kodėl? Dėl to, kad mums yra svarbi San Francisco lietuvių bendruomenės veikla!
 
Aš ne vieną kartą esu girdėjus kitų lietuviškų mokyklų skundus, kad nesulaukia jokios paramos iš savos bendruomenės. Man tai yra beveik nesuvokiama, nes nuo pat Genio mokyklos įkūrimo mus rėmė San Francisco bendruomenės nariai ir darbais, ir idėjomis, ir pinigais.  Mokykla yra sukurta bendruomenės šeimoms ir jų vaikams. Mokykla ir yra dalis bendruomenės. Mes dirbame visi kartu išlaikyti mus siejantį lietuvybės siūlą, ir nesvarbu, ar jūsų vaikai šiuo metu lanko mokyklą ar ne.

Šie metai Genio mokyklai bus sunkoki. Mums iki mokslo metų galo reikia rasti naujas patalpas ir perkraustyti visą mokyklą. Tokie dideli pasikeitimai supurto jau gana sklandžiai vykusį darbą, brangiai kainuoja  ir išbando visų šeimų pasiryžimą skirti laiką mokyklai ir lietuvių kalbai.
 
Todėl dar kartelį prašome jūsų parodyti, kad jums rūpi bendruomenės ir mokyklos veikla. Jūsų parama, kad ir nedidelė, mums daug reiškia, suteikia naujų jėgų toliau dirbti, kurti ir planuoti.
Kazickų Šeimos fondas (KFF) padvigubins jūsų finansinę paramą mokyklai: surinkus $1,000 iš bendruomenės, Kazickų Šeimos fondas skirs papildomą $1,000 pagal "KFF atitikimo paramos" programą.
 
Taigi, nedelskite! Prisijunkite prie San Francisco lietuvių, paaukokite jums priimtiną sumą ir prisidėkite prie bendruomenės klestėjimo. Parodykite, kad ir jums rūpi bendruomenės gerovė!

ENGLISH
 

Show us that YOU CARE!

The feet are achy, hands are tired, the head is heavy, but we are all smiling! That is the outcome of a fabulous Cepelinai party. It was so wonderful to have over 100 people  join us today for the fundraiser kickoff. Chef-volunteers spent a lot of time in the kitchen to create this fabulous feast. And you know why? It’s because we care!
 
I hear many principals of other Lithuanian schools complain about no support from the surrounding community, and I can’t understand it because here I feel the school would not exist without the constant support of our community members. The school is created by the community, attended and run by the same community members for the same purpose - keeping that Lithuanian bond between us.
 
This will be a challenging year for GENYS school. We need to find a new building and move the whole school to the new location. Big changes like that are an ultimate test to the strength, commitment and dedication of all the families involved. 
 
So I ask you today to show us that YOU CARE! Begging for help is hard, seeing and getting your support is exiting, encouraging and exactly what we need to keep us going. On top of that, Kazickas Family Fund will be matching your donations up to a $1,000 through their "KFF Matching gift fundraiser 2016/2017" program. With a donation that is comfortable to your personal finances you will contribute to the school and to making our community the best Lithuanian community abroad, but most importantly, you will show the rest that YOU CARE!

Dainava ensemble in San Francisco

Good news for Lithuanian art lovers! The great ensemble of Lithuanian folk dance and music is coming to San Francisco! They will give us an hour of joy by performing beautiful music and dance pieces. Take your family and come spend a beautiful Saturday evening with us at the Presidio Dance Theatre. There will be a special educational program for kids!

FREE Entrance.

After the performance you will have a chance to hang out with the artists and also with their sponsors! During the event, you will have an opportunity to buy Lithuanian souvenirs and a traditional JUOSTA.

We cannot wait to see you there!

Please RSVP here

Dainava Ansamblis