2011 01 11 Vilnius Dear brothers in Ringkoebing and Askoy, We wish You a Happy New Year 2011 and believe that it will be full of new ideas and good work! Vilnius Y's Men's Club members are happy about nice relationships and a good mood in the club again. Although the number of members of the club has declined slightly, but in June new members who joined the club soon became real members and are active. Since all of our members are very busy people, we, as before, gather to meetings once a month the second Tuesday of each month. Meetings are regular, themed, interesting. We cooperate with: Vilnius Karoliniskiu community and Jerusalem's Church parish in Vilnius, Skemu social care home (Rokiskis region) Vievis Y's Men's Club Tempus. The main event of the year 2010 in our club was the official registration of it on the 2 nd of June. Now we are recognized as the Lithuanian non-governmental organization with its own statutes, seal and bank account. We will briefly present our activities in the second half of 2010:
July. We went to Skemu social care home, where a cooperation agreement was signed. In this social care home there are living people with mental disabilities, so they really need very warm communication. With the pension administration we discussed cooperation in cultural and social fields. For several summers with the initiative of our club there have been Skemu plain-airs for visual artists (painters, sculptors) organised. This summer, in the living environment of the people with mental disabilities there were five pieces created (fresco in lounge, wooden and stone sculptures in the yard and in the park). We are proud that our club contributed to the organization of the artists' plain air as well. August. Club Board met with the Vilnius Karoliniskiu elderate leader and the community chairman. We discussed the Christmas program of cultural events and social support for lonely people of the community.
September. Our club members Audrone and Arunas went to Finland-Balticum regional conference in Turku (Finland). Later while the meeting of our club they presented the information obtained, shared impressions and news of the region. October. Club president Saulius Bagdonas prepaired a set of psychological lectures "Formula of Succes" and he read them in Vilnius and Vievis for both young and elderly people as well as presented Y s Men movement. Part of the income from these courses has been transferred to the club's account. Club members met with the pastor of the church of Jerusalem parish in Vilnius. November. We produced Christmas cards. We combined activities of the Christmas period with the representatives of Karoliniskes community and Jerusalems parish. We turned to several schools asking pupils to prepare Christmas presents, which were intended to be brought to Skemu social care home. December. We've sent more than 150 of our own made Christmas cards with the wishes for lonely people in Karoliniskiu elderate, developed a cultural program for children of Karoliniskes community and of Jerusalem parish.
We transported more than 50 small Christmas gifts to residents in Skemu social care, which we presented during a Christmas concert. In all of our Christmas events, Santa Claus was member of our club Arvydas Bagdonas, who is the main Santa Claus in Lithuania. Arvydas devoted part of the income earned by private Christmas events to the club. We regret that we were unable to participate in training in Riga, especially having in mind the fact that the training leaders were our friends and brothers Bent Erik and Kristen. Thank you for helping our region and district. The year 2010 for our club was not easy, but we are happy that we are strong. We have two potential new members who are going to join the club this spring. Although our work are modest, but they contribute to help people and promote Y s Men movement. On the first half of 2011 in Vilnius Y's Men's Club Plans are to help in arranging the environment of Jerusalem Church, Easter cultural events and aid to disadvantaged people of Karoliniskes community and to residents of Skemu social care home. We thank you for the invitation to participate in the Area Conference in Denmark. We are planning that some of our club-members actually come to you. We hope also to meet you in Lithuania. We sincerely appreciate your support to our club. Communicating with you every time we come to believe that Y s Men s movement is a beautiful and powerful force.
Sincerely, The President of the Vilnius YMC Saulius Bagdonas, Secretary Audronė Stepankevičiūtė