Klaipėda Lyceum has been nurturing a tradition of social responsibility for more than twenty years. Throughout the history of the school’s charitable support project, the lyceum community has donated over €300,000 to those in need. This year, special attention is being given to a Ukrainian school affected by the war — Odesa “Harmony” Lyceum — as well as to the Klaipėda Autism Association “Rain Children.”
“Our community believes that education is not limited to academic knowledge alone — it begins first and foremost with values, compassion, and responsibility for others. For thirty years, we have been teaching children not only to create, but also to share, to notice those around them, and to respond to the pain of the world,” says Dr. Regina Kontautienė, Director of Klaipėda Lyceum.
A Charitable Support Project — 20 Years Strong
On December 18, Klaipėda Lyceum will host its traditional charitable support project — the musical fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” based on motifs from the legendary tale by the renowned German writer E. T. A. Hoffmann. The entire Klaipėda Lyceum community will take to the stage — from kindergarten pupils to graduating students, together with teachers. The directors of the performance are Tomas Jašinskas and Taurūnas Baužas.
The musical fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” has been a long-standing charitable project of Klaipėda Lyceum, organized for more than 20 years. Each year, the Christmas charity concerts bring together around two thousand spectators, and the funds raised are allocated to various social initiatives and individual beneficiaries.
Support for Orphans, War Refugees, and Children with Autism
Sigitas Benediktas Jurčys, who oversees support for Odesa’s “Harmony” Lyceum, notes that the school educates approximately 2,000 students: “Among them are 195 internally displaced children, 111 children of Ukrainian soldiers, and 8 orphans or children who have lost their parents. Some students were evacuated from active combat zones and are continuing their education at this lyceum. At present, one of the school’s greatest needs is the establishment of a new, modern computer classroom, which would ensure quality education for children growing up in wartime conditions.”
Over the years, support from the Klaipėda Lyceum community has reached the autism center “Little Prince Academy,” the Klaipėda Children’s Vision Education Center, Klaipėda’s “Medeinė” School, the Child’s Heart Association, the Order of Malta Relief Service, the Food Bank, the Association of Children with Diabetes, as well as children suffering from oncological and genetic diseases. In recent years, particular and consistent attention has been given to Ukrainian children who have endured the hardships of war.
The closing event of Klaipėda Lyceum’s charitable support project will take place on December 18 at 6:00 PM at the LCC Michealsen Center (Kretingos St. 36B, Klaipėda).