Different countries chose different ways to help
In various European countries, the initiative was implemented differently – some organized charity dinners, others invited the homeless or socially vulnerable people to the festive table. Meanwhile, “Rekūrai” decided to create an unforgettable emotion for seniors.
“I am a grandchild of deportees myself, so when the team agreed to contribute and suggested creating the celebration right here, it was truly touching. We didn’t hear a single ‘no.’ All partners eagerly agreed to cut, style, trim nails, and paint. I watched them from the morning, saw how they changed, how curls formed in their hair and smiles appeared. The first ‘yes’ came from the famous chef Andrius Kubilius. Since then, we have not received any other response. I am most pleased that colleagues unanimously supported this project and dedicated their energy and time,” says “Rekūrai” leader Aurimas Kamantauskas.
Known professionals contributed to the celebration
“I think that as a society we need to get used to participating in voluntary activities and supporting each other, contributing to campaigns that truly bring good. There was no doubt about whether to contribute,” says the Michelin-starred chef Andrius Kubilius, who prepared the festive dinner for the charity event.
Professional decorators also donated their time to decorating. “When decorating the festive table, we wanted the food itself to be like decoration. We also introduced the seniors’ youth flower, the begonia, which they associate with their youth. The biggest challenge was not only to surprise but also to evoke a good emotion,” said Kristina Puotkalienė, creative director of “Event Gallery.”
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“Rekūrai” creative Gustas Navickas noticed that the elders, even being the center of the celebration, sought to take care of others. “They asked if it was really okay for them to eat here, as if they cared that there would be some left for us. On one hand, it’s modesty, but I think it comes from the fact that these seniors are very caring of other people, they give up their pleasures for the sake of those around them,” says Gustas Navickas, who suggested to the team to gift the celebration specifically to the “Deportees’ Home.”
“One must dress up for such an evening”
Jonas, 99 years old, says that although his life was full of celebrations, this one is among the most beautiful. “This evening, it was necessary to dress up. They sang to us, took photos, treated us,” rejoiced the resident of the “Deportees’ Home.” Emilija, 94, agreed with him. The woman sings in a choir herself and highly appreciated the songs performed by Julija Jegorova and Paulius Bagdanavičius before dinner. The senior enjoyed the photo session and the elegant celebration.
“The hardest challenge at the beginning was to believe that people would really come and do something for the elderly for free. But we saw how many good, wonderful professionals there are in our market who want to contribute. So now we already see that the biggest challenge here is to reach the age of these seniors, some of whom are even approaching a hundred,” summarized “Rekūrai” sales manager Karolis Butavičius.
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