Malteser Children Day Care Centre in Raseiniai opened on September 3rd
The 3rd of September this year was a special day for Maltesers – Children Day Care Centre in Raseiniai was officially opened. Preparations for this important event had been underway since the winter: the walls were scrubbed and repainted, new and donated furniture was collected, and the best place to prepare lessons, to put books and tea cups was searched. The children had prepared in advance for the opening day, planning the celebration and welcoming guests. There was a lot of discussions about how to present the centre in a better and more interesting way, what to say about the centre, what to ask the guests, even what the cake would taste like. It was all important – after all, there were going to be extraordinary guests.
So, opening day. The most honoured guest was the First Lady of the country, Diana Nausėdienė, who is the patron of the Malteser Children Aid Campaign “Big ideas in a small heart”. She told everybody about the powers that the First Lady of the country needs to have in order to help others, especially children. The Mayor of Raseiniai, Andrius Bautronis, the Spiritual Leader of Maltesers, Vytautas Rapalis, the President of Order of Malta Relief Organization in Lithuania, Bronius Einars and the Secretary General Dalia Kedavičienė, the Manager of Children and Youth Programs, Gražvydas Pavalkis, and the General Manager of Young Maltesers, Neringa Sukauskaitė, came to congratulate children. The Maltesers’ flag was raised and the name plate of the Children Day Care Centre was presented, which will announce the activities of the Maltesers to every passer-by.
The Raseiniai Children Day Care Centre is attended by 15 children daily. From the very first day they walk through the door, they are accompanied by the theme of superheroes. Agnė Naujokaitytė, the manager of the centre, is working hard to make the children feel loved, needed and discover their true superpowers. It is no coincidence that the theme of the event was chosen to be superheroes, which is close to the children’s hearts: here, the children, dressed in impressive costumes, not only helped to host the event, but also acted as guides, showing the guests around the premises of their second home and telling them how they have fun spending their days here. Fr Vytautas Rapalis not only blessed the house by wishing it a long life, but also blessed the children, wishing them a safe and successful school year.
As the event got underway, a big surprise awaited the children and the guests outside – they were met by the crew of the long-time Malteser supporters “Adrorodeo”, with the racing driver Vaidotas Žala and the Škoda R5 car: the team not only told about their profession and activities, but also put the children in the car – here they could feel like real racing drivers, pressing the pedals and making a real rally noise.
Parents of the children and Maltesers from Raseniai and Viduklė also came to enjoy the event. From now on, the family of Raseiniai Maltesers Children Day Care Centre will be even more courageous and strong on the path of discovering their dreams and superpowers.
