ROTARY IN LITHUANIA
POST SOVIET ERA
Shortly after regaining its independence, Rotarians Peter Althini and Thomas Lundahl visited the former Rotary town of Klaipeda in 1990 and in May 1991 the KLAIPEDA ROTARY CLUB was registered and was formally chartered in Dec1992. KLAIPEDA R C therefore became Lithuania's first Rotary Club in independence. In 1993 VILNIUS R C and KAUNAS R C were chartered.
SIAULIAI RC, SILUTE RC, and PANEVEZYS RC became members of Rotary International in 1994.
By 1999 ALYTUS, MARIJAMPOLE, PLUNGE, RADVILISKIS, MAZEIKIAI, UKMERGE, DRUSKININKAI, TUARAGE had all started to operate as Rotary Clubs and Rotary was away and thriving in that country.
The reestablishment of Rotary in Lithuania was a real "Scandinavian Rotary family" affair.
The Norwegian Rotary Clubs of Brevik and Oslo and three Kokkola Rotary Clubs from Finland, assisted greatly to get VILNIUS R C reestablished, while Swedish and Danish Rotary also did their bit.
In 1994 Lithuanian Rotary was placed under the guidance of Danish district 1460 and the Lithuanian National Rotary Leadership was created under the guidance of PDG Carsten Leth of Borgense Denmark. With Vilnius President 1994/95 Mindaugas Cerniauskas as vice Chairman.
It was Lithuania' s strident success in Rotary establishment which motivated Rotary International to select Lithuania as the most appropriate Country to host the first ever International Rotary Conference in a former Communist country which was held in Vilnius in 1995.
Presided over by then President Elect Herb Brown of Rotary International, this conference with Swedish, German, Swiss, New Zealand and Danish speakers gave the Lithuanians their first taste of experiencing the international nature of the Rotary organization.
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