Other events in Baltic States

A non profit organization The National Lithuanian American Hall of Fame (NLAHF) to mark the greatest achievements of Lithuanian origin people was founded in the U.S.A., the founders of the Hall said in a press release. Football greats, Dick Butkus and Johnny Unitas, film director Robert Zemeckis, screen stars Charles Bronson, Ann Jillian, and Ruta Lee, musicians Benny Goodman and Bob Dylan, author J.D. Salinger, and Senator Dick Durbin are but a few famous individuals with roots in a nation that was once the largest and amongst the most powerful in Europe, Lithuania.

Their achievements will now be commemorated by The National Lithuanian American Hall of Fame (NLAHF), the founders said. Lithuanians and their history have been living in relative anonymity among the American public, as Lithuania's voice on the world stage was silenced during a half-century of Soviet Occupation, reports LETA/ELTA,

With independence restored, Lithuania has reasserted its place in the advancement of world culture – a feat recognized by the designation of its capital, Vilnius, as the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2009, the NLAHF said. With a governing Board composed of members from various ethnic and racial communities, the Lithuanian American Hall of Fame is a non profit organization with a primary objective of acquainting the American public with Lithuanians, their epic history and unique culture. The NLAHF now takes this opportunity to publicize Lithuania's history and its people's global contributions in the arts, sciences, sports, politics, and economics.

The National Lithuanian American Hall of Fame's "Achieving Relevance" campaign includes educational initiatives in American and Lithuanian communities.