with five Rytas Vilnius players joining the initiative. In less than an hour, over half a ton of waste was collected from Pilaitė’s forest areas and the shores of Gelūžė Lake.
Rytas Vilnius players Ąžuolas Tubelis, Gytis Masiulis, Ignas Sargiūnas, Ignas Urbonas, and Martynas Paliukėnas rolled up their sleeves to help, while also participating in an educational “Basketball with Waste” session organized by Vilnius waste system administrator VASA for both children and adults.
“Vilnius is not just the city where we play, it’s our home and our people. Cleanliness, order, and caring for our environment and community show respect for ourselves and others. I believe true connection happens when we sincerely engage with our community. When different forces unite, real value is created – the feeling that we are together and no one is left aside,” said Ąžuolas Tubelis.
The clean-up was part of Rytas Vilnius’ social campaign, Together Against All, which aims to improve daily life, inclusivity, city cleanliness, and community strength. The club frequently engages in initiatives supporting children, various social groups, and animal welfare, visits schools, and contributes to environmental projects. Last year, Rytas organized a tree-planting campaign, making the Pilaitė clean-up a natural continuation of the club’s value-driven activities. Such initiatives also strengthen team spirit and foster mutual trust in the city, promoting a more sustainable and responsible Vilnius.
The event was organized with the support of Rytas’ golden sponsor, real estate developer Homa Group, which completed the Gilužio Rivjeros apartment complex by Gelūžė Lake and is currently developing a two-building project, Nendru, nearby. According to Homa Group CEO Jurgita Kveselaitė, a strategic company goal is improving daily life quality in every residential project, which depends not only on architecture and materials but also on creating a pleasant and healthy environment, community engagement, and other less visible aspects.
“Living closely with nature encourages us to care more for it, take responsibility, and help it prepare for seasonal changes – this formed the basis of today’s initiative. As usual, we found tires, furniture remnants, car parts, and other waste in the forests and by the lake. It’s wonderful that local residents enthusiastically joined the effort – together, we collected a significant amount of waste. This shows that Pilaitė residents truly care for their surroundings. When a team like Rytas leads by example, the message about responsibility to nature becomes especially inspiring for residents and young people,” Kveselaitė added.
Thursday’s clean-up was not the first collaboration between Rytas Vilnius, Homa, and the city’s communities. Last fall, the partners organized a training session in Lazdynėliai for children and their parents, led by coaches Gustas Maskoliūnas, Georgios Dedas, and 2023-2024 LKL Breakthrough of the Year winner Ignas Sargiūnas.