Club's president Kaukėnas and player Žemaitis joined the "One Team" project
2025.01.09
Club
Business
Club's president Kaukėnas and player Žemaitis joined the

The Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius club continues its participation in the EuroLeague's "One Team" program, collaborating with the Lithuanian Deaf Sports Committee (LKSK) to increase the interest of the deaf community in basketball, promote an active lifestyle, and enhance social inclusion and integration into society through basketball and esports. 

The project involves activities with children and young people aged 10-21 with hearing impairments, both in basketball training sessions and computer classes. 

In the basketball training cycle, the Lavrinovič brothers, Darjuš and Kšištof, alongside "Wolves Twinsbet" guard Kristupas Žemaitis, join the participants. They lead the sessions, teaching basketball skills through various engaging games, and share their experiences and advice, answering all questions after the training. 

"It's a lot of fun. It's really nice to come, socialize, and spend time with the kids at the school. It's a new experience for me. This is my second time here, and I really enjoy the positive energy. It's great to see so many kids eager to learn, they understand everything well, perform the exercises correctly and enjoy doing it while competing with each other. There are smiles on their faces. It's been a really great hour," shared Žemaitis about the training experience.

In the third training cycle session, surprising all participants of the project, the club president Rimantas Kaukėnas joined the activities. 

"This reminds us how lucky we are that we can play basketball fully, that we can enjoy this sport, that we can spend time together with our families, and not only compete but also contribute to those in need, those who perhaps haven’t been given the same opportunities as we have. We are lucky to be able to carry out such projects, to participate in such actions and initiatives because it’s hard to understand what life really is, what sport is, and how it brings us together," said one of the "Wolves Twinsbet" leaders. 

When asked how he managed to complete all the tasks during the training, Kaukėnas admitted that exercising wasn’t easy. 

"I got tired. It knocked me down, but it was a lot of fun. It was great to practice," smiled the club president. "Their emotions are so genuine, open, and sincere, something you can’t fake. It’s incredibly fun and very pleasant. I would recommend everyone to participate in such events and organize similar activities." 

The "One Team" program is designed so that every child, regardless of their abilities or disability, feels included and important. First and foremost, through team games and collaboration exercises, the children learn to work together, trust each other, and build friendships. This helps reduce the social exclusion they might feel due to their disability. 

The program is a social responsibility initiative organized by the EuroLeague since 2012. Its goal is to help communities and address social issues through basketball. The program is unique in that it brings together all EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs, which participate and create their local projects aimed at solving community problems.