The project The Cinema Odyssey of Kindness 2009: It Feels Good to Do Good presents screenings of Before Flying Back to the Earth, a film by Arūnas Matelis dedicated to the Millennium of the Name of Lithuania. This is a call for solidarity with children diagnosed with cancer. The screenings encourage the audiences to discuss this subject and offer their time, thoughts, prayers and talents to sick children.

The longest ‘stop’ of the Odyssey of Kindness so far took place in Plungė and has just closed after having run three weeks. Over 6500 students from twelve secondary schools answered the call to participate, and the Plungė LIONS club has agreed to become partners of the project. Lessons of kindness were taught at schools for two weeks, which involved screenings of the famous film directed by Arūnas Matelis, Before Flying Back to the Earth. Psychologists from the Pedagogical and Psychological Service of Plungė and teachers from district secondary schools held discussions on “How to Come to Terms with the Disease”. Then young people made presents and plated an impressive forty-meters-long Garland of Hope from over a thousand colourful butterflies, kites, swans, pigeons with wishes, prayers and compassionate words not only for the little patients, but also for their parents and doctors. The Plungė LIONS club donated a cheque of 1,000 litas to a young family in Plungė with a three-years-old boy who has been diagnosed with cancer.

According to the organizer Mrs. Lolita Vaitkevičienė, “The action has proven that people have a lot of kindness, compassion and devotion in their hearts. The following schools will shine with orange ribbons on the map of kindness at www.GeraDarytiGera.lt: Saulės gymnasium, Senamiesčio secondary school, Ryto grammar school as well as schools of technologies and business in Plungė, also schools in Alsėdžiai, Kuliai, Nausodis, Narvaišiai, Plateliai, Žemaičių Kalvarija, Žlibinai and Staneliai.”

Matelis, who came to the final event, thanked everybody for understanding and compassion and said that Plungė deserved the title of the Capital of Kindness of Lithuania for such an impressive action of kindness. The patron of the action was the Mayor of Plungė, E.V.Lapukienė.