SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Anna Litvak made South Orange her home in 2015, but no matter how much she has grown to love the village, she will never be able to turn her back on her first home, Latvia.
Litvak, who lives in South Orange with her husband, will host a fundraiser for The Art of Giving Project, her nonprofit organization, on Saturday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the Wellness Lounge, 14 South Orange Ave. in South Orange.
The event will bring members of the South Orange and Maplewood community together for a silent auction, during which locals will have the chance to eat, drink, mingle and bid on artwork made by orphans and disabled children from Latvia. The money raised goes back directly to help children, providing aid such as medicine, shoes, school supplies, beds and clothes, as well as orphanage repairs and renovations on an ongoing basis.
For Litvak, working to improve the world around her is an intrinsic part of her being. As such, she currently works at the United Nations, where she was the youngest delegate when she started there.
“I came to United States by myself at the age of 17,” Litvak told the News-Record recently via email, adding that she attended college and law school in San Francisco. “After winning a major human rights case in California, we moved to New Jersey and I was asked to join the Mission of Latvia to the United Nations. About five years ago, I left the Mission to work for the United Nations Secretariat. Today I work for the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, an organization that consists of 193 member states.”
It is not just her work at the United Nations that inspires Litvak to work for a better future for those still living in Latvia; she is inspired by her past, one in which she witnessed much that she vowed to help change.
“I came to this country from Latvia at the age of 17, without my parents or any other support group. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, I knew I would now be able to travel beyond the Iron Curtain and seize opportunities that my parents never had,” Litvak said. “Since I was a little child I have observed lawlessness and inequality of the society around me. I have made it my life goal to challenge any person, institution or government that oppresses or otherwise violates human rights as well as to educate the people around me about the different cultures so to promote better relationships between nations of the world.
“Being at the U.N. at such a young age allowed me the opportunity to meet many inspirational people, including politicians, actors, royals and activists,” she continued. “It reminded me of the phrase of Albert Einstein: ‘Only those who attempt the absurd achieve the impossible.’ I believe that nothing is impossible and it is my duty to share my knowledge and experience with others, particularly with young people. To me, everyone’s life and dreams matter and that’s why I started The Art of Giving Project.”
It is, however, her experiences at the United Nations that have helped focus Litvak’s drive to help.
“Being one of the youngest people to work at the U.N. made me think I can truly help and give back to others, particularly provide more opportunities to children living back in Latvia,” Litvak said. “In 2010 I started The Art of Giving Project. In Latvia, children make a lot of beautiful artwork as part of the school program; however, the artwork usually goes nowhere and, many times, is simply thrown away. My idea is to collect the artwork and organize events through which the artwork is sold and the money generated goes back to benefit the children.”
According to UNICEF, there are approximately 4,000 — if not more — Latvian children living in orphanages. As Litvak pointed out, while this number may seem small, it is quite large considering the country has a population of fewer than 2.5 million persons.
“Most importantly, the existence of the project has inspired many children to create artwork to be auctioned off at our fundraising events and has given these children a sense of meaning and the ability to dream,” Litvak said.
According to Litvak, many members of the diplomatic community, as well as artists, philanthropists and members of the fashion industry, have thrown their weight behind her organization. In fact, the project has received official support from the former president and first lady of Latvia, and, in 2016, the nonprofit was recognized for its work by the United Kingdom’s Princess Anne. But Litvak is especially grateful for the way in which the South Orange and Maplewood community has come together to support the work of her organization.
“People in South Orange really care about each other’s well-being and are always working hard to improve the community. For me, it has a certain family feeling to it,” Litvak said. “I also enjoy the strong activist spirit of South Orange. I am so impressed and am so incredibly grateful to members of the South Orange and Maplewood community who are all coming together to make this event a success, including our village president, Sheena Collum, and many others.
“After receiving such tremendous support and seeing how caring and family-oriented our community is, I am looking forward to meeting more of its members,” Litvak continued. “We live in tumultuous times. However, we can all still have an effect on the lives of others. We might not have the power to make the world work the way we envision, but by helping just one person, we do have the power of making it a better place.”
To attend the June 10 event, RSVP by June 1 to annalitvak@outlook.com via email. For more information, visit www.theartofgivingproject.com.
S.O. resident gives back to children in her native Latvia added by Yael Katzwer on
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