Jānis Kukainis, a longtime Latvian-American community activist, has been honored with its top award by the World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība, or PBLA).

In naming Kukainis, the PBLA noted his many years of service leading Latvian organizations and his efforts to convince U.S. politicians to support Latvia’s membership in the NATO defense alliance.

As is traditional, the recipient of the PBLA Award was announced during Nov. 18 commemorations around the world.

Born in 1943 in Rīga, Kukainis arrived in the United States in 1951 and settled in Detroit, Mich. He earned a degree in engineering from the University of Cincinnati and holds master’s degrees from Tennesee State University and Michigan State University. Kukainis worked for many years for the Ford Motor Co. in Detroit. He retired in 2000.

His work with Latvian organizations began in 1973 when he became a board member of the Latvian Association of Detroit, according to a PBLA press release. Over the years, he also served on the board of the Latvian Foundation and the Latvian Center Gaŗezers, as well as worked with the Michigan Baltic Committee and the Detroit Latvian School.

Kukainis was elected chairman of the American Latvian Association in 1996, which also brought him onto the board of the PBLA. It was during this time, the PBLA said, that Kukainis was involved in an intensive and successful campaign to gain NATO membership for Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

“Convincing members of the U.S. Congress to support this idea was to be an achievement not without investment of resources and relentless work,” according to the press release. “Jānis Kukainis understood this and with his far-sighted and resolute daring began to take stock of resources and inform the Latvian community to a degree not seen before.”

Kukainis, together with Latvian embassy staff and other Baltic activists, traveled to Latvian centers throughout the United States to activate community support for NATO expansion.

From 2002-2007, Kukainis headed the PBLA. Under his leadership, the organization worked to improve cooperation with Latvian government agencies and to bolster Latvian community activity in Russia and South America.

The PBLA Award was created in 1963 to honor the work of Latvian community activists or organizations. The recipient receives a certificate and a USD 5,000 prize. Last year’s recipient was Jānis Frišvalds of the United Kingdom.

About USD 280,000 in financial support for a children’s fund, a museum and a film have been approved by the American Latvian Association in honor of the 90th anniversary of Latvia’s proclamation of independence.

ALA Chairman Juris Mežinskis, in a Nov. 18 message to Latvians in the United States, said the association’s board of directors approved a USD 90,000 donation to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs). The museum, in downtown Rīga, presents the story of Soviet and Nazi occupation of the country between 1940 and 1991.

One result of the occupation, Mežinskis said in his message, is that 42 percent of Latvia’s inhabitants today are non-Latvians. Before World War II, the proportion of non-Latvians in the nation was 23 percent, according to the 1935 census.

The association also has approved a more than USD 9,000 donation to director Edvīns Šnore’s documenary film, The Soviet Story, to aid in copyright clearance so that the work may be shown to a wider audience. The controversial film, released earlier this year, argues that the Soviet Union helped Nazi Germany instigate the Holocaust.

A donation of more than USD 180,000 has been made by the association to the Latvia Children’s Fund (Latvijas Bērnu fonds). The fund is a Rīga-based nongovernmental organization focused on children’s health, education and development.