REPORT TO
THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
City of
Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Calendar
Year Activities 2001
STATEMENT
OF PURPOSE
Owensboro Sister Cities, Inc. encourages global understanding between our
community and other world communities. The Owensboro Sister Cities
Program
will assist government entities with the proper reception of foreign
visitors and
dignitaries by serving as the community’s Office of Protocol; pursue an
ongoing
mission
to inform and educate our community concerning our area’s international
cultural
and business ties and their effects on our community; initiate exchange
programs in education, business, professional groups, and the arts;
assist
government
and its agencies in promoting our community’s cultural heritage
through
our Sister City(ies) relationship; encourage development and expansion
of international trade relationships and assist with foreign trade
missions; assist
community
organizations in direct relationships with similar organizations in our
Sister
City(ies) and elsewhere in the world, where possible.
Introduction
During 2001 we
had ten exchange visit components and a planning visit encompassing the
involvement of sixty nine people. Of these, 40 persons were incoming
visitors to Owensboro and 28 were
outgoing visitors to Olomouc. As you can see by the projection for 2002, there
is every reason to believe these exchanges between Owensboro and Olomouc will
continue to grow in number and participants. We will need increased financial,
logistical and manpower help if the program is to grow further. Indeed, as
Executive Director, I believe the timing is right for a community effort to
found an “Owensboro International Center”. This Center could serve the needs
of government, secondary and higher education and the Chamber of Commerce
efforts to project an international
image for Owensboro.
Please take the time to review the report and reflect
on our ability to project the City of Owensboro positively in the international
community. We believe that we have the most active of the nine U.S. - Czech
Sister City relationships and that the breadth of our program will reflect well
on Owensboro with any international contacts the city makes.
The Owensboro Sister Cities program touched the lives
of several hundreds of people involved in our exchange activities. The program
does an exceptional job of carrying out its charged mission. While this program
is dependent on support from the City of Owensboro, as an official international
link with the Sister City of Olomouc, the overwhelming financial support for the
program comes from individuals and donations from those institutions
participating in the programs. We can demonstrate at least $20.00 of support for
each city budget dollar allocated.
Our thanks goes to our area colleges: Kentucky Wesleyan for
scholarship support allowing Robin Joska to continue his study in Owensboro,
Brescia for partial funding of their students’ travel costs to Olomouc,
Western Kentucky University in Owensboro for encouraging student and main campus
summer study participation, and Owensboro Community College for granting
reassigned time which allows direction of this Community Partnership program. We
also thank the families who opened their homes and to the motels for assistance
in housing and employing our international visitors, to the three area school
systems for support of our exchange of students and teachers. There are just too
many to mention but the program draws on that which the community is known, a
shared caring to make visitors feel welcomed.
We are very
appreciative of the City of Owensboro, Owensboro Community College and the
KCTCS support for our efforts. The program represents a wonderful
community partnership combining the efforts of many community institutions,
businesses and individuals. There can be little doubt for the need to educate
our Kentucky citizens concerning our place in the global community. Whether for
citizenship, student growth or workforce development, there is an ever greater
demand for providing an international component for the communities we serve.
As representatives of the citizens of Owensboro, we
request your continued encouragement and active increased financial support for
Owensboro Sister Cities and our international efforts.
Year
2001 Activities
Palacky University Exchange Student
Owensboro Sister Cities continued to help with arrangements
allowing our Sister City Exchange Student, Robin
Joska, to study his final year at Kentucky Wesleyan College. He took his
Bachelor’s degree from KWC in May 2001. Robin has accepted employment at
Williams Company. Robin also now serves as Executive Secretary to the Owensboro
Sister Cities Program.
Jitro, Czech Girl’s Choir Performance, Ash Wednesday
The Czech Girl’s Choir contacted First Presbyterian
Church to see if a concert could be arranged in Owensboro on the choir’s way
from Jonesboro, Ark. to Berea, Ky. Owensboro Sister Cities funded the
performance when no other funding source proved to be forthcomng. The choir
members were hosted in the homes of 1st Presbyterian Church members
for their one night stay in Owensboro. There were thirty one members of the
choir.
Catholic
Schools Exchange
Mr. Alex Veselik, Principal
and Ms. Sarka Chlupova, English
teacher at the Ursuline School of Olomouc were introduced to the operation of
the Catholic School system in our community. They had the opportunity to visit
Catholic elementary schools, our Catholic Middle School and Catholic High
School. Materials and personnel were provided during the visit to allow the
gaining of an understanding of the financing and operation of this private
religious based school system. Saint Angela Merici Elementary School was the
host institution and homestays with parishioners were arranged by the school.
Our guests were also introduced to individuals and
institutions not directly involved with Catholic School operation. While the
focus of the visit was to benefit the Ursuline School in Olomouc, our guests
were introduced their American Sister City, to Kentucky and to American culture.
During the second week of their stay, the guests toured Mammoth Cave and the
Great Smokies on their own before returning to Owensboro for our Bar-B-Que
Festival.
Medical Exchange
June 1 - 14, 2001
In a continuation of the Medical Services Exchange begun in
February of 1998 with the visit of Dr. Ken Henderson, Senior Vice President of
Medical Staff Affairs for Owensboro Mercy Health System, Owensboro Sister Cities
arranged the participation of Dr.
Miroslav Herman and Dr. Zuzana Hermanova of the Palacky University School of
Medicine to participate in the Louisville Sister Cities International Medical
Conference. Upon return from the Conference, arrangements were made for their
introduction to the medical facilities and society in Owensboro. The Doctors
were hosted in the historic home of Dr. and Mrs. Wathen Medley on Frederica
Street.
Summer Study
Program, May 31 - June 25, 2001
The Owensboro Sister Cities Summer Study Program is a joint
effort of Brescia University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Owensboro Community
College and Western Kentucky University – Owensboro campus, as well as,
Henderson Community College, in a private/public higher education partnership
providing a summer overseas study opportunity for the community’s students.
Credit courses and instruction is supplied through Owensboro Community College.
During the summer 2001 session there were twenty students enrolled.
Instructors committed were: Professors Lorena Novak from OCC and Dr.
Roger Murphy of Brescia University. Dr.
Seth Parker from Kentucky Wesleyan College also accompanied the students. In
addition to their study of History, Political Science and Literature, the
students are able travel to Vienna, Budapest, Krakow and Prague. The summer
program works closely with four of the Olomouc Secondary Schools teaching the
English language and provides both American and Czech students the opportunity
to learn cross culturally.
Summer Study Participants:
Selisa Babb,
Brescia University
Allison Bandy,
Owensboro Community College
William Blixt,
Brescia University
Mary Bolin,
Brescia University
Sarah Clark,
Brescia University
Amber Evans,
Owensboro Community College
Joshua Girten,
Henderson Community College
Jon James, Brescia University
Jeremiah Johnson,
Owensboro Community College
Whitney
Kavanaugh, Western
Kentucky University
Sarah Lashbrook,
Owensboro Community College
Aimee Martin, Brescia University
Kristopher Mattingly, Henderson
Community College
Timothy Mattingly,
Brescia University
Renee Murphy,
Owensboro Community College
Samantha Powers, Owensboro
Community College
Michelle Robinson,
Western Kentucky University
Bethany Rose, Kentucky Wesleyan College
Angel Staples, Owensboro Community
College
Nicole Tapp, Brescia University
Daviess County Public Library
Mr. Tom Hicks,
represented the Daviess County Library and was hosted by the Olomouc Regional
Library during the first week in June. This was a reciprocal visit reflecting
the May 2000 Library Exchange with Olomouc Librarians having been hosted in
Owensboro. The focus of the exchange was on library organization, access and
services. It is hoped that continued sharing of resources will result from the
exchanges of personnel.
Summer Tourism
Industry Intern
Assisted by the University of Kentucky, we were able to
process a J-1 Visa for Pavlina Ververkova
to come to Owensboro for summer employment. Consistent with the Work
Experience in the US goals, we arranged for Pavlina to be employed in her Sister
City. Arrangements were made with Hampton Inn of Owensboro for Pavlina to work
in each of the critical skills areas of managing an American Hampton Inn. The
program had her work in everything from cleaning bathrooms to payroll management
for a complete overview of American hotel management expectations. Pavlina was
here under our invitation and thus housing was made available by the host family
of Dr. Andrew and Mrs. Jeannette Ward.
Summer "Work
Experience USA" Student
Workers
Michal Tesarik, Zdenek
Srsmek , and Radek Muller requested help from Owensboro Sister Cities in
securing employment for the summer. They had already secured a J -1 Visa through
a program which would let them work in the U.S.A.
during their summer break from college. As the young men were from the
Olomouc region and Michael is the son of our Sister City Mayor, employment was
arranged at the Executive Inn of Owensboro. As they had made their own visa arrangements and were not initially under an
Owensboro Sister Cities invitation, they were responsible for their own costs
while in Owensboro. The young men sought additional employment while in
Owensboro and at the end of their stay, traveled to Washington, D.C. and New
York City.
Secondary Student
Academic Year 2001 - 2002 Exchange
Marketa Mylkova
was one of the secondary students from Olomouc who visited Owensboro during Fall
2000. She expressed an interest in returning to Owensboro to complete her Senior
High School year here in the American Sister City. As her school, Gymnazium
Hejcin, is one which works closely in promoting student interchange, we were
happy to make this opportunity available. Marketa is attending Daviess County
High School fot the 2001 – 2002 academic year and is hosted by Mr. Stu and
Mrs. Kathy Silberman.
*** as a result of September 11,
we immediately relayed to Olomouc that these five youth were safe in Owensboro
to assure their parents that they would be looked after while in our city. The
parents were both relieved and touched that we showed our concern immediately.
Trinity Column Rededication, August
The City of Olomouc has fully restored Trinity Column, a
UNESCO World Heritage Monument, in the city’s main plaza. Each Olomouc Sister
City was to send official representatives to be present at this rededication
event. Owensboro Sister Cities Board Members, Burley Phelan and Larry Mayfield were asked by Mayor Morris to
represent the City of Owensboro. Contacts were made with officials from
Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, France, Bosnia, Germany.
2002 Currently Projected or in Planning Stage:
After my regular December visit to Olomouc to make
arrangements and pay deposits for our summer exchanges, discussions were also
held to explore potential exchanges for 2002. Some of these exchanges might be
combined, as far as visit arrangements, but there would be as many as ten
individual schedules depending on the theme of the individual exchange.
Law Enforcement
Exchange – an exchange with Olomouc’s Dutch Twinned City (Sister City)
of Veenendaal is scheduled and confirmed to take place February 15 –21, 2002.
Along with Chief of Police and the City Administrator in charge of Public
Security, the Veenendaal Mayor is
to participate in this exchange.
Fulbright Scholar
– Dr. Ivana Mrozkova of Palacky University is to be a Fulbright Scholar at the
University of Maryland. Her area of interest is in leadership development.
Owensboro’s four SACS accredited institutions of higher education, along with
Owensboro Sister Cities, have
agreed to jointly underwrite Dr. Mrozkova’s visit to Owensboro.
Medical Exchange –
we will again plan to participate with the Louisville Sister Cities Program in
offering a joint opportunity for Olomouc physicians to participate in the
Louisville Sister Cities Medical Conference and visit Owensboro’s Medical
Society.
Summer Worker
– we have been asked to provide an opportunity for an Olomouc university
student to come to Owensboro to work during his summer vacation. He has already
made contact here through participation with our summer study program in Olomouc.
We will secure employment for him and he will be the guest of Mr. & Mrs.
James Wolford.
Summer Study Program
– we are again planning for offering our summer study program in Olomouc.
Two professors, both of whom have participated in our program previously, have
agreed to teach again. We need a grant of $3000.00 to pay for these
professor’s expenses as they are housed and travel with the students daily.
Currently the overwhelming majority of students signed up to participate are
from the main campus of Western Kentucky University. Five student openings
remain for this exchange.
Scouting Exchange
– the second half of the Scouting Exchange is to take place July 1 – 23,
2002. Shawnee Trails Council and Owensboro Sister Cities are sponsoring the
Scouting Exchange. The group of 12 will travel first to Kandersteg International
Scout Camp outside Bern, Switzerland. They will then proceed to be hosted by the
Olomouc district Scouts. The Czech and American Scouts will be together the
entire exchange time of three weeks. Three openings remain for this exchange.
Law Enforcement
– The National Police of the Czech Republic (Olomouc District) and the Olomouc
Municipal Police will be extending an invitation to have Law Enforcement
officers visit Olomouc. This might be combined with an exchange with Veneendaal,
Netherlands.
Catholic Schools
– The Ursuline School of Olomouc will extend an invitation to the Owensboro
Parochial School System to have educators and Administrators visit Olomouc.
Fire Department
– Chief Kolarik of the Olomouc Fire Department will extend an invitation for
Owensboro Firemen to be hosted in Olomouc. This would be a reciprocal exchange
as the Olomouc Fire Department was hosted by Owensboro in May 2000
Construction /
Investment – We have been asked if an exchange focused on building and
construction could be arranged. The prime participant owns a construction
company and is interested in learning about American building materials and
techniques. The second participant is responsible for investment for the City of
Olomouc. Olomouc has two industrial parks well underway and interest is shown in
our Airpark development.
Secondary Students
– The Olomouc secondary educators who work with our students and professors
through our Summer Study Program are interested in again offering their students
an opportunity to visit the U.S. and their American Sister City.
American Information
Center in Olomouc
The City of Olomouc has offered the use of an historic
building in the center of Olomouc and additionally offered to reconstruct the
building at its expense in order to found the AICO. This project has been spoken
about in the past but the timing is right to proceed in earnest. Unfortunately,
I was unable to find funding to secure underwriting the American Information
Center Program costs. The City of Olomouc is about to sell the building.
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