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We are looking for any history you can provide on the relationships with our sister cities. In building our website and documenting as much as possible, it would be helpful to have information that will fill in the gaps. Currently, I am working on Orléans. I found a sheet titled “History of Wichita-Orléans ‘Sister City’ Affiliation”. It begins with 1947. Page 1 ends with 1949 and the “friendship express” train that was sent. Page 2 is missing and page three was copied so crooked that much of the text is missing. Page 3 ends with the year 1966. There must be more pages floating around somewhere. Can you help? We need history for each of our sister cities. Please send any text or pictures to our Historian. If you want it returned please include a self-addressed stamped envelope, or indicate that you will pick it at city hall. We need information on the bicyclists that came in May of 1988 from Orléans, when did we receive our replica of Joan of Arc, and where was it first placed? When did it get moved to it’s present location? When were Cancun, Tlalnepantla and Orléans Streets named? When was the first fire truck sent to Tlalnepantla? When did Tlalnepantla, Orléans and Cancun receive a replica of the “Keeper of the Plains”? What is the connection between Kaifeng and Wichita? Let’s talk about Cancun and all those exchanges. When was Wichita-Cancun Elementary school named? When did the school exchanges begin? What have I missed? Reed Bennett *1808 Anita *Wichita, KS 67217-2240 * rbennett4@cox.net
Although we did not have an “Official Visit” we were still were visited by friends from Tlalnepantla, twice! Our first group arrived on Thursday, May 6, on bicycles. A group of 4 male bicyclists and 2 men in a support van arrived in Belle Plaine about 3 p.m. They called Gilda Waren to inform her of their location and the search was on. Wayne Howdeshell and Reed and Peggy Bennett headed south on Broadway from 47th Street. After about 30 minutes of searching, the group was spotted resting in the shade of a patch of trees. A few minutes later the four cyclists were joined by Wayne and Reed for the remainder of their journey into Wichita. The Eagle, KAKE, KSN AND KWCH were all informed. No one showed up to get this story. That evening, the visitors from Tlalnepantla helped to decorate the float for the River Festival. It was very festive and well assembled with thanks to Bernadette Bradshaw, Liz & Jim McClure and several others. The following day the visitors rode their bicycles in the River Festival Parade, and the following day 3 of them ran in the River Run. Arturo came in 24th! Last year he finished the parade in 25th place. He expects to improve each year. They departed about noon on Wednesday, May 12. The following week we received a call from Linda Weir-Enegren, founder of Rainbows United, Inc. She called to inform us that her son Paul was getting married on the 29th and 29 people from Tlalnepantla were coming for the wedding! A reception was quickly put together in their honor and held on the 27th. Paul Enegren went to Tlalnepantla as a junior in high school twelve years ago. He was hosted by the Fuentes family with whom he kept in contact all these years. Paul invited two of his “host brothers” to be in his wedding and extended invitations to other members of that host family. So, they arrived and we acknowledged their visit at the Boathouse. After telling me that he does business with Tlalnepantla he was strongly encouraged to become more active in sister cities. I talked with him about our Trade Task Force and asked him to consider becoming a member.
I would like to thank many people for all the help and generosity given to our program in May. Every little bit of help you have given makes our program seem so organized and thoughtful. Thanks to the host families of the “biker group”: Sandra & Wayne Howdeshell, Barbara & Tim McKee, Peggy & Ed Brown, and Donna & Jeff Ehrlich. Thanks to Barbara & Tim McKee and Martha and Frank Fair for hosting dinner parties in their homes during that week. Thanks to everyone who brought food for those dinners and to the reception at the Boathouse. What on earth would we have done without Gilda Waren? I don’t even want to think about that! Gilda was our parade coordinator and did an excellent job too. We had a great looking float! In addition to that, she was our coordinator/translator for the “bikers”. Thanks Gilda. And thanks to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for hosting a dinner for the “bikers”. Thank you all for making me look organized and the program looking good. Peggy Bennett, President A big thank you to Kelly Harper for all she has done for the French program. Kelly found us a fantastic ambassador to Orléans in Rebecca Palmer. Rebecca is now back in Wichita and gave a wonderful report at the June 8 board meeting. Thanks for everything you have done Kelly. Click to enlargeLieutenant Colonel Garcia of the US Marine Corps, more commonly known as Ernie Garcia from Wichita, was called to active duty on Presidential Recall Orders in the fight against Global Terrorism. Ernie reported to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to serve with the Second Marine Expeditionary Force, (II MEF) as an Operations Officer in September 2003. In this assignment Ernie served as advisor and instructor to South American countries on riverine operations. Riverine operations use high speed craft to patrol rivers; in Colombia this contributes significantly to the war against drugs. Ernie also worked with the governments of Peru and Bolivia. In March, 2004, Ernie received orders to deploy to Haiti as part of a Combined Joint Task Force, a force comprised of U.S., French, Chilean and Canadian military forces. This U.S. led task force was created as a result of a United Nations mandate. The mission of the CJTF-Haiti, following the violence and chaos that began in February when armed rebels in Haiti launched an anti-government rebellion that led to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's departure has involved nearly three thousand multi-national troops in ensuring basic human rights and re-establishing law and order for the Haitian people. Ernie serves as the Chief of Civil Affairs for the CJTF-Haiti. In this role, he leads a team of U.S. Army, Chilean, French and Canadian soldiers in the effort to minimize civilian interference in military operations; restore a secure environment enabling non-governmental organizations to provide vital humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti and lastly, to prepare a smooth transition to follow on UN forces. Ernie’s public affairs/government background at the national, state and local level has served him well. The challenges abound for the people of Haiti and this uprising has made it difficult to meet the most basic needs. Riots are common – for food, jobs, and clean water. Schools lack books and desks, hospitals lack medicines and large areas have no running water, sewer or trash pick up. Although the media talks about two parties, in reality, each town is controlled by a warlord and his gangs. Sniper fire is a constant danger. The United Nations estimates that it will take 8,000 troops a full 20 years to restore stability to this country. Ernie looks forward to returning to his family and friends. Submitted by Amy Garcia Recently we developed a speakers guild to fulfill a request at city hall. Periodically, Carla will receive calls requesting speakers for various organizations and our board thought it would be great to develop a speakers guild to address that issue. This is an ideal way to get the word out about our program and events. At the June board meeting, it was decided that we develop a power point presentation for this reason. Therefore, I am requesting pictures that will be scanned into my computer and included in the slide presentation. Send to Peggy Bennett at rbennett4@cox.net . I’m looking for pictures of buildings in our sister cities and for speakers. If you can help in either capacity, please contact me at 267-5897 or one of the addresses previously mentioned. Please include text to describe the photo. You may or may not remember that we have put together a trade task force to address the issue of developing trade relationships with our sister cities. To date, not much more has happened, however I have not given up. Recently a letter was sent to a local business to inquire of their level of interest, and dialogue was established with another local business who currently is involved with Tlalnepantla. More on this later.
Tibin Zhang of Kaifeng, who now works in Washington D.C. went home to China for a two-month visit. He just returned to D.C. and sent an e-mail informing us that the Children's Art Troupe from the Henan Province of China will come to Wichita for a performance. This will follow their performance at the Wolftrap International Children's Art Festival in the Washington DC area which is scheduled for September 18 and 19. It will be the first time for this dance troupe to visit Wichita. Keep watching the website for more information, which will be posted as it is received.
To the Members of Sister Cities, I would like to thank you from the deepest of my heart for your gracious contribution. This opportunity will allow me to explore a world of wonder and culture that will hopefully lead to a new discovery of myself. Your helpful contribution permits a far greater concentration on my upcoming cultural experience. Without the abundant graciousness of the Sister Cities Board, my life would be leading down a different path. I am humbly honored to accept this scholarship and I thank you with all my heart. Jonathan Brooks. Dear Sister Cities Committee, Thank you for the study abroad Scholarship for Cancun. Without your help I would not have been able to make the trip. Thank you once again for what I believe will be the chance of a lifetime. Jerry Garcia Dear Sister Cities Committee, I would like to thank you for the study abroad scholarship for Cancun. I am very grateful to be a recipient for a second year. I know that this experience will be even more rewarding than last year. I appreciate that I was considered to be a second year recipient. Thank you so much for helping me move closer to my goal to become a fluent Spanish teacher. I can’t thank you enough for this scholarship. Stephanie Hanson Dear Sister Cities Committee, Thank you very much for your generous scholarship towards my study abroad trip this summer. I love the Mexican culture and I am thrilled to be going to live there for an entire month! I am extremely privileged to be given this opportunity, and I thank you so very much for helping to make this fantastic trip more affordable. I hope that by going on this trip, I will become very well versed in the Hispanic culture and fluent in the language and hopefully make friends that I will continue to communicate with. Thank you very much. ♥ Emily Johnson Dear Sister Cities Committee, I would like to express my profound gratitude to you and to everyone who worked hard to raise the funds for the Sister Cities Scholarship Program. This award will aid me immensely to cover the tuition expenses for the Cancun Study Abroad Program. I come from a Mexican family and this program means a lot to us because I will finally have the opportunity to travel to the “deep south” portion of Mexico. Had it not been for the Sister Cities Scholarship Award, I would have not had the funds to cover the program’s expenses in its entirety. My family and I lived in southern California where we would travel to Tijuana, Mexico, which is a city that lies in the border between California and Mexico. I was always told that Tijuana does not resemble what is knows as the true Mexico. Tijuana is such a dirty city that I grew up thinking all of Mexico bore a resemblance to it. Eventually, I grew out of that misconception because I saw wonderful pictures of beautiful cities in Mexico like Cancun. But no picture will ever compare to having the actual experience, which is what you have granted me by rewarding the Sister Cities Scholarship. You have given me the ability to experience an event that I will be able to look back to for the remainder of my life, not only the opportunity to further my Spanish speaking ability, but also the opportunity for me to understand my own culture and to see the roots of my heritage. Those are the reason why my family and I appreciate your financial support, because without it I would have not had the opportunity to live this life rewarding experience. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for awarding me the Sister Cities Scholarship. With great appreciation Isabel Moreno and Family Dear Sister Cities, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude. This is the second time I have received your very generous donation. You not only are helping me financially but also you are giving me the opportunity to improve my life. Thank you very much. Matt Riddle Dear Sister Cities Committee, I want to thank you very much for the help you have given me in taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity to study abroad with this wonderful institution. Thank you, Alyma Ruple Dear Peggy Bennett y toda la organización, Gracias por la ocasión que me ustedes están dando. He querido ir a un país español por muchos años. Con la ayuda de ustedes, ahora puedo tener esto organización porque siempre estan ayundando nuestro comunidad. Honran la gente muy para tenerles. Y también me honran recibir su beca. ¡Muchas gracias! Sincermente, Jennifer R. Tyson
Obviously, with the web site up and running, you will be able to view the newsletter on the Internet by going to the button titled “Newsletter”. It is the fifth button under the Sister Cities logo on the far left portion of the home page. Now you will have the option of reducing the amount of paper you have around by viewing this newsletter on line. If you wish to omit receiving this newsletter in paper form, please call Carla at 268-4331 to make your request known. July 13 - Next Board Meeting—call Carla at 268-4331 to get “pre-cleared” if you think you might possibly arrive after 5 p.m. On the agenda: 1. Request for approval of website expenses. 2. Discussion of possible gigantic garage sale as our next fundraiser. 3. The displays for the Museum of World Treasures July 14—Bastille Day Celebration—Wichita Boathouse 6:30 to 10 see page 3 for details or visit the “Calendar of Events” for more information, including the menu and links to the Bella Luna Café locations. Sept 13-18—Mayor Mayans will head a delegation to Tlalnepantla. Sept 23—28—Sister Cities Fall Official Visit—we are expecting guests from Orléans and Tlalnepantla. Our interactive program with the students from Cancun and the website that showed their families a daily diary, has won an award for Technology and Innovation from Sister Cities International. The awards Banquet is July 17. Return to Home Newsletter Archives |
