Sister Cities to send delegation to China as goodwill ambassadors
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and City Council representative Dennis Shingleton will lead a delegation to Guiyang, China April 13-22, 2012 to sign the official sister cities agreement in China.
The exchange will consist of three nights in Guiyang visiting local sites of interest, as well as the official signing ceremony at city hall and celebration banquet. The exchange will also include four nights in Beijing visiting the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square and a tour of the Forbidden City. Anyone wishing to join the delegation is invited to join the group on this momentous occasion. Applications and deposit deadlines are posted on the Sister Cities webpage.
“Fort Worth is eager to formalize relationships with Guiyang and looks forward to many beneficial exchanges between our two cities. Together, Fort Worth and Guiyang, hope to create a better understanding of our individual cultures. There are many similarities and many differences we will be able to share”, said Mayor Betsy Price.
In May 2010, a Fort Worth delegation of Sister Cities board members, representatives from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, City of Fort Worth and local business leaders visited China to determine which city to invite to become Fort Worth’s eighth sister city. Upon a recommendation by the Sister Cities board of directors, the Fort Worth city council unanimously selected Guiyang, China and an official invitation was extended. Guiyang immediately followed with its acceptance. In October an official delegation of eight lead by Mayor Li from Guiyang visited Fort Worth to sign the agreement here.
Guiyang is Fort Worth’s eighth sister city and the 124th U.S. city to form a sister city partnership in China.
Students work photo booth to raise scholarship dollars
185 local students, teachers, parents and young professionals will work each weekend at the base of the Sundance Square Christmas tree taking photos with Santa starting Friday until Christmas.
This is the 10th year Sister Cities has partnered with Sundance Square to provide photos with Santa during the holiday season. The money raised provides scholarships for students to participate in international exchanges and programs when financially they would not be able to otherwise.
Last year Sister Cities received over $16,000 for scholarships during the three-week program. “As a benefit of Sundance Santa, youth learn about the cultures of Fort Worth’s sister cities, work together to host international events and serve as youth ambassadors experiencing new cultures firsthand,” said Ann Rice, Chair Elect of Sister Cities. “These exchanges open the door to the world for students giving them the chance to explore history and experience languages, food, culture and arts of the country they visit. The students also live with host families giving them a unique experience,” said Rice.
Photos are $7.00 each and is 100% tax deductible. The photos make fantastic gifts and holiday cards while benefiting local students.
Sundance Santa starts Friday, November 25 immediately following the Tree Lighting and Sundance Parade of Lights and continues every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 23rd.
Greg & Tina Kalina named champions at Dancing with the Sister Cities Stars!
2011 Celebrity Stars Champs Greg & Tina Kalina
Del Frisco’s General Manager Greg Kalina and his beautiful wife Tina were awarded the mirrored ball trophy as Dance Champions at this year’s Mayor’s International Dinner benefitting Sister Cities held November 17th at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel. They performed a lively Disco to an Earth, Wind & Fire song. Close behind in 2nd place were Sundance Square President Johnny and Sherri Campbell and Bank of Texas CEO Mark and Robin Nurdin rounded out the top three.
The event was Chaired by Greg Morse President/CEO of Worthington National Bank and hosted by Mayor Betsy Price. Dancing with the Sister Cities Stars was a huge success raising over $225,000 to support Sister Cities’ efforts to provide educational, cultural and economic opportunities for all Fort Worth citizens.
The surprise of the night was the Dancing Divas led by Mayor Price herself. These ladies, all community leaders, tap danced to Glamorous by Fergie and wowed the crowd with their dancing skills. They included Mayor Price, Becky Renfro Borbolla, Janet Capua, Mae Ferguson, Janet Hahn, JR Labbe, Rachel Vogel and Julie Wilson. Also a crowd favorite were David and Melissa Goodroe who sported a 70s costume taking home the honors for Best Costume.
2011 Celebrity Stars
Other favorites included local dentist Chris and Alison Edwards doing flips and jumps to a jitterbug song and a sultry salsa performed by FW Police Officer Daniel Segura and Telemundo’s own Nancy Leal.
Former FWISD superintendent Melody Johnson and her partner Michael Sorum glided across the floor in a waltz next to TCUs Andy Schoolmaster and Jackie Brewer.
Eighteen incredible couples entertained the audience with their various renditions of the disco, salsa, jitterbug, waltz and tango.
Dancing Divas – Most Likely to Make it to Broadway winners
Regardless of talent, they were all entertaining with their flamboyant and sometimes reckless performances. They included David & Melissa Goodroe, Greg & Tina Kalina, David & Mattie Parker, Brian & Stacey Pierce, Kathryn & Lowell Bryan, Chris & Alison Edwards, David DuBois & Rosa Navejar, Dr. Staussa Ervin & Jorge Varela, Andy Schoolmaster & Jackie Brewer, Becky Brooks & Dennis O’Neill, Marie Holliday & Alvin Tolliver, Daniel Segura & Nancy Leal, Fritz & Margaret Ritsch, Capt. T. D. & Barbara Smyers, Johnny & Sherri Campbell, Melody Johnson & Michael Sorum and Mark & Robin Nurdin.
The Goodroes
Dancers are already lining up for the coveted spots in next year’s production. Videos of the evening can be seen soon on You Tube and online at www.fwsistercities.org.
November 18, 2011
A Message To Our Supporters:
Where do I even start ……….. last night’s event was incredible mostly due to our enthusiastic dancers and the atmosphere created by everyone involved.
First of all my sincere thanks to Mayor Betsy Price for hosting the dinner and for her DIVAness. What other mayor of a large city in the U.S. would participate in such fun entertainment. Mayor Price gave an incredible amount of her valuable time to this event and we all owe you a great deal of gratitude. AND you were just so much fun!
Thank you Greg Morse and your team for working over the last 9 months to fill those tables especially Mike Guyton who raised the most money.
Thank you Gracey Tune and your incredible team of dance instructors. Your love for dance has brought so many of us such joy.
Thank you committee members Yvonne Rubenstein, Becky Renfro Borbolla, Janet Hahn & JR Labbe for recruiting those dancers and keeping them on track.
Thank you Gary Cumbie for a superb job of emceeing the event again. It’s hard to keep that many people engaged but you always find a way.
Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who gave their time to Sister Cities and helped make last night so much fun.
Also thank you to an incredible staff. I am so lucky to have these 4 people who care so much for Sister Cities and continually go above and beyond all expectations. Thanks also to the Project Partners company who worked with us on logistics and their continual dedication to the success of the dinner.
And I can’t forget my fellow Divas. You girls were a hoot to tap with and have given Fort Worth something to remember. (We of course will always remember and laugh at the costume fiasco). Thanks for being such good sports.
BUT most importantly ………… THANK YOU DANCERS!!!!!!! It was all about the entertainment and there was plenty of it. Altogether your votes totaled more than $40,000. I hope you read the essay I sent you from the young man yesterday about his experience with Sister Cities. That’s what it’s all about. (I’ll attach again in case you didn’t get it). Thank you for helping inspire these young people and make our world a better place.
Greg & Tine Kalina – Dance Champions – you and your Del Frisco’s crew brought a whole new level of excitement to the event. Congratulations and enjoy that trophy!!! (I heard Tina slept with it last night).
Johnny & Sherri Campbell – What fierce competitors who really pushed the envelope. Thank you for inspiring us all.
Mark & Robin Nurdin – As last year’s dinner chair, you and Robin continue to support Sister Cities in so many ways and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
David & Melissa Goodroe – Costume winners extraordinaire! What a great addition to the team.
Preliminary calculations show that we raised approximately $230,000 last night and every one of you contributed to this success. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Mae FergusonPresident/CEO
When I asked the Chief if fire fighter training in Fort Worth was similar or different to fire fighter training in Bandung, his response was “very different”. We had just toured the Tarrant County Fire Technology Program (FTP) with Richard “Rocky” Vasquez a Fort Worth Fire Fighter and seen many of the procedures, equipment and technology that keep the area’s fire fighter trainees safe during this comprehensive program. In Bandung, they do it for real. They use real diesel fuel to start real fires and explode real buildings. They rappel off 9-story structures so that they know what it will really be like when they go to an actual fire. This is indeed different! So the chief and his staff were most interested to see what the Tarrant County Fire Technology program has to offer.
Thank you to the Fire Technology Academy for the informative tour!
Fire fighter trainees come from cities all around Tarrant County to train at this academy. However, they are currently developing a hybrid version of the program in which many of their courses will be online. This will enable fire fighters from all over the world to begin their studies online before traveling to Texas for the hands on portion of the program. The Comanche Peak Nuclear Facility in Glenrose, Texas contracts with the FTP to train their engineers as fire fighters. The training these engineers receive enables them to go “anywhere on the planet” as fire service professionals. The creator of the FTP is currently working in Qatar, which boasts the largest oil production per capita, to create a similar program for the petroleum industry.
The Bandung delegation, JOHN HILBERT SIREGAR, SH, Head of Firefighter Dept., YAN ACHMAD SOFYAN, SE, Head of Sub-Dept., RIDWAN HARDIANTO, SIP Firefighter TOTOY YUHASMANA, Operator Unit/Driver, BELLA BHAKTI NAGARA, Fire Fighter, carefully observed equipment and training tools throughout the tour. They photographed everything, especially each other. (Notice they are wearing the same turnout gear that is hanging in the lockers…) It was great to see how quickly our photographs bridged the language barrier.
Swift Water Training was of particular interest to the delegation since their city lies in a river basin, surrounded by volcanos and the area is subject to frequent flooding. We observed the ‘remote control river’ which can rise at varying speeds anywhere from 20 minutes to fill to 7 minutes (or 80,000 gal/min.) to reach full capacity. You can see in the photo below, Hardi, our translator, describing the banana boat rescue craft design.
Another training structure, the high-rise, offers a room with a ‘spongy ceiling’. Trainees learn to back out of a room when the floor feels this way, since it is a signal that the support columns have been compromised and floor may give way at any moment. The Bandung crew recently worked a fire in which a roof collapsed, resulting in two of their own sustaining burns over 40% of their bodies. Personally, I didn’t want to be walking in that room even without it being on fire.
The rapid urbanization in Indonesia has increased the focus on fire safety and training. Hosting the Indo Firex: No. 1 Fire Protection and Safety and Rescue Industry Event is just one way that they are increasing access to vital information, experts and solutions to technical challenges of fire safety. Fort Worth Sister Cities is proud to be a part of these ongoing training efforts.
To see more photos go to the Fort Worth Sister Cities Flickr account, or visit our Facebook page.
Swift Water Training was of particular interest to the delegation since their city lies in a river basin, surrounded by volcanos and the area is subject to frequent flooding. We observed the ‘remote control river’ which can rise at varying speeds anywhere from 20 minutes to fill to 7 minutes (or 80,000 gal/min.) to reach full capacity. You can see in the photo below, Hardi, our translator, describing the banana boat rescue craft design.
Another training structure, the high-rise, offers a room with a ‘spongy ceiling’. Trainees learn to back out of a room when the floor feels this way, since it is a signal that the support columns have been compromised and floor may give way at any moment. The Bandung crew recently worked a fire in which a roof collapsed, resulting in two of their own sustaining burns over 40% of their bodies. Personally, I didn’t want to be walking in that room even without it being on fire.
The rapid urbanization in Indonesia has increased the focus on fire safety and training. Hosting the Indo Firex: No. 1 Fire Protection and Safety and Rescue Industry Event is just one way that they are increasing access to vital information, experts and solutions to technical challenges of fire safety. Fort Worth Sister Cities is proud to be a part of these ongoing training efforts.
To see more photos go to the Fort Worth Sister Cities Flickr account, or visit our Facebook page.
The Fort Worth Fire Dept. and the City of Fort Worth Dept. of Emergency Management will host five firefighters from Bandung, Indonesia, Fort Worth’s sister city since 1991. The exchange will take place Nov. 7-14. Fire station #2 will host the Indonesian fire fighters during their stay allowing them to live with Fort Worth firefighters and experience day to day life in the U.S.
Keith Wells, City of Fort Worth Emergency Management Coordinator, has organized this professional exchange in order that the two cities learn and exchange best practices with each other. They will also explore the fire fighter training academy at Tarrant County College and learn about special rescue techniques and emergency management practices.
While here, Sister Cities’ members will host the firefighters for cultural activities to show them the way of life in the U.S. “We are excited to welcome our Indonesian friends to Fort Worth,” said Tran Trong, Bandung Chair. “This is a wonderful opportunity for both cities to learn from each other and share our different cultures. It will give all of us a chance to know a totally different part of the world.”
Bandung, Indonesia selected Fort Worth as its first U.S. sister city and is setting the standard by which U.S.-Islamic partnerships are measured. Exchanges have included university-based nursing programs, as well as education and professional training in municipal waste water, security and waste management programs.
Organ Concert Result of Sister City Relationship with Trier, Germany
The Trier, Germany committee of Fort Worth Sister Cities International has planned a special performance by Martin Bambauer, concert organist and Director of Music at the Konstantin-Basilika in Trier, Germany, Fort Worth’s sister city since 1987.
The concert scheduled for Sunday, October 23rd, 4:00 p.m., at Broadway Baptist Church, 305 West Broadway, is free and open to the public. The American Guild of Organists will host a reception immediately following the concert.
Sister Cities stages international events and programs as a way to bring the world to Fort Worth and create citizen diplomats. “Despite the fact that technology has made the world a smaller place and facilitated communication, humanity is just as much in conflict. It is imperative that we prepare ourselves with skills and cultural understanding necessary to function in an increasingly globalized world. Sister Cities has programs that do just that,” said Michael Bennett, Trier Chair.
Martin Bambauer studied protestant church music at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule Düsseldorf and the master class by Daniel Roth at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. Since 1999, he has worked full-time as organist and choirmaster at the Konstantin-Basilika. From 2001 to 2008 he taught organ improvisation at the Musikhochschule Cologne. Martin Bambauer has visited many European countries and the USA as organist and conductor and has made several recordings.
For more information contact Beth Weibel at 817/632-7105 or visit www.fwsistercities.org.
Official agreements will be signed by Mayors Price and Li Zaiyong
Mayor Li Zaiyong of Guiyang, China, along with seven other Guiyang officials, arrive in Fort Worth on Sunday to sign the official document to become Fort Worth’s eighth sister city. The official signing ceremony will be held Monday, October 17th at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers and is free and open to the public.
“Fort Worth is eager to formalize relationships with Guiyang. We look forward to many exchanges between our two cities. Together, Fort Worth and Guiyang hope to create a better understanding of our individual cultures. There are many similarities and many differences we will be able to share,” said Mayor Betsy Price.
In May 2010, a Fort Worth delegation of Sister Cities board members, representatives from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, City of Fort Worth and local business leaders visited China to determine which city to invite to become Fort Worth’s eighth sister city. Upon a recommendation by the Sister Cities board of directors, the Fort Worth city council unanimously selected Guiyang, China and an official invitation was extended. Guiyang immediately followed with its acceptance and the two cities will sign the official agreement next week.
Both cities have expressed a desire to create meaningful exchanges and as a result, through Sister Cities’ International Leadership Academy, 15 Guiyang students with two teachers came to Fort Worth in July 2011, spending two weeks with students in Fort Worth.
While here the Chinese delegation will interact with city officials, local business leaders, visit museums, other cultural sites and celebrate their final evening in Fort Worth at Billy Bob’s Texas with a farewell celebration including a performance provided by the Comanche Nation. “We are eager to show our new friends what Fort Worth has to offer and to encourage them to come back often,” said John Burgoyne, Sister Cities Guiyang Chair. Future exchanges may focus on education, economic relations, health, arts and culture all in an effort to create understanding and respect of each other’s cultures.
To see more pictures visit our Flickr page
Fort Worth, TX –Student application deadline October 21 for travel to sister cities
Fort Worth students in grades 8—12 are encouraged to apply now to become a 2012 Fort Worth Youth Ambassador and travel on one of eight exchanges to Fort Worth’s sister cities. The deadline to apply is October 21st.
The planned spring and summer exchanges include:
• Reggio Emilia and Florence, Italy
• Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria
• Trier, Rotenburg and Frankfurt, Germany
• Nagaoka, Japan
• Mbabane, Swaziland and Johannesburg, South Africa
• Bandung, Yogyakarta and Jakarta, Indonesia
• Guiyang and Beijing, China
Youth Ambassador exchanges open the door to the future for students giving them the opportunity to explore history and experience languages, food, culture and arts of the country they visit. Students make international friends while developing essential skills to be successful in a global society. “We had over 100 students apply last year. It is a competitive process and the students selected have the opportunity to participate in what many past participants have said is a ‘life changing experience’,” said Mae Ferguson, President and CEO of Sister Cities.
Students selected through a vigorous selection process including written essays, teacher recommendations and personal interviews, develop an understanding of the culture and tradition of the city they visit, as well as represent their family, city and country as a citizen diplomat. Exchanges range from 8 to 15 days. “The most important thing about student exchanges is the fact that the students who go begin to see the commonalities of humanity they may not have known of before” said Cody Cox, 2011 student delegation leader and Arlington Heights High School educator.
Details regarding dates, costs and eligibility requirements can be found at www.fwsistercities.org/programs/fort-worth-youth-ambassadors or by calling 817/632-7100.
In order to better serve and encourage interaction between our members, the City of Fort Worth and the world, we’ve created an more interactive web presence, starting with our our web site – www.fwsistercities.org – visit us anytime, day or night, to get connected with our local and international activities.
Using the new site you can, request information, learn about events, post questions and get answers from us. New functions that have been added include video testimonials from interns, information on creating an Educator Partnership, the option to renew your membership online and opportunities to share your favorite articles directly without leaving the page.
Visit the Happenings page for links to upcoming international events or check out our newsletter – ‘Herd ‘Round the World’ – freshly redesigned to keep you up-to-date on our calendar of activities. To see what our members have been up to, follow the links to the Fort Worth Sister Cities International You Tube Channel and Facebook Page, be sure to leave a comment, we are looking forward to hearing from you!
We want to make it easier for our members and the public to understand what it is that Sister Cities does. When you hear it from a student’s mouth that their life has been changed because of an international exchange then you get it. You can then understand the impact these kinds of programs have right here in Fort Worth.
When you have a chance take a look and visit us often.
Mae Ferguson, President/CEOWe take the U.S. abroad and bring the world back home.
