silk road adventures..enews!!
A publication of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee                           June 9, 2005
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Committee Opportunity

As we move our committee forward in pursuit of the goals and ideals of Sister City programming, serious attention needs to be paid to the health and welfare of our volunteer corps. As easy as the term 'volunteer' rolls off the tongue in conversation, it is not so easy for the dedicated few that carry most of the load in all-volunteer organizations to give as much as it takes to get the job done. Our 'stress-relief' scenario is to go to organizations who's mission it is to PROVIDE volunteers to volunteer organizations. We currently utilize the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona to support outreach for volunteers. United Way has a program called "Days of Caring" which helps groups like TASCC develop and/or expand relationships with local companies. Orientation sessions for this program are happening on June 22, 28 and 30 at locations to be announced. I have reserved three spots in the June 22nd spot for our committee, between 3:30 and 5:00pm. The session on June 28th will be handled by teleconferencing. Orientations are required in order to attend the "Days of Caring", an opportunity to meet face-to-face with Tucson companies and solicit their support. "Days of Caring" will take place on October 5 and 8 of this year.

Please contact me with indications of your support for this GREAT opportunity for TASCC.


Jerry 520-886-1260

silk road adventures..enews!!
A publication of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee                           June 6, 2005
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Remember when.........

 

Mariachi on the Silk Road hosted the Kazakh National Folk Ensemble for brunch?

 

Mayor Bob and wife Beth met school children at a museum in Almaty?

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Coming soon to a Silk Road eStore near you

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Committee biz................

 

EDUCATION:  New FLEX student Diana has a host family.  THANKS NANCY STANLEY AND SALLY ALLISON! .  Any ideas about future Education projects?  A potential project for the Fall will have Cholla High School and Gimnasia 60 bring students face-to-face via teleconferencing and the subject will be Law, the magnet school subject at Cholla.  Anyone interested in helping?  Heard from a dear long-time friend, Adil Akhmetov, now ViceRector of the Kazakhstan-British Technical University in Almaty AND Honorary Citizen of Tucson.  He sends sincere greetings to all.  Yerbolat is back home and swearin' he'll see us in the Fall. Contact Barbara Chinworth for information on educational outreach.  She is summerin' through the month of June.

 

CULTURE:  All City Day takes place on the first Sunday in October each year and marks the birthday of Almaty.  In 2003 and 2004, representatives of Tucson were invited to participate in the ceremony.  In 2003, we sent the Mariachi on the Silk Road, a teenaged group under the direction of Ruben Moreno.  In 2004, Mayor and Mrs. Walkup and ViceChair Barbara Chinworth represented us.  Preparation needs to begin on finding representation from Tucson to attend this year, in the event of an invitation from the Almaty Akimat.  New friends in Almaty...Larissa and daughter Helen.  Larissa works for White and Case, an international law firm.  Potential future projects:  You name one!!!!!  Ideas on cultural outreach??? Let us know.

 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:  Silk Road eStore is under construction under the direction of Philip Gary.  Watch the website for the first 30 items to be posted this week.   Also, watch for signs of a developing tourism connection between a hotel in Tucson and a hotel in Almaty.  Contact Jerry Gary for more information.  Bring us your ideas about economic development between Tucson and Almaty.

 

INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT:  TASCC seeking Community Outreach Coordinator.  Current members need to bring potential committee members to our meetings.  Danette and Rachael have joined and wish to improve the communication vehicles of our committee.  They developed a stunning brochure and newsletter for us as a class project this past semester at the University of Arizona.  We will attempt to publish a monthly hardcopy newsletter.  This electronic newsletter will be published on an as-needed basis.

 

THIS SPACE RESERVED FOR YOUR EDITORIAL COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.

 

MEETING INFORMATION:  Next meeting Wednesday, June 15, 2005.  5:30-7:00pm.  At Tucson Medical Center, Alamo Building, Rincon Room.  BRING A FRIEND....THEY WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

 

www.tucson-almaty.info

silk road adventures..eNEWS!!
A publication of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee June 3, 2005
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FilmPals Outstanding Success
On Tuesday, May 17th, Committee Chair for Education and Culture, Barbara Chinworth was on hand at Pueblo High School Media Awards to present certificates of appreciation to 21 students in Pam Shapiro and John Crouch's media classes for their participation in our FilmPals project. FilmPals is the creation of Alanna Randall, Youth Coordinator for TASCC. Under this program, students in both classes worked on a DvD and video formatted presentation of "a day in the life of a Pueblo student''. Highlighted were family, sports, music preferences and other life activities of the Media students. The destination of these productions was Gimnasia 159 in Tucson's sister city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Pueblo and 159 became sister-schools in 1999 under a Sister Cities International grant project titled "Sister Schools on the Super Highway".

Pueblo Media students cover Kazakh National Folk Ensemble on January 11, 2005

Elections held at May meeting
At the May meeting of TASCC, a slate of officers was presented to the membership. A unanimous vote returned the existing Board to office for a one-year term beginning on July 1, 2005. Chairman-Jerry Gary, Vice-Chairperson, Barbara Chinworth, Secretary-Sally Gary, Treasurer, Fred Dotton.

Allison returns from Alamaty
New member, Sally Allison, returned on May 26th from a 'dream trip' to our sister city of Almaty. As one of the several residents of Orchard River Town Homes that opened their homes and hearts to the Kazakh National Folk Ensemble in January, Sally got her first hint of the graciousness of our friends in Almaty when her house guests, Bagdat and Gulzhan Tilegenov, invited her to come to Almaty to visit. The prospect of a 31-hour trip starting in Tucson, skipping over to Moscow and then on to Almaty, was undaunting to Sally and away she went. Her first words on her return were, "I stepped into a dream. More people in Tucson should go there to visit". She will be relating some of her adventures at the June meeting of our committee on Wednesday, June 15th.

Sally had dinner with the members of Folk Ensemble in Almaty

People-to-people diplomacy....a tale of success
This is a convoluted tale. In January, 2005, TASCC brought the Kazakh National Folk Ensemble to Tucson to participate in the Tucson Family Arts Festival. Some of the residents of Orchard River Town Homes graciously opened their homes to these visitors from 9000 miles away. (Now here is where it gets convoluted!) Committee members Barbara Chinworth and Jerry Gary, coordinators for the visit of the Ensemble, are members of the Old Pueblo British Brass Band. Barbara directs, Jerry plays 3rd cornet. Jerry has lived at Orchard River for 7 years. In that seven years, he has had very little contact with OTHER Orchard Riverites and has never seen a social interaction amongst them. On May 14th, the OPBBB played a concert by the pool at Orchard River to an appreciative group of residents. Doesn't that sound like People-to-People Diplomacy at work? The Kazakh National Folk Ensemble brought us all together? Or, Orchard River did? Or the OPBBB did? No matter!

Arizona State Sister Cities Conference a success
On Friday evening, May 20th, 44 people with ties to Arizona sister city programming sat together at Casa Vicente down on Stone Avenue and exposed to food, drink and dancing ESPANA style. Vicente Sanchez, owner of Casa Vicente is also the Chairperson of the Tucson-Segovia Sister Cities Committee. The paella was delicious, the sangria thirst quenching and the flamenco dancing and singing surperb. The all day conference on Saturday, held at the River Park Inn, a sister city host hotel, was very informative. BIG CUDOS to Rick Tubaugh, Manager of the River Park and Gloria White, Marketing Manager for the excellent setting and service. The support staff members were exemplary.

Future projects and happenings
EDUCATION: New FLEX student Diana arrives from Almaty in August. IMOA programming will start at the University of Arizona in the Fall semester. The Agriculture college at the U of A has gotten responses from 8 faculty members that want to go to Al-Farabi University in Almaty.Our committee will provide help in finding home hosts, provide funding for books and insurance and be a strong support group for these future friends from Almaty. Work needs to begin on a program to bring up to 10 students from Gimnasia 159 to Tucson to attend high school for one year. Jay Fulcher is still picking away at getting the container of orthopedic supplies to the A.R.D.I school in Almaty. Any ideas about future Education projects are welcome.
CULTURE: All City Day takes place on the first Sunday in October each year and marks the birthday of Almaty. In 2003 and 2004, representatives of Tucson were invited to participate in the ceremony. In 2003, we sent the Mariachi on the Silk Road, a teenaged group under the direction of Ruben Moreno. In 2004, Mayor and Mrs. Walkup and ViceChair Barbara Chinworth represented us. Preparation needs to begin on finding representation from Tucson to attend this year, in the event of an invitation from the Almaty Akimat. Potential future projects: Exchange between the Arizona Boy's Choir and the Almaty Boy's Choir, traveling art exhibit, visiting artisans in all disciplines, potential mural exchange. Ideas on cultural outreach??? Let us know.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Silk Road eStore is under construction under the direction of Philip Gary. Watch the website. The Almaty Artisans will return to Tucson for their third consecutive year in January of 2006. Assistance will be needed in the set up of a Kazakh yurta at the Riverpark Inn. Discussion has begun on establishing a destination hotel in Tucson and Almaty so that tourism can start to be a viable business for both our cities. Recycling cell phones is starting to pick up steam under Fred Dotton's guidance. Please contact Fred if you have knowledge of recyclable phones. The healthy economic future of Almaty and the entire Republic of Kazakhstan is unquestioned. Their government is calling for business development projects in the small and medium-sized ranges in all sectors of business. A business opportunities conference is being held by the Kazakhstan government in San Diego in September of this year. Contact Jerry Gary for more information. Bring us your ideas about economic development between Tucson and Almaty.
INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT: TASCC seeking Community Outreach Coordinator. Current members need to bring potential committee members to our meetings. Danette and Rachael have joined and wish to improve the communication vehicles of our committee. They developed a stunning brochure and newsletter for us as a class project this past semester at the University of Arizona. We will attempt to publish a monthly hardcopy newsletter. This electronic newsletter will be published on an as-needed basis.
MEETING INFORMATION: Next meeting Wednesday, June 15, 2005. 5:30-7:00pm. At Tucson Medical Center, Alamo Building, Rincon Room. BRING A FRIEND