EMMITSBURG,
Md. – During a recent visit to Emmitsburg, City of Frederick
Alderman Alan Imhoff met with the Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners
to give a basic introduction about the Frederick Sister Cities
Association.
Invited
by Joyce A. Rosensteel, treasurer of the board, Imhoff spoke
at length about Frederick City’s program which belongs
to an international non-profit network known as Sister Cities
International. Frederick City currently has three sister
cities, Schifferstadt and Moerzheim, Germany and Aquiraz,
Brazil, which was added in 2006.
Sister
Cities International, headquartered in D.C., helps partner
communities in the U.S. with similar communities around
the world. The mission of Sister Cities International is
to promote peace and strengthen partnerships between communities.
According to the mission statement, Sister Cities International
“promotes sustainable development, youth involvement,
cultural understanding and humanitarian assistance”.
The
commissioners and mayor remain interested in the program
but agree that more information is needed before committing.
“Conceptually,
it’s a great outreach program and cultural learning
opportunity,” said Mayor Jim Hoover. He remains concerned
that it could be a cost burden for Emmitsburg and recognizes
that he needs to learn more about the benefits for the town
before moving forward.
“I
don’t want to just hang a sign and have it be only
a conceptual program. How do we truly get the cultural advantages
and experiences in an affordable way?” Hoover said.
“The
municipality is the overseer of the program but not involved
on a financial level,” Imhoff said. A group of volunteers
would raise funds to support the program.
Chris
Staiger, president of the board, is supportive of finding
a “match” for Emmitsburg although he has concerns
over who would manage the program.
“I
would want to truly focus on it and find volunteers willing
to take ownership in order to give it the support and attention
it would need,” Staiger said.
“The
great thing about the program is that each partnership sets
up the program how they want to set it up, whether it is
based on cultural, economic and humanitarian exchanges,”
Imhoff said. “It is up to each city to decide that.”
In
2007, the city of Frederick celebrated its 25th anniversary
of partnership with Schifferstadt, Germany. The partnership
between Schifferstadt and Frederick focuses on the historical
and cultural aspects. Frederick City was founded 250 years
ago by immigrants from an area near Schifferstadt. The partnership
with Aquiraz has more of an economic and humanitarian base.
Recently an ambulance was donated to the program and volunteers
are in the process of shipping it to Aquiraz, Imhoff said.
There are cultural exchanges as well. The Frederick-Aquiraz
partnership recently kicked off a Youth Ambassador Program
at the annual Frederick Chocolate Gala, a fundraising event
for the sister city program. The gala raised approximately
$15,000.
Affiliations
between communities in the United States and international
communities began shortly after WWII and in 1956, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people program.
Sister Cities International grew from this initiative and
became a separate, non-profit corporation in 1967. The program
represents more than 2,500 communities in 134 countries
around the world. For more information about Sister Cities
International visit www.sister-cities.org.
