Newton, Iowa, promotes Ukraine through sister-city relationship (12/10/00)

Newton, Iowa, promotes Ukraine through sister-city relationship

by Deanna T. Yurchuk

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Newton, Iowa, has perhaps one of the most active Ukrainian communities in the country. They send aid to Ukraine, teach Ukrainian culture in their local high school and hold concerts in honor of Taras Shevchenko.

Yet almost none of its residents are Ukrainian. Their connection with Ukraine lies in their four-year sister-city relationship with the city of Smila in Cherkasy Oblast.

Vladimir and Irene Bassis, a couple who first came to the United States from Cherkasy in 1989 and eventually settled in Newton, initiated the idea for a sister-city program between the two cities. By June 1991 a protocol of intentions had been drawn up between the two cities by the Iowa Peace Institute of Grinnell, and a year later the Organization Promoting Everlasting Neighbors (OPEN) became involved in the development of the program. The agreement for a sister-city relationship became official in May 1996, according to OPEN Board Member Barry Hurto.

The concept of sister cities is not new. Such affiliations between the United States and other countries began after World War II when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the "People to People Program" (www.sister-citites.org). Through OPEN, Newton and Smila have become official members of Sister Cities International, according to Mr. Bassis.

Cherkasy Oblast lies on both banks of the Dnipro River in the forest-steppe belt of central Ukraine. Similarly situated, Iowa is a state in the prairies of the north-central United States.

The pairing of Smila and Newton has been successful because the regions have a lot in common, said Consul Ludmila Protasova at Ukraine's Consulate General in Chicago. Both are agricultural states with continental climates, similar size population and a manufacturing-based economy, according to Mr. Hurto.

Jane Ann Cotton, OPEN chairperson, heads the committee whose goal it has been "to promote democracy and citizen participation in global outreach programs and to recognize mutual benefits of education, culture, agriculture and trade," according to Mr. Hurto. The committee consists of members from all spheres of Newton community life. Among them are the city judge, businessmen, teachers and artists. "A majority of them are working citizens who devote their time to participate in the program," Mr. Basis said. "Some even travel to Ukraine."

In an effort to fulfill their objective, a course titled Ukrainian Culture was incorporated into the Newton High School curriculum three years ago and is taught every year by Mr. and Mrs. Bassis. "From the very beginning, my wife and I have tried to inform the American population about our Ukrainian heritage," Mr. Bassis said.

Newton residents have also seen numerous lectures on Ukrainian topics such as history and tradition, he continued. Recently, Mr. Bassis wrote a book, which is part of the series "Cultures of the World." It has become a reference book for Americans who wish to learn about Ukraine, he said.

Through the efforts of OPEN, three to five Ukrainian exchange students come to study in Newton every year. During summer vacation students from Iowa often travel to Smila to visit their classmates. There the American students have the opportunity to witness what they have learned in their classes and from their friends.

For students who have not yet visited their sister state, Marvin Campbell, a local Newton artist holds a yearly art contest in which elementary school students imagine and illustrate "How do I see my sister state?" The drawings are then displayed in both the Cherkasy Oblast and Iowa. In March 1997 Mr. Campbell also exhibited his own Iowa paintings in three cities in Ukraine, according to Mr. Hurto.

In order to acquaint Newton residents with Ukrainian songs and poetry, the Blahovist choir from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chicago under the direction of Lesia Konyk performed at the Newton Community Theater last March to honor the great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko.

Newton residents, as well as guests from Ukrainian communities from Minneapolis and Chicago attended his event, Mr. Hurko added.

"Through mutual efforts of the committee and the community, we have also collected material and financial aid for Smila's educational and medical institutions," Mr. Bassis said. Recently Newton's residents dispatched over 1,200 packages of clothing and linen for needy families in Smila, and sent a container of medical supplies to the city hospital, he said.

In June 1999, OPEN launched "OPEN Cares III," which collected used winter clothing for adults and children to be delivered to Smila in time for cold weather, according to Mr. Hurto. These are just a few examples of the aid they have set to Ukraine.

Next year will be an important one for the organization, Mr. Bassis said. Des Moines Area Community College with the help of OPEN and Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS), has proclaimed 2001 to be the "Year of Ukraine," he added. "We will hold events relating to Ukraine every month with a special celebration in August to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Ukrainian independence," he said.

For more about OPEN and the Newton-Smila program, log on to http://www.midiowa.com/newton-sister-city/

| Home Page |