Chicago-Kyiv mark 10 years as sister cities with special fund-raiser for Kyiv schools (02/18/01)

Chicago-Kyiv mark 10 years as sister cities with special fund-raiser for Kyiv schools

CHICAGO - Chicago kicks off the year of Ukraine's 10th anniversary of independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union, with a celebration of 10 years of the Chicago-Kyiv sister cities relationship at a luncheon fund-raiser for its sister schools in Kyiv. The event will take place on Sunday, February 25, 2 p.m. at the Union League Club, located at 65 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago.

The fund-raising event is being promoted under the motto "Your Support has the Power of Change." Those interested in making an in-kind or cash donation, or in attending the event, may contact Katrina Fink or Marta Farion at (312) 744-1379. Tickets to the February 25 event are $50 per person.

Special guests and dignitaries from Kyiv and Chicago will attend. The program will include a luncheon in the beautiful main dining room of the Union League Club and the performance of spectacular Ukrainian dances by the Hromovytsia ensemble.

All contributions are tax-deductible as permitted by law. The Chicago Sister Cities International Program is a charitable organization. Those interested in sending in a donation, send checks to: Chicago Sister Cities International Program - Kyiv Project, 78 E. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60602.

The sister schools fund-raiser committee is co-chaired by Patricia Mackiw of Morgan Stanley and Marsha Pender of the Union League Club, who along with Dr. Ivanna Richardson, chairman of the Education Subcommittee, Ms. Fink, program coordinator, and the extensive expertise of committee member Natalie Jaresko are working toward raising the necessary funds to make the event a success. The Chicago-Kyiv Committee is chaired by Ms. Farion; its members are Vice-Chairman Lubomyr Krushelnycky, Secretary Vera Eliashevsky, former Chairman Julian Kulas, Chairman of the Sports Subcommittee Dr. Paul Nadzikewycz, Chairman of the Health Subcommittee Lida Truchly, Chairman of the Education Subcommittee Dr. Richardson, Bohdan Watral, Jaroslava Z. Johnson, John Meinert, Dr. Michael Radnor, Ms. Pender, Ms. Jaresko, Lidia Shandor and Ms. Mackiw.

Kyiv became Chicago's sister city in 1991 - the same year that Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union. The Chicago Sister Cities International Program was created by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to promote economic development and exchanges in the spheres of culture, education, medicine, technology, environment and social service for the benefit of the sister cities abroad, the City of Chicago, its residents and its businesses.

Chicago currently has 22 sister cities throughout the world. The program is managed through a full staff of employees under the auspices of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Chairmen are appointed to the committees by the mayor; each chairman selects committee members who are approved by the mayor, based on their ability to contribute their talents, know-how or contacts that will benefit each committee's work. Along with volunteers, these individuals dedicate their time, talent, expertise and resources to develop international exchanges that drive the program.

A major emphasis of the program's current activity is in the area of multi-cultural education. In the current global business and communication climate, the Sister Cities Schools Abroad Project was created in collaboration with the Chicago Public Schools Office of Language and Cultural Education. The goal of the program is to promote and broaden cultural and educational interaction, and eventually exchanges, between students, faculty and administrators.

Activities include the establishment of direct communication through a pen pal program by mail or e-mail, preparation of curriculum about each other's city and country to be taught at the primary and secondary levels, presentation of programs featuring the sister schools, organization of field study trips to ethnic communities, and coordination and exchange of students, teachers and administrators between the partnered schools. A major component of such communications is the ability to link up, communicate and study through the Internet.

With such a goal in mind, the Chicago Kyiv Committee earmarked its 10th anniversary event as a benefit for its sister schools project. The goal is to raise funds for computers and basic electronic equipment for Chicago's sister schools in Kyiv. The committee has already received cash and in-kind donations from several corporations for this goal. Western Union has become a major sponsor; Arthur Anderson, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Altheimer & Gray, Rotary Club, LOT Polish Airlines, Selfreliance Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, 1st Security Federal Bank, Hartshafner & Marx, Mila Design, and many individuals are among the donors. Media sponsors include The Eastern Economist and Panorama Magazine, the newspaper Chas i Podiyi, as well as the Ukrainian-language radio programs in Chicago.

The schools that have been paired are Mather High School, Columbus Elementary School, LaSalle Language Academy and Latin School in Chicago and School No. 84 in the Pecherskyi Raion, School No. 186 in the Moskovskyi Raion, School No. 262 in the Podilskyi Raion and School No. 92 in the Starokyivskyi Raion. The chairman and members of the Chicago committee visited Kyiv last year and selected each school personally, after deliberating on the various needs and potential of each school.

Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko personally assured his enthusiastic support for the project. Lidia Nesterenko, a highly qualified professional, has been appointed by the Kyiv mayor's administration to act as coordinator of the program.

With the leadership of Mayor Richard M. Daley and Commissioner Lois Weisberg both fully committed to the program, the Kyiv Committee initiated and managed myriad exchanges, among them concerts of the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra in Chicago; Ukrainian-themed programs as part of Chicago's World in a Weekend series; the Chicago Children's Choir's appearance in Kyiv, the Chicago Jazz and Blues Festival in Kyiv; an exhibit of Chicago Architecture at the Natonal University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; visits of officials from the Kyiv city administration, including Mayor Omelchenko to Chicago; performances of the ensemble of the Kyiv Children's Ballet School; the sponsorship of concerts of the winners of the Vladimir Horowitz Piano Competition; participation in the Chicago Marathon; repeated exchanges for training of Kyiv city administrators in the area of city management, emergency services, protocol, park design, police and safety work, zoning, city parking and vehicle traffic management, public health care, education, sports, and others.

The committee also hosted and managed the visits of many high-level officials and representatives of organizations from Ukraine. One of the committee's major accomplishments is the access that has been developed to the major business, government and civic organizations in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States, and the focus of Ukrainian-related relationships at the proper protocol level.

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