04/24/2014 SISTER CITIES ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
April 24, 2014
Present: Vice-Chair/Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. Daryl W. Schuster, Board Member Terrence
Gourdine, Board Member Krista Valentage, Board Member/Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton
Absent: Chair Sallie Parks, Board Member/Youth Representative Danielle Dilday
Also Present: Felicia Leonard -Administrative Support Manager, Patricia O. Sullivan - Board
Reporter
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at the Long Center.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
3 —Approval of Minutes
3.1. Approve the minutes of the January 23, 2014 Sister Cities Advisory Board meeting as
submitted in written summation.
Member Gourdine moved to approve Item 3.1. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
4—Citizens to be Heard re Items Not on the Agenda: None.
5— New Business
5.1. 2015 Cultural Exchanges
Administrative Support Manager Felicia Leonard said planning will begin for the February 8,
2015 arrival of approximately 40 representatives from Nagano, including the official delegation
and citizen group. The City is looking for interpreters for the 3-night visit. A Nagano teacher will
visit Clearwater in October 2014 and Nagano middle school students will visit in March 2015.
Two Safety Harbor Middle School teachers will visit Japan in June. It was stated teachers Allyce
Avery and Carolyn Seppi are excited and are preparing for the trip.
Ms. Leonard said Clearwater's 100th anniversary is on May 27, 2015. Plans are underway for
Clearwater's delegation to Japan in May or April 2015. A citizen contingent is being discussed.
5.2. Young Ambassadors Program — June 2014
Member/Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. President Schuster said the Young Ambassadors had
their second orientation meeting in preparation for their June trip to Nagano and Japan; the
group has 8 to 10 students. Airplane tickets have been purchased. Ms. Leonard said the City's
teen program is raising half the money and hoped Clearwater For Youth would donate the
remainder for a student from an economically challenged area to participate. Afterwards, the
student will have a great responsibility to teach other teen club members about her experiences.
It was noted that children are exposed to Japanese culture through Anime. Ms. Leonard said an
Anime festival is being discussed with CSCI (Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc.).
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5.1. CSCI Report
Member/Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. President Schuster said he is working with Recreation
Specialist Christopher Hubbard and the Main Library on a September program that will spotlight
Clearwater's Sister City relationship with Nagano. He said if funding is available, the Tampa
Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble would be a great draw. He said a member of the
Japanese women's group and her husband are enthusiastic about helping and will connect with
other Japanese residents in the area. Low tech activities, such as origami, also are planned.
Ms. Leonard said City marketing efforts may be appropriate.
Mr. Schuster said a new CSCI member, who lived in Japan for several years, approached the
library and volunteered to update the Main Library's Nagano display.
Mr. Schuster said CSCI has approximately $5,500 in its bank account and members are worried
that the organization will be bankrupt after it hosts two more banquets. He said CSCI also needs
to fund events that attract new members as few older members are active and CSCI only has
two new members. He said additional expenses would include invitations; CSCI previously
created a commemorative program. Ms. Leonard said staff can request better pricing from City
vendors when programs are ready to print.
Mr. Shuster questioned if the City would prefer if CSCI expended its energy locating home stay
families and building membership to remain a viable organization or pay for a couple of
banquets and then close shop. He said members and local guests are requested to pay for their
dinners; CSCI's net cost for the last banquet was $2,800. Ms. Leonard said staff will obtain
banquet quotes; a banquet is a nice to have but a buffet may be less expensive.
Ms. Leonard said CSCI was formed to support Clearwater's Sister Cities program and has
made substantial financial contributions, especially since City budget cuts. The City does not
have resources to coordinate or chaperone visits. CSCI support has been essential to the
Young Ambassadors' trips to Japan.
Discussion ensued with recommendations that CSCI sell advertisements in their program to
offset costs and that CSCI form a Young Ambassador Program to engage Young Ambassadors
after their trips with a couple of annual events, including a welcome back pot luck where
students share photographs, and scheduled presentations to civic clubs where students could
share their experiences and grow new interest in CSCI outside of schools; Rotarians may be
interested in sponsoring a scholarship. It was suggested that Safety Harbor Middle School may
be able to sponsor a Japanese Club as part of the school Superintendent's new directive to
schedule club time during school hours; that club could raise funds and host Nagano student
and teacher visits.
It was stated that the City Council does not want CCSI to pay for several more banquets and
then disband. It was hoped the City could budget additional funds for Sister Cities activities.
6 —Old Business
6.1. Nagano Middle School visit— Feb. 22 to Feb. 27, 2014
Ms. Leonard said the visit went well and a large new contingent of host families from Belleair
participated.
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It was recommended that CSCI contact host families to offer sustaining memberships in CSCI
and request scholarship sponsorships. It was commented that more students would participate
if costs could be reduced through fundraising efforts. It was noted CSCI efforts coordinating all
segments of Sister Cities' efforts are important and they could disseminate Sister Cities
information to all interested parties via email.
7 — Items not on the Agenda
Member Valentage reported this fall she is transferring from Safety Harbor Middle School to the
new East Lake Middle Magnet School.
8 - Upcoming Events
Next meeting — July 24, 2014 at the Long Center
9- Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Attest: ,/
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Board Reporte
Chair - Sister Cities Advisory Board
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