Baltimore Sister Cities

Maryland Global Gala 2017

Baltimore Sister Cities display at WTCI Global Gala

Baltimore Sister Cities participated in the 2017 Global Gala, held by the World Trade Center Institute

Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Location: Columbus Center (IMET), 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

About this event

Maryland Global Gala is an annual celebration of Maryland’s significant contribution to the world economy. It brings together our vibrant international business community to learn, sample food and drinks from Baltimore’s top international restaurants and breweries, experience multicultural entertainment, and network with leaders from across Maryland’s international community. The event is hosted by World Trade Center Institute (WTCI).

Baltimore Sister Cities had a booth at this event and several tables with delicious treats from our sister cities around the world. A big thanks to Nippon Motion for the special Japanese tea tasting at our tables!

See pictures from the event here:

Event website:

WTCI Global Gala

Watch for this event to happen again in 2018!

Xiamen and Kawsaki table at 2017 WTCI Global Gala

March 27 / Exposure to Radiation (Documentary)

Screening of Exposure to Radiation documentary

Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee presents “Exposure to Radiation: Post X Years” (放射線を浴びたx年後)

Documentary Screening and Director’s Talk

Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 7pm
Location: Baltimore City Hall
Admission: Event is free. Advance registration is required.

This is the first time this Japanese documentary has been shown in the U.S. The film tells the story of US hydrogen bomb tests in 1954 in the Pacific region and explores how the lives of Japanese tuna fishermen were altered because of exposure to radiation.

This is a small private showing for a maximum of 25 people and Hideaki Ito, the director of the film, will give a talk following the screening. Seating is limited so if you are interested in seeing it, sign up a.s.a.p.

More information and registration

 

 

Feb 22 / Film: Miss Kiet’s Children

Students in Miss Kiet's class (Film)

Dutch movie with subtitles; screening at the Patterson Theatre (Creative Alliance) in Baltimore. A heart-warming story of young refugee kids adapting to life in a new country (the Netherlands) under the guidance of a wonderful, caring teacher.

Recommended! Event organized by Creative Alliance, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee and Baltimore’s Refugee Youth Project.

Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee will serve yummy Dutch-style stroopwafels to the audience that are made by refugees working at Stroopies.com in Lancaster.

Time: 7:30pm
Location: 3134 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD 21224

Event page & tickets

Reviews in NY Times & The Guardian

Dec 6 / Global Gala

Join Baltimore Sister Cities at the annual Global Gala, held by the World Trade Center Institute!

Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 3:30-7pm
Location: Columbus Center (IMET), 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Admission: WTCI members and Baltimore Sister Cities members: $50 plus processing fee. Non-members: $75 plus processing fee.
Buy tickets on the WTCI event page

About this event

Maryland Global Gala is an annual celebration of Maryland’s significant contribution to the world economy. It brings together our vibrant international business community to learn, sample food and drinks from Baltimore’s top international restaurants and breweries, experience multicultural entertainment, and network with leaders from across Maryland’s international community. The event is hosted by World Trade Center Institute (WTCI).

Baltimore Sister Cities will have a booth at this event with delicious treats from our sister cities. Stop by and say hi!

Program

3:30 – Two Breakout Sessions:

  1. Baltimore as an International Hub of Social Good (speakers from Jacob France Institute, International Rescue Committee, Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Relief)
  2. The Role of Dance in Latin America

4:30 – International Receptions featuring the area’s top international restaurants and Maryland’s best beers

5:15 – Speaking Program

6:00 – Cultural Performance Showcase

More information and registration

WTCI Global Gala

Map of the world

 

Dec 6 / The Sultan and The Saint Film Screening

Join us for the Baltimore premiere of the award-winning docudrama The Sultan and the Saint. It will be screened at the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter in Baltimore.

Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 8-9:30pm ET
Location: Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter, 419 Cedarcroft Road, Baltimore, MD 21212
Admission: Free. RSVP here: bit.ly/2A2ODRT

The Sultan and The Saint Film screening December 6, 2017

The Baltimore Luxor Alexandria (Egypt) Sister City Committee (BLASCC) is a co-sponsor of this film. The docudrama, which was primarily shot in Baltimore, is part of an important and timely conversation about Islam and Christianity.

The Sultan and The Saint tells one of the great, lost stories from history. Set in The Crusades, a past period of East-West conflict, it speaks with urgency to our present. Two men of faith, one an itinerant Christian preacher (Francis of Assisi), the other the ruler of a Muslim Empire (the Sultan of Egypt), bucked a century of war, distrust, and insidious propaganda in a search for mutual respect and common ground. The film features interviews with renowned scholars, historians, and religious leaders.

Parents please note: The film contains some scenes of violence and may not be appropriate for children under 12. Please use your own discretion.

More info

Learn more about the movie and watch the movie trailer: www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com

Ballot topics for January 12, 2018 BSC Annual Membership Meeting

In the January 12, 2018 membership meeting of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc., (BSC, Inc.) the following items will be submitted for approval by the BSC, Inc. membership (members of BSC board and the constituent sister city committees). The information has been posted on this webpage so that members have a chance to review it before the January 12, 2018 meeting.

A. 2018 PLAN

(for BSC-level activities and activities for the constituent sister city committees)

View proposed 2018 Plan (PDF)

PDF last updated: 2018-01-07 3:40pm

B. 2017 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

(for BSC-level activities and activities for the constituent sister city committees)

View proposed 2017 Accomplishments Report (PDF)

PDF last updated: 2018-01-07 3:40pm

C. AMENDMENTS TO OUR BYLAWS

The BSC, Inc. Board is submitting for approval by the membership 3 amendments to the Bylaws that will help the organization function more smoothly and efficiently:

1. Corporate membership program amendment

Introduction to 1st amendment: This amendment fixes a lack of precision in the Bylaws about corporate membership, by clarifying that corporations can be a member of an individual Sister City Committee or of the BSC corporation as a whole, and how dues levels for corporate membership will be set. The option of corporate membership of BSC Inc (rather than of an individual Sister City Committee) was missing from the Bylaws, and this limited the possibilities for BSC Inc to benefit from this potential source of much‐needed funds for its general operation. Note that the Bylaws will not specify rates or tiers of corporate membership. This is relegated to a Manual of Procedures, currently under development; rates and tiers in such a manual can be adjusted more easily than the Bylaws, which require approval in an annual membership meeting

Text for the amendment:

BE IT RESOLVED, that Articles 3.1.c. and 3.2 of the bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. are hereby amended in their entirety as follows.

ARTICLE 3.1.c. Corporate. Corporate membership is granted to non‐profit and for‐profit corporations, institutions and organizations that pay corporate annual dues. Corporate members may designate the Corporation or one of the Sister City Committees as their committee of primary membership. They do not have voting rights.

ARTICLE 3.2 Dues. The annual membership dues for regular, associate, and corporate members will be determined by the Board. Individual membership dues shall be modest in view of the voluntary nature of member’s participation in the activities of the Corporation, and shall be credited to the member’s committee of primary membership. Corporate membership dues for for‐profit and non‐profit corporations may be set at different levels; such dues shall be credited to the committee of primary membership designated by the corporate member or to the Corporation’s general operating fund if so designated by the corporate member or if no designation has been made. Membership dues and contributions to BSC, Inc. are tax deductible, to the extent allowed by law.

2. International Advisory Council amendment

Introduction to 2nd amendment: This amendment outlines the formation and role of an International Advisory Council, made up of representatives from the business and higher education communities with expertise in international cooperation and trade; the Board expects that having such a council will benefit BSC Inc as a whole, but also individual committees.

Text for the amendment:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. are hereby amended by inserting a new Article 7 to read in its entirety as follows. Subsequent articles of said bylaws will be renumbered accordingly.

ARTICLE 7. International Advisory Council. The Corporation may establish an International Advisory Council, to consist of representatives from the various local organizations and constituencies which the Corporation serves and cooperates with, including, without limitation, businesses, schools, universities, hospitals and other health/medical organizations, and cultural organizations. The purpose of the International Advisory Council is to provide advice and support to the Corporation and its activities in furtherance of the Mission Statement of the Corporation. Members of the International Advisory Council shall be approved by the Board for a renewable term of at least one year. Membership will generally be restricted to one individual from any single organization, such individual to be recommended by the participating organization. In some cases individuals without affiliation to an organization may also be approved as members. There will be no dues or other direct costs of membership for the International Advisory Council. The International Advisory Council shall meet at least twice each year. International Advisory Council members will also receive notices of all regularly scheduled meetings of the Corporation and will be welcome to attend such meetings as non‐voting participants. From time to time the Corporation may request a member of the International Advisory Council to attend a meeting of the Corporation to provide advice or assistance in an area of the member’s expertise. A Director of the Corporation will be assigned to be the liaison to the International Advisory Council, to include assisting in scheduling meetings, attending all meetings and recording the minutes of all meetings. The International Advisory Council will be subject to the provisions of Article 6.4, ‘Regulations Governing Committees’, except where such provisions may conflict with any part of this Article 7. The Board may dissolve the International Advisory Council at any time.

3. Option to Vote by Proxy amendment

Introduction to 3rd amendment: This amendment opens up the possibility of voting by proxy in BSC Inc.’s general membership meeting, as well as in meetings of the Board and individual Sister City Committees, but only on decision items that have been shared ahead of time. Note that this will make it easier to hold elections and make other important decisions such as future changes in the Bylaws, but that most decisions, such as short‐term planning, task assignments, and motions submitted during meetings, will still require the regular quorum of people participating in the meeting itself, in person or by conference call.

Text for the amendment:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. are hereby amended by inserting into the re‐numbered Article 8 (“MEETINGS OF THE CORPORATION, BOARD, AND COMMITTEES”) a new Article 8.5 to read in its entirety as follows. Subsequent (sub)articles of the new Article 8 will be renumbered accordingly.

8.5. Voting by Proxy. Members who cannot be present in person may submit a proxy ballot for votes in meetings of the Board, Committees, or Membership, provided the proxy ballot has been submitted in advance of the meeting and is clearly marked with the member’s name, matter under consideration, and vote cast. For all votes cast by proxy ballot, members casting such votes shall be counted towards the quorum required to transact the business to which the vote pertains.

D. Board Elections

Below is the list of nominees. These nominations were made by the sister city committees and other organizations represented on our BSC, Inc. board. Opposing nominations, if desired, can be made at the January 12, 2018 annual meeting.

Directors of the Board

BSC Gislin Dagnelie, President & representing BRSCC
William Fontaine Bell, Vice President & representing BXSCC
Kathleen Martin, representing BKSCC
Tharwat Abouraya, representing BLASCC
Diane Homberg, representing BPSCC
BDC Larry Collins
BOPA Sheila Goodwin
Mayor’s Office Ethan Cohen
MIMA Catalina Rodriguez-Lima

Sister City Committee Chairs

BKSCC Yoshinobu & Kathleen Shiota (co-chairs)
BLASCC Tharwat Abouraya
BPSCC Diane Homberg
BRSCC Rachel Sengers
BXSCC Xin (Cindy) Wang

Note: other people for the board (such as Shawn Burman – new Treasurer, Hosea Chew, Danielle Nekimken, and Nicholas Dinunizio – new Secretary) do not represent organizations that are spelled out in the bylaws. The only way to bring them on as Directors is for the board to co-opt them; they cannot be brought on through our elections. Therefore they are not included in the  list above for the Jan 12, 2018 meeting. Also note that BSC Officer positions (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary) will be elected in the January 24, 2018 BSC Board meeting.

Nov 6 / Trash & Composting at Enoch Pratt Library

Composting bin

Date: Monday, November 6, 2017 at 4-7pm
Location: Brooklyn Branch of Enoch Pratt Free Library
300 East Patapsco Ave, Baltimore, MD 21225
Library page
Admission: Free and open to the public. Family-friendly.

About this event

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Partnership: Kathie diStefano (from Rotterdam in the Netherlands) and Rodette Jones (Filbert Street Community Garden in Baltimore) will talk trash and how to do composting — to make your garden flourish!

Snacks will be served at the beginning of the event. Light supper near the end of the event. And we’ll recycle our trash at the end!

Test page for testing the donate link

Test page for testing by SB and RS

Feb 17, 2018




Note: The image is way too big. I tried adding this code to the input tag (the input that is type=image): width=”147″ height=”47″ but it does not work. No matter what, the WordPress page template stretches the button image to be full width of the page (then page template obeys the height attribute but not the width attribute). I assume that when we put this button into the footer, it won’t have that issue, because the footer uses a different CSS layout than the page body.

Nov 18 / Bonsai Afternoon

Bonsai tree

Date: November 18, 2017, at 2-5pm
Location: Cylburn Arboretum, Vollmer Center, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, MD 21209
Admission: Buy tickets on the event page (there are several rates)

About this event

Come out and enjoy the beautiful scenery at Cylburn Arboretum for this special Japan-themed event featuring: Book talks and book signings by 3 well-known local authors, garden strolls, bonsai displays, Japanese refrehments, gifts for sale, and much more! Cylburn Arboretum is a 200-acre urban oasis in Baltimore City. This is a family-friendly event; everyone is welcome.

Organized by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee

 

More information & tickets

Bonsai Afternoon Eventbrite page

Oct 24 / 11th Annual China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections

This event is sold out.

Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 5:30-9pm
Location: Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Admission: There is a fee and advance registration is required. Seating is limited. See the event page for details.

Featuring

Ambassador Susan E. Rice, National Security Advisor (2013 – 2017) and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2009 – 2013)
Secretary John C. Wobensmith, Secretary of State of Maryland (2015 – present)

Program

The 2017 program includes a catered reception, a local address by Secretary Wobensmith & discussion, and a nationwide webcast featuring Ambassador Rice. Check-in & refreshments begin at 5:30pm. The national webcast will be from 7:00 to 8:00pm. Baltimore event organized by the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee. National webcast organized by the National Committee on U.S.- China Relations.

More information  & registration

www.bxscc.org/news-and-events

China Town Hall 2017 save-the-date flyer image

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Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. No goods or services were provided for this gift. Please consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions about your deductions.

 

Web site copyright © 2023 Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc.

logo-baltimoreBaltimore sister city committees operate under the auspices of the City of Baltimore’s Office of the Mayor.

 

Brandon M. Scott, Mayor

 

Previous mayor’s Dec 2015 press release about Baltimore Sister Cities.

 

Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is a 501c3 organization incorporated in the State of Maryland.
Member of  Sister Cities International, Maryland Nonprofits, World Trade Center Institute, Visit Baltimore, & affiliate of Maryland International Education Consortium.
Recipient of 2016 Innovation Award from Sister Cities International.