Local envoys traveling to Germany to celebrate Sister Cities

A quarter century of goodwill between Gaston County’s largest city and its kindred spirit overseas is being celebrated this month.

For those who were involved and remember Gastonia launching its Sister Cities program in 1993, it’s hard to believe 25 years have passed since then. But they say there is no denying the benefits Gastonia has reaped from being linked with Gotha, Germany – its partner in the initiative – to the extent that it has even aided economic development.

“I think it has led to foreign-based companies feeling welcome here,” said Gastonia Mayor Walker Reid. “It has shown our openness, cultural awareness and global understanding.”

Sister Cities is a school-based venture that aims to foster friendships and understanding with people from foreign countries through partnerships in education, culture, economic development and dialogue. Local teenagers have been the primary envoys in the 25 years since the program was adopted here.

Delegations of high school students annually travel to Gastonia’s two official Sister Cities, which include not only Gotha, but also Santiago de Surco, Peru. Students from those countries similarly make annual trips here.

When Gastonia and Gotha joined the international venture in 1993, it was the first time either had participated. So to celebrate the 25-year anniversary, the city in central Germany has designated May 5 as “Gastonia Day.”

Public, private funds

A group of 15 Gastonia residents and officials will visit Gotha to take part in the celebration there. Mayor Walker Reid, Councilman Jim Gallagher, Councilwoman Jennifer Stepp, City Manager Michael Peoples, Community Development and Innovation Director Vincent Wong, and Sister Cities Director Juliann Lehman will make the trip from May 1-7. Representatives of the Schiele Museum and the local Sister Cities board of directors will also be in attendance.

The city has dipped into money it allocates for employee travel and training and paid $3,625 in airfare for five flights — specifically for Reid, Peoples, Wong, Stepp and Lehman. Gallagher is paying $1,450 for he and his wife to make the trip.

Other Sister Cities board members are paying for their own tickets, and Schiele Museum officials making the trip are using money from private fundraising, said city spokeswoman Rachel Bagley.

The city of Gotha is paying for Reid to stay in a hotel, and has made accommodations for other delegation members to stay with host families. Food and transit costs will also largely be footed by Gotha and those host families, though if any other unforseen "incidental" costs arise during the trip, the city will deal with those afterward, Bagley said.

‘Gothardusfest’

Since 2011, the German Language and Culture Foundation of Charlotte has donated more than $90,000 in scholarships to help local families pay for students’ summer trips to Gotha.

Beyond residents traveling between the two cities, the relationship has sparked other inspiration. The Schiele Museum has sent a special exhibit of items titled “Gastonia and the Carolina Piedmont” to be displayed at Gotha’s Museum of Nature this summer. Last fall, the Schiele Museum featured a German exhibit known as “Gotha and the Thuringian Forest.”

Gotha will host Gastonia and its five other sister cities in early May with a celebration it calls Gothardusfest. Mayors and officials from the six cities, located on various continents, will talk about ways to promote partnerships and economic opportunities.

Lehman said the visit to Gotha will enhance Gastonia’s connections in education, economic development and dialogue. It’s a realization of the Sister Cities slogan of “Peace through People,” she said.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.