March 29, 2024

OPEN appreciates support from community

Jane Ann Cotton

Newton

The annual meeting of Newton’s sister city group, Organization Promoting Everlasting Neighbors (OPEN) will be held at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the Newton Community School District conference room. As required by our by-laws, this is an official invitation to the meeting. Newton has sister cities in Smila, Ukraine and WuChi area, Taiwan.

The board’s regular monthly meeting will follow the annual meeting.

On behalf of OPEN’s Board of Directors we thank Newton and all of Jasper County for the strong support we have experienced. We want to thank the many citizens that have been involved with our student program. Thirty-nine students from our sister city areas in Ukraine and Taiwan have spent an academic year at Newton High School and several Jasper County high schools and all have been privileged to have had host families that unselfishly shared their families’ lives with them. Currently Vlada Osadcha from Smila, Ukraine is being hosted by the Doug and Cindy Smith family. Second semester host family will be the Jim and Joan Thorpe family. Without this kind of support, our student program would not be possible. We are very appreciative of the dedication of the thirty-nine students’ host families and we are very proud to have offered the students the opportunity to spend academic time in our area schools.

There are several ways our organization tries to communicate with those of you that are interested in sister city activities. One way is through articles and photos in the Newton Daily News. We also have a Facebook page, OPEN Newton Iowa, where we try to update Facebook users on current activities. Another is our website, www.opennewton.org.

Our annual pasta supper was held Oct. 29 and was a big success. Our sincere thanks to all who supported this annual endeavor. We are very grateful for the support.

Our board of directors meet monthly to conduct the necessary business for our organization. Current board members are: Sheri Benson, Warren Erickson, Jane Johnson, Frederick Kramer, Mary Beth Lawson, John McNeer, Sveta Miller, Jeff Price, David Raymond, Tori Reynolds and Joan Tyler.