[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1240-E1241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF TOLEDO SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2018

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary 
evolution of the Toledo Sister Cities International (TSCI) presence in 
the City of Toledo as an umbrella group for the ten Sister Cities/
regions which constitute this membership. Members and friends are 
gathering this weekend to celebrate its silver anniversary.
  As TSCI celebrates its 25th anniversary, our community is also proud 
to celebrate what is regarded as the very first Sister City agreement 
when, in 1931, the Association of Two Toledos linking Toledo, Ohio with 
Toledo, Spain was born. That was years before President Dwight 
Eisenhower, in 1956, called for ``citizen diplomacy'' to create sister 
city relationships with the goal of promoting world peace. 
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., this organization oversees the 
establishment of sister city relationships which are mayor to mayor 
agreements that are initiated by citizens in interested cities across 
the globe and approved by local governing bodies.
  In 1985, a relationship with Qinhuangdao, China was initiated, and it 
became a sister city to Toledo. Qinhuangdao and Toledo are both known 
as ``The Glass City'' because of their history of glass production.
  When the oppression of communism ended in 1989 in Poland, a core 
group including Councilwoman Eleanor Kahle, future Councilman Peter 
Ujvagi, Ann Galloway and Sister Ann Frances Klimkowski, and myself 
discussed the formation of an association to reach out to cities coming 
to the light of freedom. Szeged, Hungary became the first Sister City 
in this new approach in 1990 and

[[Page E1241]]

Poznan, Poland followed in 1991. We proudly welcomed our newest 
partners with the mayors and leaders of each community coming together 
in cultural, economic, educational and humanitarian exchanges.
  In 1992 an advisory board of community leaders, the Lucas County Port 
Authority, Toledo Edison, the Private Industry Council, and the City of 
Toledo came together to form Toledo Sister Cities International in 
order to unite existing sister city relationships and develop future 
affiliations. Twenty-three members of the civic, business, educational, 
and legal professions created the Founding Board of Trustees in 1993, 
and the formal incorporation of TSCI as a not-for-profit organization 
was finalized that year.
  The first International Youth Academy was offered by TSCI in 1997, in 
which students from the Sister Cities attend a three-week long 
immersion in the culture and language, living with host families in the 
cities. TSCI also sponsors an international festival each year, during 
which members of our region share their heritages in a daylong display 
of heritage, culture, and food showcasing uniqueness while highlighting 
commonality around the world. Toledo and TSCI were proud to be the host 
of the Sister City International Conference in 2002, which brought 600 
delegates and 300 guests from 28 countries from around the world to 
Northwest Ohio.
  As the years continued, Toledo Sister Cities International 
flourished. A regional agreement with Lebanon's Beqaa Valley was 
established in 1998. Relationships were later cemented with Toyohashi, 
Japan in 2000; Tanga, Tanzania in 2001; Delmenhorst, Germany in 2002; 
Coimbatore, India in 2010; Hyderabad, Pakistan in 2011; Qinhauangdao/
Nanchong, China in 2017 and Coburg, Germany in 2017.
  While the stories behind each Sister City are unique, the way that 
each relationship was established was not--it all came about because 
people in the Toledo area and throughout the global community found a 
need to connect with those from another nation. The idea for `citizen 
diplomacy' has not diminished as time has marched on. The work that the 
Toledo Sister Cities International continues to do on behalf of our 
communities is extraordinary. I am pleased to join Toledo Sister Cities 
International as we celebrate its 25th Anniversary, reflecting on the 
past, looking forward to the future, and inspired by an incredible 
journey of international citizen diplomacy.

                          ____________________