Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Partnership

Charlottesville-Winneba Updates: February 2012

2012-02-27T11:00:00.007-08:00

Since our last visit to Winneba in May 2011, there has been a lot of activity in our Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City partnership and there are a number of projects in the works to strengthen the ties between our two communities.

In no particular order:

* We are incorporating a new entity, the Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation, as a fundraising vehicle to support the work of the Sister City partnership. This Foundation will have its own Board and will organize fundraising events and solicit donations to raise monies for the Winneba Public Library Project, travel costs for future delegations, etc. The Foundation is currently in the process of submitting a 501(c)3 application to the IRS so that contributions to the Foundation would be tax-deductible. Once the Foundation is operational, a local fundraising professional has tentatively agreed to start working to raise monies for the Foundation on a commission basis.

* Progress on the Winneba Public Library Project has been slow but there has been an exchange of information about library specifications and operations and we expect to see concrete progress on the design phase in 2012, hopefully with the continued involvement/support of the Building Goodness Foundation.

* The Virginia State Reading Association, by way of Prof. Suzanne Houff at Mary Washington University, very much wants to work with us to support the development of literacy initiatives in Winneba in conjunction with the Winneba Public Library Project. They have some reading materials they would like to send along to Winneba if anyone from Charlottesville visits in 2012. The Gyatekuma Servant-Leader Revitalization Project, Inc. (an NGO founded by Nana Ghartey’s uncle) is looking to take the lead role in establishing reading programs in Winneba.

* The UVa Library System and UVa’s Center for International Studies are hosting two librarians from Ghana (including one, Cynthia Kumah, from the University of Education at Winneba) March 26-30 for an international library exchange. Their visit will include a tour of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library system and we hope that their visit will help build momentum for the Winneba Public Library Project. The librarians will offer a free public presentation (“The Unique Challenges and Opportunities Faced by Ghana’s Libraries in the Global Context”) on Wed., March 28, 2012, at 1:30pm in the Auditorium of the Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library with reception to follow.

* Nancy Damon was able to land Peggielene Bartels, author of King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village, for the Virginia Festival of the Book – she will be speaking on Friday, March 23, 2012, at 12:00pm in City Council chambers. Dave Norris will moderate. Bartels’ book is currently getting widespread national media exposure. For more info: www.kingpeggy.com or http://www.vabook.org/site12/program/search.php?search=king+peggy&x=0&y=0

* Ghana’s Ambassador to U.S., the Hon. Daniel Ohene Agyekum, spoke in the Dome Room of the UVa Rotunda on December 6, 2011 on the topic “Ghana as an Emerging Market: How the Ghanaian Diaspora Can Contribute.” Dave Norris introduced the Ambassador and several other members of the Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee attended and presented Ambassador Agyekum with a couple of gifts as souvenirs of his Charlottesville visit. For more info.: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=16808

* The Semester at Sea program, based at UVa, continues to dock in Ghana several times a year and whenever it does so, several students & faculty from the ship head up the coast and pay a visit to Winneba courtesy of our friends with the Winneba Sister City Commission. Jane Penner of the UVa Library System (who visited Winneba as part of our May 2011 delegation) will be the shipboard librarian on an upcoming voyage and is looking forward to making a return visit to Winneba at that time.

* A large shipment of medical supplies from UVa were distributed to hospitals and clinics throughout the Central Region of Ghana in summer 2011 and were very well-received.

* Upcoming Ghana Association event: 55^th Independence Day Celebration, March 10, 7:30-10:30pm, Tonsler Park Rec Center. Free and open to the public – please come! Several individuals and organizations will be honored for promoting positive relations between Charlottesville and Ghana.

* Joe Baami (Chairman of the Winneba Sister City Commission), Nana Ghartey and Dave Norris met with Charlottesville City Schools Superintendent Rosa Atkins and Deputy Superintendent Gertrude Ivory on October 14, 2011 to discuss creating an Artist-in-Residence Program in the City schools, whereby a rotating series of visiting artists from Winneba would teach West African art (music, visual art, dance, design, etc.) in our City schools. The idea is now under exploration by City school staff.

* The University of Virginia, by way of Dr. Marcus Martin, Vice President for Equity and Diversity, has indicated its willingness to appoint Dr. Maurice Apprey of the Office of African-American Affairs as an official UVa representative to the Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee. Dave Norris and Nana Ghartey will arrange a meeting soon with Dr. Apprey (and perhaps Dr. Martin) to discuss the status of the proposed MOU between UVa and the University of Education at Winneba. On a related note, the newly-formed Charlottesville Institute (http://cvilleinstitute.blogspot.com) is willing to assist in promoting involvement of UVa students and faculty in projects of benefit to the Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City partnership.

* As part of Charlottesville’s 250^th birthday festivities this year, two representatives from each of our Sister Cities (including Winneba) will be invited to attend our 250^th anniversary banquet in November. The Charlottesville Sister City Commission is hoping to raise funds to cover their travel & lodging costs. The Sister City Commission is also looking to launch an electronic pen-pal program in conjunction with the 250^th, whereby Charlottesville City schoolchildren can use their new tablet computers to develop friendships with schoolchildren in each of our Sister Cities.

* A UVa student, Kendall Singleton, is applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct an agriculture-related research project in Winneba – she will know if her application was approved in March.

* The Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee will try and raise funds to support travel costs for a delegation from Winneba to attend the African-American Cultural Arts Festival and Taste of Ghana events in July 2012.

* Charlotte Cherry’s film about her experience as a member of the May 2011 Charlottesville delegation to Winneba was featured in Light House Studio’s 10^th Annual youth film festival on September 9, 2011 and was aired at a meeting of Charlottesville City Council on September 6, 2011.

* Roger Voisinet has offered to host a backyard benefit concert for the Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation in May 2012, featuring the Stoned Wheat Things and perhaps some other musicians. Stay tuned for more info.

* Nana Ghartey will be a guest on Bruce Penner's WTJU radio show, Radio Tropicale, this Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 12:00pm to discuss Ghana's rich musical legacy.

* Pastor Dale Johnson, who was a member of the May 2009 Charlottesville delegation to Winneba, will be making a return visit to Ghana this July with The Helen Project and is willing to bring books, etc., to Winneba. The Helen Project is hoping to sponsor some training apprenticeships for Ghanaian women caring for orphans in Winneba.

2012 Cville-Winneba Planning Meeting Set for Feb. 27

2012-02-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

The Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee is meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 at 12:00pm in the Madison Room of the Central Library downtown to share updates on the partnership and to make plans for 2012. This is a great opportunity to get involved in moving our Sister City partnership forward! As a bonus, we'll be served some tasty Ghanaian food for lunch. Any and all are welcome.

Salute to Ambassador Limousine

2011-04-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

As you might imagine, planning a group trip to Africa involves clearing all sorts of logistical hurdles. Just the simple act of getting a delegation of a dozen Charlottesville residents to and from Dulles Airport, with all of their luggage and carry-on items, is an endeavor in and of itself. We were thrilled, therefore, when Charlottesville's own Ambassador Limousine stepped up and agreed to donate transportation for our delegation up to Dulles on May 1 and back to Cville on May 10. You gotta love local, community-minded businesses like Ambassador Limousine. If you are ever looking to hire a limousine, motor coach, mini-coach or executive sedan from a top-flight local company, please contact Ambassador Limousine at (434) 973-5466 (LIMO). For more info., click here.

Worldstrides Donates $1,000 Toward Winneba Trip

2011-04-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Worldstrides, the nation's largest ("and most trusted") student travel organization, certainly knows a thing or two about the benefits that can be gleaned from sending a group of travelers to visit distant lands. In that spirit, we are delighted to announce that Worldstrides has donated $1,000 toward the costs of sending a delegation of 13 Charlottesville residents to Winneba in May in support of our Sister City partnership. Many thanks to Worldstrides for their generous contribution! For more info. on the wonderful array of travel opportunities available to students through Worldstrides, please visit www.worldstrides.com.

NBC 29's Henry Graff to Accompany Winneba Delegation

2011-04-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

WVIR NBC-29 news reporter Henry Graff will be joining the Charlottesville delegation to Winneba, Ghana May 1-10 and will make daily broadcasts from Ghana about the delegation's efforts to strengthen ties between our two Sister Cities. Check in regularly at www.nbc29.com to view Henry's reports. Kudos to WVIR for making the resources available to cover the story, and welcome aboard Henry!

Donate Today and a Ghanaian Beaded Bracelet is Yours!

2011-04-10T20:03:00.001-07:00

Between monetary and in-kind donations, the Charlottesville-Winneba Sister Cities Committee has raised about $26,500 toward the cost of our upcoming visit to Ghana (May 1-10) to help in planning for the Winneba Public Library Project. (Note: no taxpayer funds are being used for this trip.) We only have about $1,500 left to raise to cover our expenses. We're so close!

For the next week, we are offering a very special incentive for donors who are willing to help us with the last few dollars we need. For every donation of $50 contributed between April 10-17, the donor will receive a beautiful, hand-made Ghanaian beaded bracelet -- one similar to those in the photo below -- which the delegation will acquire for you in Ghana. $50 gets you one bracelet. $100 gets you two. And so on. Wear one yourself, or these bracelets also make for fabulous gifts!

You can make a contribution by mail, with a check to Virginia Organizing (memo line: "Winneba Project"), 703 Concord Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22903; or you can donate on-line by clicking here (site hosted by Virginia Organizing -- designate "Winneba Project" where prompted).

The official Charlottesville delegation is to include a mix of library & literacy professionals, construction experts and community leaders, including:

Dave Norris, Charlottesville Mayor

Krista Farrell, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library

Jane Penner, UVa Library

Nancy Damon, Virginia Festival of the Book

Kelly Eplee, Building Goodness Foundation

Stan Binsted, R.E. Lee Construction/Building Goodness Foundation

Karen Waters, Quality Community Council

Nana Ghartey, Ghana Association of Charlottesville

Roger Voisinet, Cville Properties

Baccho Umbertis, Graduate Student

Charlotte Cherry, Light House Studio

Morgan Rowe, Charlottesville-Winneba Sister Cities Committee

...and another very special guest to be named soon.

Please consider making a donation today!

Ghana Independence Day Celebration

2011-03-05T10:04:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, March 5, from 6pm-midnight, the Ghana Association of Charlottesville is celebrating Ghana's Independence Day with a free, public event at the Tonsler Park Rec Center. Come on by for some tasty Ghanaian food and warm Ghanaian hospitality. Hope to see you there!

Special Thanks to Harvest Moon Catering

2011-03-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

The Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee would like to extend a huge thanks to Harvest Moon Catering (www.hmcatering.com) for sponsoring our "Wine for Winneba" event on March 12. Harvest Moon is providing all of the food for the evening, and if you have ever been to a Harvest Moon-catered event you know that our party-goers are in for a delicious treat. (If you have never been to a Harvest Moon-catered event then you must come to this one to check them out!)

Tickets Now Available for "Wine for Winneba" - Saturday, March 12

2011-02-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

Tickets are now available for the "Wine for Winneba" event at the Main Street Arena on Saturday, March 12, from 8-11pm. This is the main fundraising event in support of the Charlottesville delegation's upcoming visit in May to help our Sister City of Winneba, Ghana, lay the groundwork for their first public library. No taxpayer funds will be used for this trip so we are relying 100% on community support.

"Wine for Winneba" will feature delicious food (courtesy Harvest Moon Caterering and Carpe Donuts), great company, lively music, excellent raffle prizes, and an open bar featuring South African wine and Starr Hill beer. Tickets are $50 each and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Winneba Public Library Project.

Many thanks to our wonderful sponsors for making this night possible: Main Street Arena, Harvest Moon Catering, Price Hyundai, Student Services Moving & Storage Co., Virginia Eagle, Cape Classics, 106.1 The Corner, Angelo's Jewelers, Keswick Hall, and the Downtown Grill.

To purchase your ticket(s) using a credit card, debit card or automatic check withdrawal, please click below. Your tickets will be held for you at the door. You can also just pay at the door on Saturday night. UPDATE: Now through Saturday, Seasonal Cook at the Main Street Market has tickets available for a discounted rate of $40!

Upcoming Fundraisers for Winneba Library Project

2011-02-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

The Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee has organized a series of benefit events to enable a delegation of Charlottesville residents to visit Winneba in May 2011 to assist in the planning of Winneba's first public library. Please join us for any or all of these evenings -- it's a great opportunity to have some fun, meet some interesting new people and support a worthy cause in the process. (Many thanks to Fundraising Chair Morgan Rowe for all of her hard work in this effort!)

Monday, February 21: Corner Bar Crawl

$5 bracelets, available for sale at Three (1517 University Ave.) from 5:00pm onward on the night of the Crawl, make you eligible for the following specials:

Backyard: $2 rails, $3 pints
Littlejohn's: free 24-ounce soda with $5 purchase
Boylan Heights & Mellow Mushroom: $2 drafts, $5 double rails
Three: $2 rails, $2 Bud Lights
Virginian: $2 rails
Biltmore: TBD
Trinity: $8 pitchers of Bud Light/$10 imports; $4 Soco Lime shots

Monday, February 28: Orzo Benefit Dinner

$30 pre-set menu, $6 glasses of wine; 50% of proceeds, and $1 for each drink, benefit Winneba Public Library Project
Reservations are limited; call 434-975-6796 (be sure to say "Cville-Winneba Group")

Thursday, March 3: Siips Celebrity Bartender Night

Siips Wine & Champagne Bar -- 5:30-7:30pm Happy Hour

and....

**THE MAIN EVENT**

Saturday, March 12: "Wine for Winneba" at the Main Street Arena

$50 tickets -- food, wine & beer, live music
Catered by Harvest Moon
100% of proceeds benefit Winneba Public Library Project

To purchase your tickets, please click here.

For more information on any of these events, please contact WineForWinneba@gmail.com.

Charlottesville and Winneba to Launch Public Library Project

2011-02-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Several Charlottesville residents will be traveling to Winneba, Ghana in May 2011 to help our newest Sister City make plans for their first public library. Land has already been donated for this purpose and a team of experts from Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, UVa Library, Virginia Festival of the Book, Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville-Albemarle, the Building Goodness Foundation and the Quality Community Council will be meeting with our partners in Winneba to lay the groundwork for this exciting project.

Both communities are moving forward with full confidence in their ability to overcome the barriers that, to date, have prevented the children and adults of Winneba from realizing their long-held dream of a modern library complex in their city. Increased literacy and enhanced access to technology are seen as essential steps toward individual and national development in Ghana. Stay tuned for more info.

Semester at Sea Visits Winneba

2010-10-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

In September 2010, students and faculty from the Semester at Sea program (based at the University of Virginia) visited Charlottesville's newest Sister City of Winneba, Ghana to interact with students from the University of Education at Winneba and to observe the Ghanaian judicial system in action. The slide show below features some of the highlights of that visit.

A Winneba delegation will visit Charlottesville in July 2010

2010-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Municipal Chief Executive of Winneba, Ghana recently accepted an invitation from Mayor Dave Norris of Charlottesville, Virginia to send an official delegation of citizens from Winneba to Charlottesville during the summer of 2010. Tentative travel dates are set for July 22- August 5. The timing for this visit was chosen to coincide with the African-American Cultural Arts Festival (July 31) & Taste of Ghana (July 29th) events and with our City Council meeting the first week of August.

Stay tuned for updates on fundraising opportunities, events and ways to get involved.

Winneba Travelogue Video: "My Chance of a Lifetime"

2009-08-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

In May 2009, teen filmmaker Quintin Franklyn of Light House Studio accompanied several other Charlottesville residents on a trip to Winneba, Ghana, to explore the establishment of a Sister City relationship between the two communities. The video below resulted from that journey. Enjoy.

My Chance of a Lifetime: Winneba, Ghana from Charlottesville TV10 on Vimeo.