Not only do we have the normal events, we have an election of officers this November and an adult visit from our friends in Paderborn next year. Please consult the Calendar at the end of the newsletter for the dates of the events. We will need all the help our membership can muster to make this year as successful as past ones.
This year our Sister City organization in Paderborn is celebrating their 25th anniversary. We offer our congratulations. Festivities are planned for June 23rd in the Rathaus. We are planning to participate in those activities. I’m sure that any extra cards and letters from our membership would be appreciated.
President Jerry Reilmann
News from Paderborn
Dear Friends in Belleville and Around:
Finally spring has come. We have read the results of the elections in Belle- ville. We congratulate Mayor Eckert on his re-election. We wish all the best to those elected for positions of the city.
Together with Oliver Boraucke of the City’s youth department we have been busy preparing the students who will come to Belleville in summer for their stay. Four boys and eight girls will be in Belleville from July 23 rd thru August 13 th . Sebastian Schulz and Benedikt Otto will be the chaperones. Everybody in the group is looking forward to meeting with the host families and to the program during the stay.
Three girls will come for the three months stay on August 14 th : Hannah Bauer (Belleville West High School) will host Verena Dorniss, Courtnie Weaver (Belleville East) Jenny Hillebrand and Elizabeth Hughes (Belleville East) Anna Fee Wefelmeier.
Our thanks go to everybody involved in these two wonderful youth exchanges. During June/July we expect the return visits of three (as of now) students from Belleville who hosted the three month students in 2012: Nick Arteaga, Elizabeth Hughes and Alexandra Malette.
Throughout the years we could be proud of such return visits of young people.
In February/March Jan Schulze – former exchange student – was in Belleville. Studying to become a teacher, he observed classes at Belleville West for about a month. This has been another of several return visits. Christian Stemberg who was first in Belleville in 2008, and now a law student, came back for five weeks to have an internship at a renowned Belleville law firm.
On the other hand Kate Eckert, daughter of Mayor Eckert and a former exchange student, has been here since August 2012 as an assistant teacher at a school in Bad Lippspringe/Paderborn. She has organized a get-together for the Paderborn students who have been to Belleville. This is a wonderful activity that helps fasten the bonds between our cities and regions. Heiner Sprenkamp, Vice-President of DAFK, ac- tively supports this initiative. Heiner happened to stay in Belleville for a few days starting May 1 st . He had talks with BSC President Jerry Reilmann about future plans.
At the beginning of April Mary Huetsch and Jean Jung from Waterloo were here for family research at the Diocesan Archives of Paderborn; they were successfully supported by our ancestry expert, Dr. Heinz Marxkors.
In June we’ll welcome Marilyn and Judith Schulte (St. Louis, well known with BSC members) who will stay in Paderborn for the 3 rd time to learn more about their ancestors in Westphalia. They’ll be here when we’ll celebrate the 25 th anniversary of DAFK on June 23 rd . Also Nancy Macklin will attend the ceremony at the Rathaus/City Hall of Paderborn. She will present a message from Jerry Reilmann. Together with Kate Eckert and Elizabeth Hughes the three ladies will form the “Belleville delegation”.
Looking forward to our anniversary celebration with wonderful memories of a 25 year relationship with Belleville and the region – best wishes across the Atlantic Ocean
Bernd Broer
President
Dr. Otmar Allendorf
Secretary