CKSCP Board Meeting
November 14, 2022

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by President, Bob Herring. Also present at the ZOOM meeting were Gail Bason, Mike Burns, Bob Derge, Bob Derge Jr., Frank Clark, Jay DeWitt, Ann Lampe, Susan Neaman, and Sasha Etlin. Bruce Southers joined the meeting as a special guest.

Bob Herring previously distributed an agenda via email.

REPORTS

Meeting Minutes: Mike Burns advised that the minutes from October 10, 2022 were previously distributed. He commented that he needed the correct spelling for Victoria Mariniuk’s name. this was provided by Susan Neaman. Upon a motion by Bob Derge and a second by Frank Clark, the minutes were approved by a unanimous voice vote.

Treasurer’s Report: Bob Derge Jr. previously sent out a treasurer’s report detailing current fund balances and providing some details on the planned investment of $10,000 in I Bonds. The total checking account balance is $77,279.11 with $10,000 of that balance yet to be invested in the I Bonds. The report reflected an unencumbered checking account balance of $23,411.30 and $20,791.65 in monies available for discretionary disbursements. The report indicated that $21,004.71 has been received in connection with the current KRC Winter 2022 fund drive and he is aware of a $3,000 contribution that came in today. He advised that donations to the fund drive have been picking up in recent days. A suggestion was made to send out a reminder ask to our pool of supporters. Bob Herring will take care of that task.

Bob Derge Jr. also provided a report on available Blink project funds totaling $2,072.05. Susan Neaman made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s report. It was seconded by Gail Bason and passed by a unanimous voice vote.

UPDATES

Outreach to area high schools regarding support for the Kharkiv Red Cross: Bob Herring advised that he has reached out to nine parochial high schools about doing fund raisers for the Kharkiv Red Cross. Four have responded favorably. He has a PowerPoint presentation he uses for the schools. He noted that he reached out to the parochial schools first since that is where his expertise is based. He asked for anyone who has public school connections to coordinate contacting those schools. Bruce Southers advised that he has a connection with Covington Latin School.

Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL): Susan Neaman and Mike Burns reported that there has been no updated information received from COIL.

Mention in P&G Alumni Magazine: Bob Herring reported that CKSCP was recently mentioned in the alumni magazine in connection with the spring 2022 fund drive.

Archives: Jay DeWitt had nothing to update on the search for a possible home for CKSCP archives if we need to vacate the Carew Tower office space. Bob & Sonya Derge have completed an inventory of the furniture and related equipment and supplies currently housed in the office. Bob Herring will share this information with the rest of the board.

Africa Fire Mission: Bob Herring provided a summary of the work that this organization does supporting fire departments in developing countries.

D & O Insurance: Bob Herring reported that the insurance premium for the Directors and Officers insurance policy is due and CINUSCA has discussed several options for covering the cost. After discussion, the consensus opinion of the CKSCP board was that individual Sister City organizations should contribute $100 each toward the cost of the premium.

Meeting with Cincinnati Symphony (CSO): Susan Neaman and Ann Lampe reported on a recent meeting with representatives of the CSO which involved four Sister City organizations. There was no specific request made by the Sister City representatives, but there was some indication that the CSO might participate at the International Children’s Day activities. There are also opportunities for discounted CSO tickets for Sister City groups attending concerts.

NEW BUSINESS

Igor Titov’s Father-in-law: Bob Herring advised that Igor’s father-in-law suffered a cardiac arrest and is currently in Hospice.

Evening for Educators – Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM): Bob Herring reported that the CAM is hosting an evening for educators on Thursday, November 17, 2022 form 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Part of the program will involve showing thirty 2’x 3’ posters displaying the exchange of artwork between Cincinnati and Kharkiv students. Shelly Komrska is working on this program.

Nominations for Reappointment of Board Members: Mike Burns reported that he has contacted three of the four current board members whose 3-year terms are expiring next month. Bob Herring, Susan Neaman and Guennadi Maslov have expressed a desire to be reappointed to the board. He has had difficulty contacting Steve Hirschberg but hopes to make a connection to gauge his interest before the December board meeting. Mike Burns made a motion to reappoint Bob Herring, Susan Neaman, and Guennadi Maslov to new 3-year terms on the board. The motion was seconded by Ann Lampe and passed by unanimous voice vote.

Mike Burns advised that he will be working on a recommendation for the slate of officers for the coming year in advance of the December board meeting.

Nataliia Kalmykova Veterans Affairs for Ukraine: Bob Herring reported that he has been contacted by Ms. Kalmykova regarding possible connections for the treatment of veterans following military service in Ukraine. He felt that the best connections for her were in Washington. Susan Neaman reminded the board that one of the COIL programs we have applied for is centered on the treatment of PTSD and other war related injuries.

Sasha Etlin commented that he has been in contact with Maxym Pasichnyk regarding an idea he has together with Vadim Kovalenko for CKSCP hosting some Kharkiv runners participating in the May 2023 Flying Pig marathon. They are looking at opportunities for raising funds for a PTSD rehab center in Kharkiv. Board members were open to hosting runners for the Flying Pig.

Chris Steineger, National Coordinator of Sister Cities for Ukraine project: Bob Herring advised that he was contacted by Mr. Steineger regarding the possibility of linking small cities in Ukraine with small cities in the US.

Request to fund medicine for Kharkiv: Bob Herring previously sent out an email regarding this request for help with funding the purchase of medicine for distribution in Kharkiv. He advised that the Ukrainian government has apparently changed the rules on how organizations can acquire and distribute medicine in Ukraine, but the changes remain unclear. He suggested that a Zoom meeting be utilized to gather more information from the Kharkiv organization to determine if we can help with their efforts. He will endeavor to set up a meeting for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 21st. (Note: the meeting has been set for November 21^st at 7:30 p.m.)

Request to collaborate with USA w/Ukraine on the shipping of large pallets of items to Kharkiv: Bob Herring also sent out an email prior to the meeting describing this request. It involves the shipping of up to 6,570 pounds of supplies at a potential cost of $12,000-$14,000. There apparently have been some discussions with Kostia Bashkirov (KRC) regarding this proposal but Bob has not yet been able to discuss the proposal or needs with Kostia. The board believed we need more information from Kostia regarding the need for the items proposed to be shipped before we can decide how to respond to the request.

Helen Mess Board Interest: Mike Burns advised that Guennadi Maslov suggested that Helen Mess might be interested in coming back on the CKSCP board. Mike contacted Helen to gauge her level of interest. She indicated a desire to get involved but she was concerned that due to travel and family commitments taking on a full board member role might be more than she can do. Mike suggested that making her some sort of honorary or adjunct member of the board and having her contribute when she can do so might make sense. Sasha Etlin suggested appointing her as an “Honorary Advisor to the board”, and then having her contribute when available would be beneficial to CKSCP. After discussion, Mike Burns made a motion to appoint Helen Mess as an Honorary Advisor to the CKSCP Board in a non-voting capacity. The motion was seconded by Gail Bason and passed by a unanimous voice vote.

AROUND ZOOM SCREEN

Frank Clark: Frank advised that he has been discussing possible board membership with Vietnam Veterans representative Ed Brown. Ed is still interested in board membership, but he is unable to do so right now. He also advised that Ed also mentioned that several people have reached out to him regarding the availability of walkers and scooters for disabled persons in Ukraine. He will follow up on this when more information is available.

Ann Lampe: Ann provided an update on Nadia. She is working as a translator for Ukrainian soldiers currently training in the UK.

Mike Burns: Mike indicated that he has been in contact with Tom Moeller regarding a potential board appointment. Tom remains interested, but he wants to wait until after he finishes the transition with his replacement at the City of Madeira. This should be completed by the end of 2022.

News From Kharkiv: Sasha Etlin reported that the winter conditions in Kharkiv have been made worse due to the recent missile strikes on the electric grid and gas supplies. Mayor Terekhov has set up warming centers around the city where residents can go to get warm. The centers have generators and infrared heaters. They are trying to conserve energy and have experienced rolling blackouts due to the damages.

NEXT MEETING

The next regularly scheduled CKSCP board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 12th. Bob Herring expressed an interest in having an in person meeting. Mike Burns and Ann Lampe advised that they will not be available in person but could join via Zoom. Details on a location will be forthcoming.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Board President Bob Herring excused Bruce Southers from the meeting and the board went into executive session to discuss Bruce’s appointment to the CKSCP board. Members spoke in support of his appointment. Jay DeWitt made a motion to appoint Bruce Southers to the CKSCP board for a 3-year term. The motion was seconded by Ann Lampe and passed by a unanimous voice vote. Bob will contact Bruce with the news.

Susan Neaman made a motion with a second from Gail Bason to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Submitted by Michael Burns, Secretary