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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Scouting then and now ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The United States and Iran make a deal ... Guest Opinion: Synthetic turf is the wrong answer ... Our View: Scouting then and now ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The United States and Iran make a deal ... Guest Opinion: Synthetic turf is the wrong answer ... COUNCIL CORNER Council Corner: Why baseball and Guanajuato are important Comment By Rich Rosenthal DailyTidings.com By Rich Rosenthal Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Rich Rosenthal Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News My 8-year-old son and I spent our spring break vacation in Guanajuato, Mexico, participating in the inaugural Sister City Classic youth baseball exchange program involving the 12-and-under team from Ashland. Ashland Little League president David Johnson, his board members and their Guanajuato connections did a phenomenal job organizing the week-long baseball sojourn to a part of the world that is simultaneously quite different as well as very similar to Ashland in many ways. Ultimately, the trip was a tremendous learning and bonding experience for players and parents alike. Next year, it's our turn to host the Guanajuatenses and we'll need your help to reciprocate their world-class hospitality. The media coverage about the Sister City Classic prompted some to ask why the Ashland-Guanajuato relationship is so significant. In other words, why should Ashlanders care about a city nine times the size of Ashland located 3,000 miles away in central Mexico? Founded 46 years ago as a result of the efforts of Sra. Chela Tapp-Kocks, a longtime Southern Oregon University Spanish instructor, the Ashland-Guanajuato connection is one of the country's oldest, continuously nurtured and meaningful sister-city relationships. Decades of interactions fostered mutual respect and cultural appreciation and sparked lasting friendships, including several dozen that blossomed into marriages. People-to-people diplomacy facilitates international understanding and cooperation in a way that maximizes the potential to make profoundly positive impacts. Members of Ashland's Rotary Club, Lions Club and Amigo Club, the Chamber of Commerce, city government, the SOU Amistad program, doctors, professors and many other individuals assist our Guanajuato counterparts by providing resources and expertise to help improve public health and safety, living conditions, economic development and educational attainment in a region where poverty is unfortunately all too common. A few months ago, and for the third time over the past 35 years, the City of Ashland donated a retired-from-service fire engine to the Guanajuato "Bomberos", who lack the ability to purchase newer vehicles but possess the mechanical expertise to keep equipment functioning well for decades. A few days ago, this engine helped extinguish a fire at a prominent downtown hotel, and a circa-1967 Ashland wildland fire unit is still used for emergency calls on steep, narrow roads. The benefits go both ways. It's difficult to describe the genuine warmth, generosity, respect and resourcefulness of Guanajuatenses without visiting the picturesque 500-year-old mining town nestled in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. Ashlanders are entertained, educated and captivated by their art, culture and music, and the 700 academic exchanges at the high-school and university levels changed perceptions and created advocates for our respective cities and countries. The youth baseball exchange is a new chapter in the sister city relationship, and I hope the athletics interface inspires younger generations of Ashlanders and Guanajuatenses to build on a half-century of mutually beneficial friendship and cooperation. Rich Rosenthal is a member of the Ashland City Council. By Rich Rosenthal DailyTidings.com By Rich Rosenthal Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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