Exchanging Customs, Cultures and Cartons of Care

The Sister City Committee is definitely on its feet and moving. The program hasn’t slowed down for a minute, since delegates from both Pleasanton and Tulancingo exchanged visits in 1984.

Pleasanton Planning Commissioner, Gregg Doherty, has been right in the thick of things, working as Chairman of the Tulancingo Boys’ Orphanage Committee. Gregg’s Committee put together three huge boxes of sporting goods and clothes for the boys to be flown down to Mexico with Sister City Committee President Bob Athenour and Vice President Steve Noble who left on February 10 for Tulancingo.

The boxes were part of a six carton shipment which also included non-flammable garments, donated by the Pleasanton Fire Department for Tulancingo firemen, and 24 rose bushes, donated by DeVor Nursery for the new Tulancingo City Park.

“The shipment is only a beginning,” says Doherty, who hopes this batch will be the first of a year-round program. “On the next run, we hope to send down Little League bats, uniforms, balls, and gloves for the boys. And we have initiated a sponsorship program as well.”

Orphanage expenses are estimated at $50 per day per boy. The sponsorship program will cover the cost for two boys, at $1,200 per year. The money will be sent quarterly, and distributed equally throughout the orphanage where it is most needed. The money is being donated by Vanderson Construction and Bissell & Karn, Inc. of Pleasanton.

The orphanage committee was instigated when Athenour visited there on his last trip to Tulancingo. “They had absolutely nothing. But at first, we weren’t sure how we’d be able to help,” he says. Doherty explains, “It’s difficult and we have to be careful, because the idea is that the program is supposed to be a two-way street. We can’t be overbearing and over step our boundaries.”

Once Gregg volunteered to chair the effort, his first task was to form a committee so they could decide what might be appropriate. Howard Sword, CPS Construction Manager, was chosen to look after the financial aspects of the project while real estate man, Al Walberg, was designated to find clothing donations.

“When Bob was visiting the orphanage, one of the kids indicated that he really liked the tennis shoes someone had on. But he tried to explain that he wanted the kind with cleats on them,” Doherty says. “So one day I mentioned it to Judy Bricker, and she offered to help locate sporting equipment for the boys.”

An employee at Athenour travel, Bricker has also long been involved with the Pleasanton Youth Soccer program. Through her efforts, the boys will soon be playing soccer in full uniforms and soccer shoes, with genuine soccer balls; thanks, also to Soccer Unlimited’s Dennis Buchman. The shipment will also include basketballs, frisbees, and Hacienda Business Park T-shirts, donated by Hacienda.

“Now we’re reassessing what other things we can do in the future. We have a good base to draw from, it just depends upon what is appropriate at this point,” claims Doherty. “We’re interested in working with the Girl’s Orphanage as well, and we’ll investigate the possibilities to see how we might help there.”

Thirty Pleasanton representatives will be venturing down to Tulancingo again on May 3. With Bob Athenour heading the crew once again, they will be meeting and discussing several future project possibilities with the leadership of our Sister City. “We hope to work on an exchange student project for this summer,” says Bob. “And we’ll bring back items and artifacts from Tulancingo for the new Pleasanton museum.”

To see a reproduction of the original article and edition of Pleasanton Pathways, visit: February 25, 1985.

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