Twin Club Connections

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After the Iron Curtain came down in 1990, Rotary International reached out and helped get Rotary clubs started in the former Communist countries.  Five members of the Rotary Club of Knoxville flew to Budapest in November 1995.  The club had invited the presidents of the 12 new Hungarian Rotary clubs from all around Hungary to a special "Tennessee Rotary welcomes you to the world of Rotary" luncheon event.  It was on Nov. 2 and a snow storm/blizzard occurred.  The Knoxville travelers held their breath.  Would the Rotarians make it to Budapest for this special gathering?  Yes, they all made it!  During this event the Knoxville Rotarians learned that Mateszalka Rotarians had a dream to rebuild a summer camp that had been used for training Communist youth, but that now the camp - to be called Camp Tridea - was envisioned as a place that could offer fresh air and a few weeks of happiness for refugee children, orphans and underprivileged children in the eastern area of Hungary.  Social services had been drastically reduced, and there was little laughter and joy for poor children.  The Mateszalka Rotarians wanted to change that and we, The Rotary Club of Knoxville, said we would help them.  Thus we became partners and our Twin Club connections began.

In summer 1996, we began our Twin Club Visits between the two clubs.  They have sent their teens to Knoxville, and we have sent our teens to Mateszalka for a few weeks each summer...year after year after year.  The young people who participate learn of a different culture starting at the "grass roots" and their shared experiences with club projects in both countries will serve them for a lifetime.  Also, there have been many special trips for the Rotary Twin Club members - riding bikes across Hungary, going to the wedding of one of the Knoxville Rotarians who had fallen in love with the daughter of a Hungarian Rotary Club president, dedicating the renovated Camp Tridea, helping the Mateszalka Children's Home, and sending an American English teacher to Mateszalka for a semester to help teach high school English as a second language.  Then, a bronze sculpture was commissioned from a renowned sculptor and member/later president of  the Mateszalka Rotary Club to celebrate Rotary's Centennial and its quest to eradicate polio forever.  The sculpture is located in Krutch Park in the middle of downtown Knoxville. The list goes on and on.

In 2004, the Twin Rotary Club partnership led to the creation of an Interact Club at the High School in Mateszalka - the first Interact Club in Hungary!  That club and the Interact Club at Knoxville Catholic High School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Knoxville, immediately became Twin Clubs as well!  Since that time, the visiting teens to Knoxville and Mateszalka each summer have been largely members of the Twin Interact Clubs who now conduct their own Twin Club Visits.

The Knoxville Rotarians have come to know and cherish every member of the Mateszalka club and the members of their families.  By working together, sharing meals, toasting and getting to know one another and appreciating our different cultures, we have not only helped many children, but have reminded ourselves that goodwill, peace and better understanding in the world starts when we share our time, talents, meals and hearts together.  In May 2008, we will share another big celebration together - Tour de Tszia, because Hungary now has 44 Rotary Clubs and it has become its own Rotary District 1911.  We will toast together, ride horses and dedicate a new EU sanctioned playground we helped fund for the orphanage.  We will also visit the teens that have come to Knoxville, some of whom are now finishing medical school and law school.  By participating in the Twin Club Visits everyone has learned that Rotary makes the world a better place.


Pictured above: 2007 Twin Club Guests to Mateszalka from Knoxville.  From left to right: back row - Logan Byrne (age 17), Joe Dinwiddie (age 18), Colleen Cameron (age 16), Ms. Emily Carter; front row - Catherine Grady (age 16), Hank Holleman (age 17), Corrie Armitage (age 17).

Pictured above: 2007 Twin Club Guests to Knoxville from Mateszalka.  From left to right: Reka Lakatos, Gergo Szilagyi, David Havasi, Kun Gabor.

Twin Club Summer Guests
From Mateszalka	From Knoxville
1996	1996
Tamos Ungvari	Steve Suchomski
Agnes Kelemen	Hannah McClellan
1997	1997
Zsort Ungavri	Christina Mason
Eva Kelemen	Mike Igoe
Viktoria Orosi	Alexander Johnson
Livia Kun	David Knopp
Diana Szolnok	(accompanied by Bill Mason/parent)
	1998
	Suzanne Igoe
	Whitney Nichols
	1999
	Whitney Nichols (with Tour de Tridea)
2000	2000
Timea Ungvari	Michael Besozzi
Krisztina Nagy
Greta Nagy
Gregory Karodi (accompanied by parents)
2001	2001
Eva Keleman	Michael Besozzi
Livia Kun	C.J. Isaac
	Nicole Lauth
	(accompanied by Camp Montvale Director)
2002	2002
Balazs Kertesz	Jennifer Burgess
Zsuzsa Lorincz	Carrie Hasson
Edit Tukacs	Nicole Lauth
(accompanied by Istvan Balogh, Director of Camp Tridea and Erzsebet Lorincz, English Teacher/translator	(accompanied by Camp by Anthony Akers, English teacher)
2003	2003
Reka Podolyak	Stephanie Rowland
Eniko Angyal	Sandy Rowland
Balazs Kertesz (Dominic)	Matt West
Istvan Balogh, Jr. (Camp Montvale staff)	(accompanied by Susan Rowland, parent)
2004
Balazs Kertesz (Dominic)
Reka Podolyak
Levente Bacsko
2005	2005
Horilla Zsuzsa (Zsuzsi)	Erin Bernstein
Cservenyak Gabor Aron (Gaga)	Lauren Bernstein
Kun Gabor Peter	Michael Ahillen
2006
Erdelyi Orsola
Gal Eniko
Soltesz Kitti
Vizler Monika
2007	2007
Reka Lakatos	Logan Byrne
Gergo Szilagyi	Joe Dinwiddle
David Havasi	Colleen Cameron
Kun Gabor Peter	Catherine Grady
	Hank Holleman
	Corrie Armitage
	(accompanied by Emily Carter, KCHS Interact Club Faculty Advisor)