All In The Family

Like any good sibling, Concord does all it can to help out its sister city, San Marcos, Nicaragua. Since the bond of sisterhood was formed in 1980s, the two towns have done much to benefit each other.

Such is life in a family.

Most recently, Concord's San Marcos Sister Cities Committee has donated furniture from the Willard School and helped raise funds for a $60,000 well for its Central American counterpart.

Now, Concord wants to provide its sibling with an assist on the athletic field. The committee is currently collecting lightly used baseball, softball and soccer equipment to bring down to the Nicaraguan city on a trip planned for Aug. 11-19.

Used suitcases and duffle bags for transporting the equipment are also being accepted. Thirteen Concord-Carlisle High School students and their chaperones all plan to pack their belongings in carry-on bags, while checking two bags of donated equipment each.

But don't mistake this for a one-way relationship. Gutwillig said the CCHS students and people of Concord learn much in meeting the Nicaraguan people. It goes far beyond providing bats, gloves, catcher's equipment and shin guards.

"It's not just us giving them stuff," said Lisa Gutwillig, who will be a chaperone with the group from CCHS. "We learn as much from them about leadership and generosity and partnership. The (Concord) kids learn as much from the kids down there as they learn from us."

San Marcos is a city of about 30,000 people. It lies 35 miles from the Nicaraguan capital of Managua.

Concord also has sister city bonds with Nanae, Japan, Saint-Mande, France and Torreon, Mexico.

Jim Levinger will be another chaperone on the trip. He's been tabbed with collecting the donated equipment. So far, Levinger said there has been a good response, but it could always be better.

"It's been pretty good, but definitely I would like it to be better," Levinger said. "I believe every family has got something they don't need. I'm a reasonable data point for that myself."

The Sister Cities Committee was founded Al Armenti and is currently chaired by Steve Bloomfield.

This will be the second such trip the committee travels to Nicaragua in the past three years. In 2007, a group of high schoolers traveled to the impoverished country (about 80 percent of the population live in poverty) for a week of baseball and soccer games and community service projects.

Levinger was on that trip too, and looks forward to re-creating the pride in helping out the Nicaraguan people. He told of one story of a young Nicaraguan boy who was confused when handed a baseball glove because he was never able to use one and didn't know how to put it on.

"You know, something our kids have grown out of they'd love down there," Levinger said. "It's a really good place to give the stuff another life."

This year's trip has a similar agenda of playing games, while also helping out around the community.

Donations are being accepted now through Aug. 8. Anyone looking to donate equipment, suitcases or duffle bags may contact Levinger at jklevinger@comcast.net or 978-369-4606.