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FOUNTAIN HILLS SISTER CITIES Christine Colley| Board Member| President SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A SISTER CITY?… A Sister City relationship is a broad-based long-term partnership between two communities in two different countries. The relationship is officially recognized when the highest elected or appointed officials from both communities sign an agreement to establish Sister Cities ties. WE ARE IN VERY GOOD COMPANY… Sister Cities International, of which Fountain Hills Sister Cities a local chapter, recognizes more than 500 nationwide chapters, with 2100 Sister City partners in 145 countries. In Arizona alone, there are 13 Sister City chapters, with 58 international partner cities between them. All practicing “Citizen Diplomacy”. WHO WE ARE… Fountain Hills Sister Cities (FHSC) is a community-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We provide opportunities for the people of our area to develop and participate in international relationships. We are volunteers who reach out to interact, in mutually beneficial ways, with citizens, and leaders, of our Sister Cities. WHAT WE DO… WHY WE DO IT… We seek to promote peace, hope, harmony, and deeply human connections through international citizen diplomacy. As part of that mission, we identify and select international partner cities that share Fountain Hill’s community values, family heritage, as well as cultural, geographic, and demographic similarities. We work to establish life-long municipality-to- municipality partnership agreements that enable us to foster inter-community exchanges of ideas, actions, and events that promote the common good of Fountain Hills, and bond us in meaningful and purposeful ways with our chosen partner cities. We are driven to improve the human condition, with cultural awareness and appreciation of our collective international community being the outcome. In this way, we fulfill the original concept of the Sister Cities movement started in 1956 by President Eisenhower, whose mission was to reunite a fractured, post-war world one community at a time, people-to-people style. OUR SISTER CITIES… THE DIERDORF RELATIONSHIP WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED BY MAYOR WALLY NICHOLS ON JUNE 25, 2005. THE ZAMOŚĆ RELATIONSHIP WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED BY MAYOR LINDA KAVANAGH ON JUNE 28, 2014. THE ATACO RELATIONSHIP WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED BY MAYOR WALLY NICHOLS ON NOVEMBER 8, 2007. Once the respective mayors sign Sister City Partnership Agreements, the non-profit FH Sister Cities organization then takes over managing the on- going relationships under the Town’s Professional Services Agreement. OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS… PARTICIPATION IN FH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT EXCHANGES Celebrating 25 years with our first exchange to Dierdorf ORGANIZATION OF NUMEROUS HUMANITARIAN AID EFFORTS PROMOTION AND HOSTING OF INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EVENTS HOST FOR INTERNATIONAL DIGNITARIES, EDUCATORS, AND BUSINESS LEADERS CREATION OF WEBSITE THAT WON #2 IN THE STATE BEHIND TEMPE SISTER CITIES Decade of Flood relief for Ataco, Ukraine refugee relief for Zamość Oktoberfest, Polish Festival, October Heritage Month, and many others Enhancing tourism from Sister Cities and non-partnered cities as well For content, outreach, and call-to-action elements. Tempe is top 10 nationwide HOW WE SUSTAIN AND THRIVE… PASSION AMONG OUR BOARD AND VOLUNTEERS The lives we touch worldwide and the memories we share have lifelong impact INVOLVEMENT OF YOUTH AMBASSADORS Our best hope for a better future is investment in our youth. Board positions, scholarships, sponsorships to International Youth Leadership Summits FUNDING SOURCES Annual FH Town Professional Services Agreement Payment, Annual Paid Memberships, Generous Private Donations, Event Sponsorships, Event Ticket Sales FINDING NEW SISTER CITIES TO PARTNER WITH A hunt is on for the next Sister City to partner with. Suggestions welcome! Maybe today’s mayor will be the one to take credit for and commission our next Sister City partnership agreement and begin yet another Sister City adventure! FOUNTAIN HILLS SISTER CITIES We help put Fountain Hills on the map! With “Citizen Diplomacy” in action! Thank You…..