SCI 2003 Annual Awards winners for projects conducted in 2002
Sister Cities International is pleased to announce the winners of this year's Annual Awards Program, recognizing outstanding sister city programs and projects for 2002.

The awards recognize sister city programs in the following categories: Best Overall, Innovation, Volunteer of the Year and Disability.

The winning cities will be honored at the Lou Wozar Annual Awards Luncheon at the SCI 2003 Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, July 25, 2003.

The SCI Annual Awards Program recognizes the work of outstanding sister city programs. These programs demonstrate to other cities how to incorporate exciting and innovative ideas and exchanges into their own sister city program. The table below lists this year's recipients.

SCI 2003 Annual Award Winners for Projects Completed in 2002

Best Overall Program: Population less than 25,000 Red Wing, MN The Red Wing Sister Cities Commission (RWSCC) focused on nurturing the 10-yr. relationship with both sister cities of Ikata, Japan and Quzhou, China by developing meaningful programs of mutual benefit to promote social, educational, cultural, and economic understanding. RWSCC also responded to the suggestions and needs of the greater community, as reflected in their existing programming and some new, exciting developments. When the community expressed the desire for a third sister city that would reflect the strong Norwegian ethnicity of Red Wing, RWSCC connected with Drammen, Norway. Though not yet an official sister city, this connection has already afforded the opportunity for a Norwegian-lead symposium focusing on international peace-building and conflict management training. Twenty-six Red Wing citizens were involved in the training. In 2002, Red Wing's first Sister Cities Newsletter was published. The city newsletter also dedicated a page to RWSCC, helping to get the message out to all citizens and fulfilling a major goal set forth at the initial Strategic Planning Meeting in the beginning of the year. A government delegation from Quzhou traveled to Red Wing and leaders of both cities signed a new formal agreement for future activities. For five months during 2002, a government official and interpreter from Quzhou volunteered in Red Wing at various government, business, and social agencies to learn methods of organization and to strengthen positive relations between the two sister cities. The fifth exchange teacher to Quzhou was awarded the Westlake Friendship Prize, a Zhejiang Provincial award given annually to foreign experts for their exemplary efforts in improving relations between their countries. Eight Red Wing students also traveled to Ikata (their 4th exchange) and RWSCC hosted ten Japanese students (their 8th exchange). RWSCC hosted a group of Taiko drummers from Ikata and, in collaboration with the local Sheldon Theatre, RWSCC also brought a Chinese Acrobatic troop to Red Wing. A cultural delegation of 52, including The Red Wing Singers, traveled to Quzhou. A total of 75 students from the three sister cities participated in the first phase of the SCI Young Artists Competition. An on-going artist-in-residency exchange between Red Wing's Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and an art center in Quzhou was initiated.

Best Overall Program: Population 25,000-50,000 Burlington, VT Burlington, Vermont first developed sister city relationships with the Palestinian city of Bethlehem and the Israeli city of Arad in 1991. Together, representatives of the three cities signed cooperative agreements-the first-ever sister-city pacts among American, Palestinian, and Israeli communities. Since then, the Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program has worked to develop friendly relations among the cities and to promote an understanding that supports a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the region. The Sister City Program has sponsored numerous dialogues, presentations, exchanges and projects aimed at developing mutual understanding and building people-to-people relationships. The Sister City Program is governed by a citizen committee, which works closely with the Mayor's Office. The program receives limited city funding and relies mostly upon fundraising and grants. Specific goals for 2002 were to 1) support cultural exchanges, 2) facilitate programs that foster understanding and promote peace in the region, and 3) provide much needed humanitarian aid to the people of Bethlehem. In 2002, The Sister City Program and Mayor Peter Clavelle conducted a successful fundraising drive, "A Special Collection for Bethlehem", collecting more than $12,000. The funds were distributed to a range of Bethlehem-based organizations providing humanitarian aid. The effort focused considerable local and regional attention on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Bethlehem. Throughout the year, the Sister City Program continued to send medical supplies to hospitals in Bethlehem. The Sister City Program sent funds to Arad to assist needy children in attending after-school programs. Burlingtonians participated in olive-picking in a Palestinian town near Bethlehem, and worked in the Aida refugee camp. Funds have been approved to bring the only woman on the Bethlehem City Council to Burlington. The Committee and Mayor Clavelle, in collaboration with the University of Vermont, welcomed a group of Palestinian and Israeli basketball coaches to Burlington to participate in a training program at the university. The Sister City Program sponsored a music student at Bethlehem Music Academy for one year. The Sister City Program applied for funding from Sister Cities International under the "Secondary School Exchanges with Islamic Communities" program and received a grant in early 2003 for the Burlington-Bethlehem High School Exchange. The Sister City Program sponsored numerous film showings, speakers, and panel discussions addressing conditions in the Middle East. The Committee entered four films from the sister cities in the Burlington International Film Festival and two were featured.

Best Overall Program: Population 50,000-100,000 Corvallis, OR The Corvallis Sister Cities Association (CSCA) collaborates with a large network of community organizations to implement a wide range of programs in Corvallis and its sister city, Uzhgorod. With no funding from the city, CSCA relies on membership dues, grants, gifts, and several fundraising events. The year 2002 saw numerous accomplishments. The Community Based Health Care Partnership helped to improve the health of Uzhgorod citizens with the opening of two model family practice clinics, a training program for family practice physicians and nurses, community health promotion coalitions, a three-day training on healthcare financing and administration, a clinical breast exam study protocol at a women's health center, and two state-of-the-art dental operations. The TOUCH Project (Take One Ukrainian Child?s Hand) grew to include 300 children, all of whom are in foster home care, at an orphanage, or at a medical and social rehabilitation center. Donations totaling $30,000 were raised to install a new sewage treatment facility and indoor lavatory at the Chaslivitsi Orphanage. Fifteen Corvallis members visited the orphanage and their sponsored children. A new computer, TV, VCR, educational videos, and internet service were also donated. The new Aid to Family Farmers program provided small grants and loans, as well as a rototiller and trailer for rental to Uzhgorod family farmers. A cookbook with recipes from Uzhgorod cooks was published and sold to benefit the farmers. To benefit Ukrainians with disabilities, CSCA provided rulebooks and equipment for the 2002 Challenge Games, worked with the Medical-Social Rehabilitation Center staff on grants and programs for 40 children, and provided equipment and training for weekly Motor Fitness classes. Two participants have become the first students in wheelchairs to enroll in higher education programs in Uzhgorod. Professionals from many other fields worked with their sister city counterparts to make progress in a range of other areas as well. Engineers volunteering for CSCA completed a much needed study of Uzhgorod's water supply system and outlined a project to replace brittle pipe serving a school, a hospital, and high-rise apartments. Plans for tourism have been established in cooperation with a travel agent from Corvallis and officials of Uzhgorod with the first tour scheduled for 2003. Oregon State University, in cooperation with CSCA, has received a grant for a tourism program in Uzhgorod and Transcarpathia. Other exchanges in 2002 included a CSCA delegation trip to visit counterparts in the performing arts in Uzhgorod to plan future cultural exchanges. Also, the Corvallis's Heart of the Valley Children's Choir gave a concert and stayed with host families in Uzhgorod.

Best Overall Program: Population 100,000-300,000 Sarasota, FL The Sarasota Sister Cities Association (SSCA) strives to build intercommunity bridges of understanding and exchanges with its sister cities. For 2002, the primary goals of SSCA were to bring all of its sister cities together, not only with the Sarasota community, but also with each other and to involve as many people and community institutions as possible. By a remarkably fortunate alignment of events, 2002 proved a spectacular year to achieve these goals. The official joining of Sarasota with its newest sister city, Dunfermline, Scotland was set for 2002, which was also the year Sarasota began its year-long centennial celebrations, marking its 100th year as a city. When the city invited SSCA to sponsor and coordinate the opening ceremony, they eagerly accepted, seeing it as an opportunity to incorporate its mission into Sarasota?s celebrations. In addition to inviting a delegation from Dunfermline, SSCA extended the invitation to all five active sister cities and sister city-candidate, Treviso, Italy. All sent representatives. SSCA combined the opening gala dinner with the official signing of documents recognizing Sarasota and Dunfermline as sister cities. More than 20 foreign delegates stayed for a week. Numerous SSCA members, city officials, community organizations, and other volunteers came together to coordinate activities, trips, and semi-official contacts with local businesses and institutions. It was clear to SSCA planners early on that the entire community should be invited to share actively in the visit. The media promoted the events, providing an opportunity for the greater community to become familiar with SSCA as an organization, to learn about Sarasota's sister cities, and to meet the delegates. SSCA strove to develop three-dimensional international relationships among all the sister cities, not only between Sarasota and each sister city. Delegates were grouped together by interests, not nationality. They traveled, ate and bonded with one another and their Sarasota hosts allowing the different nationalities to merge into cohesive groups of people, learning not only about Sarasota, but also about the peoples and cultures of each other's cities as well. Direct participation of the broader community in the activities and planning fostered relationships among the citizens of Sarasota themselves. Sarasotans got to know and work with their neighbors, forming new ties and friendships. As a result of this grass roots effort, SSCA members and the Sarasota citizenry-at-large worked together to ensure the achievement of the program's overall goals.

Best Overall Program: Population Greater than 300,000 Chicago, IL The Chicago Sister Cities International Program (CSCIP) endeavored to promote good will abroad by drawing on Chicago's talents and expertise to help our sister cities in areas of need and to inform Chicago's citizens about the importance of global relationships, specifically to inform them about the cultural, social, historical, and commercial importance of its 23 sister cities. CSCIP collaborated with numerous organizations and entities willing to share their knowledge, enthusiasm, talents and resources to accomplish these objectives. During 2002, the program produced eight exchanges in economic development, seven in health and social services, 20 in education, 50 cultural exchanges, and 15 municipal exchanges. In addition, a number of innovative programs were initiated. These programs contributed to the achievement of CSCIP's goals, while expanding Chicago?s community to encompass the world. The Osaka Garden Festival. This free annual festival celebrates Japanese culture and Chicago's relationship with Osaka, Japan. More than 8,000 visitors experience Japanese culture, including traditional arts and crafts, music, dance, martial arts, children's activities and garden tours. Emergency Response Videoconference. At the request of U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, the City of Chicago and CSCIP organized a video teleconference seminar on Chicago's experience in preparing for and responding to airport disasters and hazardous materials incidents. The seminar facilitated discussions between the Shanghai Public Security Bureau and corresponding agencies in Chicago. Accra Summer Technology Camp. The Accra Committee collaborated with GhaClad (Ghana Computer Literacy & Distance Education) to create a summer computer education program in Accra, Ghana. Eighty-five students at three sites learned the basics of computer hardware and software, as well as solar power. By the end, the students were able to build a computer, comprehend the ins and outs of networking, design a website, navigate the internet, and more. Sister Schools Abroad Program. In its third year, the Sister Schools Abroad Program has facilitated relationships between more than 50 schools in Chicago and its sister cities. Students participated in electronic pen pal relationships and curriculum units on their sister cities. Exchanges included groups of students from Lucerne and Hamburg visiting Chicago and Chicago students visiting Casablanca. Social Service Professionals Exchange. Durban, South Africa participated in the social service exchange program, a collaborative effort of CSCIP and the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. A delegation from Chicago traveled to Durban and their visit was later reciprocated. The exchange facilitated a one-to-one comparison of welfare systems, intervention strategies, and philosophies.

Innovation: Arts and Culture Palm Desert, CA Palm Desert, California and Gisborne, New Zealand have shared a successful and active sister city relationship since 1978. In 2002, they initiated one of their most successful and innovative programs, the Palm Desert/Gisborne Aesthetic Education Program (AEP). The Sister City Committee collaborated with the McCallum Theatre, the City of Palm Desert, and the Desert Sands Unified School District to implement this unique program, welcoming international guests from Gisborne. For several years, the McCallum Theater has offered an Aesthetic Education Program (AEP) for local teachers. The program is a multidimensional arts education designed to bring together teachers, students and professional artists to deepen their understanding of the world around them through active involvement with different works of art. Through dance, theatre, music, and the visual arts, educators are given the tools and techniques to integrate all forms of art into the classroom. With the addition of the Gisborne teachers, this program has provided all involved with an opportunity for cross-cultural interaction and learning. The goals of this program were: 1) to utilize the arts to bring cultures closer together, 2) to promote cultural understanding by infusing the culture of each community into the other, 3) to implement a long-term cooperative art program, and 4) to expose Gisborne teachers to American learning techniques to be implemented in the classroom. McCallum Theatre offered to cover the tuition cost ($2500 per teacher), while the Desert Sands Unified School District encouraged their teachers to participate and helped identify local teachers to host the Gisborne teachers. Palm Desert Sister Cities matched guests with hosts and prepared a full itinerary for the Gisborne teachers during their stay. Through this program teachers from Gisborne have gained new ideas and concepts for incorporating several forms of art into the learning process and have discovered new ways of teaching and learning to help them address the different learning needs of their students. Palm Desert teachers benefited through the interaction and sharing of information with the Gisborne teachers. While the McCallum AEP has been in existence prior to this experience, with the partnering of these organizations and the incorporation of the Gisborne teachers, the AEP has grown from a local to an international learning program. The McCallum Theatre has again offered to sponsor up to six teachers to participate in the program this year.

Innovation: Economic Development Phoenix, AZ In 2002, the Phoenix Sister City Committee (PSCC) developed several exchanges and activities focusing on economic development. These initiatives evolved as a result of friendships that members of the community had developed with sister city counterparts. Following the success of these initiatives, PSCC created an Economic Relations Committee to facilitate business relations with its sister cities. PSCC, with the Arizona Department of Commerce, hosted 250 business people at their successful forum: Doing Business in Central Europe: Focus on the Czech republic. The forum raised awareness about business opportunities in Central Europe, increased the visibility of the relationship between Phoenix and Prague, and promoted a Phoenix delegation visit to Prague, Budapest and Warsaw. PSCC also partnered with Arizona State University Office of Economic Development to organize the third annual Global Links Business Outlook Luncheon. The luncheon provided information on the state of the world's economy. The panelists emphasized the regions where Phoenix's Sister Cities are located. Panelists and speakers were distinguished professionals from different regions and sectors of the economic community. With over 350 people, the Luncheon was an excellent fundraiser. The 12th annual Phoenix Chinese Week, sponsored by PSCC, attracted 150,000. The festival with arts, crafts, entertainment, Chinese cuisine and interactive booths on Chinese history, calligraphy and inventions, has become a major tourist attraction. PSCC's First Annual Culinary Festival attracted over 2,000 people to the downtown area. The one-day festival featured cuisine and music from all nine sister cities. The year 2002 marked several important anniversaries of Phoenix's sister city relationships. As Phoenix delegations were sent to recognize these anniversaries, PSCC built successful business components into each trip. A twenty member PSCC trade delegation visited Prague for the 10th anniversary of the Capital Cities relationship. The trip included meetings with the American Chamber of Commerce and tailored meetings with representatives of the high technology sector. When visiting Chengdu to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the relationship, the Phoenix delegation met with local business leaders at a high technology park and "Sister Airport" agreement was signed to strengthen ties between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Chengdu International Airport. The Mayor of Phoenix led a 37-member trade delegation to Calgary marking the 5th anniversary of the relationship. The delegation focused on four business sectors: investment, transit, agribusiness and tourism. Over 200 Canadian business people gathered at the Calgary Chamber to hear about investment opportunities in Phoenix. Phoenix officials spent three days in meetings with top Canadian firms to attract potential business investment. PSCC also brought business representatives form its Sister City in Mexico in an effort to promote trilateral trade.

Innovation: Education Prescott, AZ In 2002, the Prescott Sister City Association (PSCA) implemented a successful continuing education program for five English language teachers from its sister city, Caborca, Mexico. The program was an intense, two-week English language immersion course emphasizing speaking proficiency, pronunciation, knowledge of idiomatic expressions, and American culture. The course also introduced the teachers to many new tools for teaching English. Sixty hours of combined classroom instruction and field trips were provided. Ten families of PSCA members hosted a teacher for one week. All agreed to speak only English with their guests, providing an English immersion environment both inside and outside the classroom. The purpose of the English Immersion Course was to provide an affordable and useful continuing education experience to English teachers of Caborca. Participants returned to Caborca with enhanced abilities and greater confidence to share them with their students. The five teachers who participated in the program teach about 1,000 students annually. Students and teachers in Caborca had indicated that English teachers trained in Mexico rarely had the opportunity to be in an English-speaking environment and to update their skills with the rapidly changing language. Classroom activities ranged from drills to vocabulary games, reading articles and short stories, watching videos, and discussing contemporary American life and other current issues. Educational activities outside the classroom were another fundamental component of the program. The teachers visited local museums, bookstores, a city council meeting, a Rotary Club, and other English classes to observe and learn techniques employed by local teachers. PSCA funds paid for course materials, transportation, and the gala graduation. Each participant paid a $200.00 fee, providing half of the direct budget needs. Organizers felt a fee would further create a sense of value and commitment. PSCA members provided accommodations; a community college provided free use of class space; local museums provided free, guided tours; a bookstore donated course books and offered discounts on other purchases; and the City of Prescott provided additional materials for each participant. PSCA membership included a number of retired language teachers who volunteered their expertise to design the course and other members volunteered to assist with the teaching effort. Based upon the response from both cities, the English Immersion Course will be an ongoing program for years to come. PSCA is currently preparing for its second year with an expanded group of eight participants. More people have offered their assistance and the energy of the PSCA has grown as a result. The Caborca Sister City Comite has also been strengthened by its participation, gaining a higher community profile and attracting new members.

Innovation: Healthcare Oak Ridge, TN In September 2000, Bob Benning, C.E.O. of Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital and Center, Inc., located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, joined a team of nonprofit agency directors for a ten-day trip to Obninsk, Russia, Oak Ridge's Sister City. Benning met with Russian counterparts, three of whom were physicians who volunteered their time to work with youth during evenings and weekends. The physicians were frustrated with seeing at risk youth with limited resources and no prevention programs in place for them. Following ten days of meetings, specificly addressing the growing problems of alcoholism, drug use, mental illness, and the related problems of AIDS and Hepatitis B & C with youth, an action plan emerged. The plan included several steps and timelines that, once successfully implemented in Obninsk, could serve as a model prevention program across Russia. That objective came a step closer when a Russian delegation arrived in Oak Ridge through the U.S. Congress-sponsored Open World Program. The Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization (SCSO), under the leadership of Dr. Ken Luckmann, helped to organize the Russians' itinerary, meals, local transportation, accommodations in private homes, and cultural exchanges. From September 26 through October 2, 2002, the delegates spent every day visiting prevention programs throughout Eastern Tennessee. Oak Ridge SCSO scheduled evening and weekend activities to expose the delegates to other aspects of life and the culture of the area. The major objective of the visit to Oak Ridge was to familiarize the Russian delegates with current state-of-the-art programs and concepts that have led to successful prevention and intervention strategies with children and youth. The delegates had opportunity for direct contact with a wide array of programs and a dialogue with the staff responsible for carrying out these programs on a day-to-day basis. As a result, the delegates came to a better understanding of what is proving to be successful in addressing the problems of alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness in the U.S. With the delegates? first-hand knowledge, two programs were identified for application in Obninsk and action plans were developed to reach these new objectives. One of the physicians from Obninsk is working with city and school administrators in anticipation of both programs being implemented. The Ridgeview Board of Directors has agreed to support, for a period of one year, a half-time position in Obninsk to assist in implementing the programs. The physician in Obninsk continues to work with the city administration there to gain their support to pick up funding for the position, following the end of the first year.

Innovation: Humanitarian Assistance Chicago, IL From October 10 to 20, 2002, the Casablanca Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program collaborated with Volunteer Optometrists in Service to Humanity (VOSH) Illinois and Pegasus Players to bring new sights and sounds to Casablanca. All 41 participants paid for their own expenses and collected eye glasses to carry to Casablanca. The aim of the mission was tri-fold: to provide vision care to the most needy population in Casablanca; to fortify the good will between Casablanca and Chicago; and to lay the groundwork for a volunteerism initiative in Casablanca. In a low-income area of Casablanca, local volunteers set up a temporary vision clinic. In all, VOSH volunteers examined an astonishing 2400 people in five days in Casablanca and supplied eyewear for more than 2200. In all, about 750 children were examined, including many from the Foundation for the Blind. The number of children's eye glasses needed far exceeded the 200 the delegation took with them. Some prescriptions were left with the local Rotary so that glasses could be made in Casablanca with the assistance of the local School of Optometry, and others were brought back to Chicago, where they were produced and shipped with the assistance of the optometrists on the mission, as well as the Casablanca Committee. Pegasus Players gave at least seven performances of Chicago: Rhythm and Rhymes. For their performance at the VOSH site, where children and adults lined the streets 10 deep waiting for eye exams, they were only scheduled to entertain for half an hour, the group played for more than four hours because the audience was so enthralled, clapping along. They even joined in an impromptu performance for Princess Lamia Sohl who visited the VOSH site. The princess is President of the Morocco Foundation for the Blind and so took an active interest in the mission. The Casablanca Committee also set up two new sister school relationships between schools in Morocco and Chicago and planted the seeds for a volunteerism initiative. The Committee has teamed up with Chicago's Heartland International on a volunteerism workshop for a delegation of Moroccan NGO organizers. VOSH sent another 100 pair of glasses to Casablanca, in large part provided by the Casablanca Committee, and the doctor who led the VOSH delegation will return to Casablanca to give low vision training to clinics in Morocco. The mission received media attention in both cities and was so successful that it will lead to more collaborative efforts among VOSH, Pegasus Players and Chicago Sister Cities.

Innovation: Municipal Cooperation Temecula, CA Two years ago, the sister cities of Temecula and Leidschendam-Voorburg discussed having a Dutch statue in Temecula as a symbol of the sister city relationship. After the September 11th tragedies, the president of the Workgroup of Leidschendam-Voorburg took action to move the project forward and show Dutch solidarity with the citizens of Temecula. He contacted the Temecula Sister City Association and then, with help from the former Mayor of Voorburg and a respected local business owner, spearheaded the effort in the Netherlands. After months of planning and dedication on both sides of the Atlantic, the City of Temecula sponsored an event on September 11, 2002 in remembrance of those that met a tragic end and to welcome Temecula's gift from Leidschendam-Voorburg. The presentation of the life-sized statue and the City of Temecula 9-11 Remembrance and Dedication Program would not have been possible without the concerted effort amongst the municipal organizations and sister city groups in both countries. The hard work included fundraising efforts, creation of the statue, customs clearances, shipment, site construction, statue placement, and coordination of the event. The Dutch counterparts launched a campaign to raise over $80,000 by approaching large corporations and the people of Leidschendam-Voorburg. An article in the local paper requested each citizen to donate 9.11 Euros, approximately US$9.00. The City of Leidschendam-Voorburg contributed 9,110 Euros while other donations came in from private citizens, small businesses, and large corporations. Planners in Temecula continually communicated with people in the Netherlands, especially with both the artist and the bronzer concerning issues of placement and support of the statue. A local architect volunteered to help the city?s maintenance division design the site at the Temecula Duck Pond. The city contacted a customs broker in Los Angeles to help with the statue's arrival and clearance. The city contracted a crane company to remain on standby as the statue traveled from Los Angeles to Temecula. The maintenance division prepared the sight so it was aesthetically beautiful, the recreation division coordinated all of the entertainment and equipment, and the Temecula Police and Fire departments provided support and traffic control at the event. An important component of this event was to highlight the cooperation between the City of Temecula and the City of Leidschendam-Voorburg. Speeches were finalized by both cities and all arrangements were made for the Dutch delegation's visit to Temecula. For Temecula, because of the gift from Leidschendam-Voorburg, the anniversary will be not only a time to reflect on what once was, but also what we hope will be - world peace.

Innovation: Public Safety Kansas City, MO

Innovation: Sports Phoenix, AZ

Innovation: Technology & Communication Cincinnati, OH

Innovation: Youth Fort Worth, TX

NOD/AETNA Disability Advocacy Portland, OR Sandy City, UT

Volunteers of the Year Robert Chien of Kansas City, MO Dana Kelly of Lakeland, FL

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