FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2004

WASHINGTON--Sister Cities International will recognize fourteen communities for outstanding sister city programs during the organization's annual conference this summer. Fort Worth, Texas and Louisville, Ky. both received multiple awards. Top honors went to programs from throughout the U.S.

The diversity of programs recognized through the awards competition is indicative of the sister city movement, said organizers. "Because projects are planned at the grassroots level by volunteers working in partnership with local government, they take on the interests and needs of the partnering communities," said Tim Honey, executive director of Sister Cities International. "Innovation and adaptation are the hallmarks of our network, and we are delighted to recognize these outstanding member communities for their achievements in citizen diplomacy."

Best overall sister city program awards went to: Great Neck, New York (population less than 25,000), Kent, Washington (population 50,000 to 100,000), Tempe, Arizona and Laredo, Texas (population 100,000 to 300,000), Virginia Beach, Virginia (population 300,000 to 500,000), and Fort Worth, Texas (population greater than 500,000).

The Innovation Award for Arts & Culture will go to Tacoma-Pierce County Sister Cities in Washington for its International Film and Food Festival. The eight-week festival highlighted eight of the area's ten sister cities through weekly films, food and cultural programs. Featured cities were: Kitakyushu, Japan; Fuzhou, China; Taichung, Taiwan; Davao, Philippines; Gunsan, Korea; Kiryat Motzkin, Israel; George, South Africa and Cienfuegos, Cuba. Local contact - Debra King 253.591.5592, dking@cityoftacoma.org

Sister Cities of Louisville, Kentucky will receive Innovation Awards for both economic development and the environment, and is home to Sister Cities International Volunteer of the Year Dr. Susan Herlin. The Louisville program partnered with Cincinnati and Indianapolis to promote U.S./German economic development in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana with their sister cities in Germany, which include Cologne, Munich and Mainz. For its innovation award for environment, Louisville worked with its sister city Tamale, Ghana as part of a World Bank pilot project structured around the Millennium Development Goals. The two communities developed a five year action plan and conducted public information campaigns. Local contact: Paige Pearman, 502.574.3397, sclou@sclou.org

The Innovation Award for Education will go to the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission (Ariz.) for its annual youth ambassador exchange, short and long-term teacher exchanges, the Global Connections World Technology Conference and the Chengdu management training program. Nine sister city partners were involved in the education programs, including Calgary, Canda; Catania, Italy; Chengdu, China; Ennis, Ireland; Grenoble, France; Hermosillo, Mexico; Himeji, Japan; Prague, Czech Republic and Taipei Municipality, Taiwan. Local contact: Paula West, 602.534.3751, paula.west@phoenix.gov

Because of work with sister city Uzhgorod, Ukraine through the Community Based Healthcare Partnership, the Corvallis Sister Cities Association in Oregon will be awarded the Innovation Award for Healthcare. This project established medical clinics in Ukraine, trained medical professionals, established community health coalitions, worked with government officials to improve healthcare delivery, created school health peer education programs and conducted campaigns to prevent youth smoking and HIV/AIDS. Local contact: Dr. Louise Muscato, 541.753.7950, lmuscato@hotmail.com

Shipping aid to improve the lives of people in Pazardjik, Bulgaria was the focus of West Bend, Wisconsin's efforts, which will be recognized with an Innovation Award for Humanitarian Assistance. Partnering with the Bulgarian Red Cross, the sister city program has shipped more than 180 computers, nearly 17,500 school and library books, fire department supplies, medical materials and almost 22,000 pounds of clothing. Local contact: Dennis Melvin, 262.335.5123, cityadmin@ci.west-bend.wi.us

Building links between municipal organizations was the focus of Riverside, California's work to strengthen its sister city relationship with Ensenada, Mexico - and will earn it the Innovation Award in Municipal Cooperation. Riverside donated surplus government equipment to Ensenada, including traffic lighting, a utility service truck, paramedic squad cars and fire engines. Local contact: Michelle Gilleece, 909.826.5813, mgilleece@riversideca.gov

Innovation Awards for Emergency Preparedness and Youth will go to Fort Worth Sister Cities International. Collaborating with Bandung, Indonesia, both communities shared strategies and methods for improving emergency response, water production and public health. Initiated with input and organizational savvy from sister city youth alumni, they created the Global Alumni Program. As the only sister city alumni program in the U.S., the program helps new graduates reconnect with old friends, network with professionals and give back to youth programs through scholarships. Local contact: Mae Ferguson, 817.392.2654, mae@fwsistercities.org

The Innovation Award for Technology and Communication will go to Wichita, Kansas for its work fostering relationships between Friends University in Wichita and LaSalle University in Cancún, Mexico. Student exchanges between the two universities utilized technology, including digital video, web pages and email. These technologies fostered stronger friendships and expand the concept of an exchange beyond the traditional time-limited site visit. Local contact: Carrie Bodin, 316.295.5611, bodenc@friends.edu

The NOD Disability Advocacy award will be presented to Benbrook Sister Cities in Texas for an innovative art program for disabled students. The project built on the Sister Cities International Young Artists Program and fostered stronger relationships with sister cities in Bled, Slovenia and Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. This award also carries a $1,000 prize and is sponsored by the National Organization on Disability through its National Partnership Program. Local contact: Marilyn Perkins, 817.665.5135, mperki01@jpshealthnetwork.org

Awards will be presented during the Lou Wozar Annual Awards Ceremony at the Sister Cities International Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas on July 17, 2004. The Annual Awards Program was established in 1962 to recognize outstanding sister city programs and provide innovative models in citizen diplomacy. Winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges with expertise in international development and selection was based on 2003 achievements.

Representing more than 2,400 communities in 124 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs.