Communications Director Sister Cities International Phone 202.347.8630 www.sister-cities.org |  | NoRa Trevino Executive Director Tempe Sister Cities Foundation Phone 480.705.5599 noratrev@cox.net |
Individual Recognized for dedication & determination as a committed volunteer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 10, 2005
WASHINGTON - The winner of the Volunteer of the Year award was top secret until the Lou Wozar Annual Awards Ceremony at the Sister Cities International Annual Conference in Spokane, Washington last month. In a surprise announcement, Jane Neuheisel was honored for her outstanding service and commitment to the Tempe Sister City Corporation.
Jane has worked tirelessly for over 30 years giving of her time and passion to the Tempe Sister City Corporation. She has helped organize Out West Oktoberfest for the past 30 years by coordinating volunteers, initiating the international parade of flags and even helping to cook over 30,000 bratwurst sausages.
Jane has also demonstrated her commitment through her volunteer position as the Hackett House director. The Hackett House is home to a volunteer run gift shop and four "Friendship rooms" that display the artifacts from Tempe's seven sister cities. Here Jane has volunteered for over twenty years and hosted more than 6,800 people for special tea parties, helped organize ethnic festivals that have been attended by over 500,000 people and supported the international program "Passport to Understanding" which has educated 2,600 children.
NoRa Trevino, executive director of Tempe Sister City Corporation noted, "Jane is the first to arrive and the last to leave. She is capable of taking on any project from conception to final implementation, and does so with unbridled passion." Trevino went on to say, "Her passion permeates every project she is involved in and influences the behavior and attitude of everyone working with her."
Sister Cities International's Executive Director Tim Honey and Sherman Banks, President of the Board of Directors, presented Jane Neuheisel with the "Volunteer of the Year Award" during the Lou Wozar Annual Awards Ceremony on July 30th, 2005. Jane's husband and daughters were in attendance to honor her recognition.
Tempe has led the way in groundbreaking sister city relationships for more than thirty years. Tempe became the first U.S. city to twin with a community in eastern Europe, linking with Skopje, Macedonia (then Yugoslavia) in 1971. That sister city relationship remains active today, and Tempe is now paired with seven other sister cities on four continents: Regensburg, Germany; Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Zhenjiang, China; Timbuktu, Mali; Beaulieu sur Mer, France; and Carlow, Ireland. Tempe also has a partnership with Hilla, Iraq as a participant in the U.S.-Iraq International Partners for Peace program which funds exchanges for democratic learning and provides humanitarian assistance.
Representing more than 2,300 communities in 130 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.