CC Sister City Wins 2018 Best Overall Program from Sister Cities International

Culver City has won the Sister Cities International 2018 Award for Best Overall Program for a city with a population 40,000. The awards competition, which is open to over 500 sister city programs nationwide, recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding individuals and community sister city programs that are promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.

In 2017 Culver City Sister City Committee successfully facilitated multiple activities to continue its 54-year tradition of fostering international friendship, cooperation and cultural understanding through citizen diplomacy. Every February, CCSCC conducts a Marathon Exchange with Culver City sister city Kaizuka, Japan by sending two runners from Culver City to participate in the KIX Senshu International Marathon. One month later, CCSCC hosts two runners from Kaizuka to participate in the Los Angeles Marathon. In April, CCSCC held its first local Young Artist Showcase Competition. The winner received a scholarship to attend the Sister City International Youth Leadership Summit that took place in July in Virginia Beach, VA.

Additionally, in April we received the prestigious Council PTA’s Honorary Service Golden Oak Award in recognition for our outstanding service to the youth of Culver City. In May, a delegation that included both City officials and CCSCC representatives visited Culver City Friendship City of Capo d’ Orlando, Italy to affirm a mutual interest in forming a sister city relationship. In June CCSCC held a multi-cultural event as part of Culver City’s Centennial Celebration. It included live music, food and dance performances representing our five sister cities.

Also in June CCSCC awarded a scholarship to a deserving Culver City High School Senior, as part of the Annual Culver City Community Scholarship Fund. In July, CCSCC conducted its annual student exchanges by hosting eight middle school students and two chaperones from Kaizuka, Japan while, concurrently, six Culver City High School students and two chaperones visited Iksan, South Korea. In September, CCSCC welcomed a delegation of elected officials from Capo d’ Orlando for the signing of the newest Culver City sister city relationship agreement. The signing ceremony took place on the same date that Culver City celebrated its 100th year of incorporation. CCSCC continues to provide quarterly monetary donations to support two orphanages in Mexico: one in our sister city of Uruapan and the other in Puerto Escondido.

“We all stand to learn from these superstar Sister City programs as they impact their communities across a broad range of sectors that include business entrepreneurship, youth leadership, and arts and culture,” said Roger-Mark De Souza, Sister Cities International’s President & CEO. “These individuals and local organizations inspire us to be better citizens as their work exemplifies President Eisenhower’s vision of engaged international citizen diplomats. They create beneficial connections and lasting relationships which will help their communities today and for years to come.”
Sister Cities International Annual Awards recognize excellence in overall programming and highlight key innovations in arts and culture; business and trade; humanitarian assistance; youth and education; and professional and technical exchange categories. We also honor a Volunteer of the Year and our Youth Leadership who demonstrate exceptional efforts to advance peace through citizen diplomacy. This year we will honor all our award winners during SCI’s 2018 Annual Conference from August 2-4 th in Aurora, Colorado.

The conference will bring together hundreds of the most influential citizen diplomats and global leaders in diplomacy, foreign affairs, policy, business, and innovation to discuss, share examples, and network. This year’s theme, Cities Leading the Way, will focus on smart and resilient cities, leadership development, and entrepreneurship as key building blocks of President Eisenhower’s vision of creating a more peaceful world through citizen engagement and international cooperation between cities.
Founded as a Presidential Initiative by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International serves as the national membership organization for 500 member communities with over 2,000 partnerships in more than 140 countries on six continents. The sister city network unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers who work tirelessly to promote the organizations’ mission of creating world peace and understanding through programs and projects focusing on arts and culture, youth and education, business and trade, and community development.

Nancy Perdomo

The Actors' Gang

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