Sister Cities of Jasper has just been awarded the Sister Cities International 2018 Award for Best Overall Program for a city with a population of 10,000- 25,000. This competition is open to over 500 sister cities nationwide. This award recognizes Jasper’s accomplishments in promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.
Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz says, “I am pleased with our Sister City Program for all its endeavors and congratulate them on this prestigious award.”
Sandy Wehr of the Jasper’s Sister Cities Program says, “ We are very honored and believe this award is great for our Sister Cities partnership with Pfaffenweiler and other German cities.”
The Sister City program strives to promote and preserve German Heritage in Jasper and Dubois County and promote world peace and understanding. The program sponsors an exchange program through Jasper High School and Poessneck and Staufen, Germany. Weddings, graduations, and study continue to bring visitors between the cities of Jasper and Pfaffenweiler. Plans are currently being set to further celebrate this partnership with a 35th Anniversary Celebration. Jasper and Pfaffenweiler maintain contact through citizen ambassadors and online through SKYPE.
Sister Cities International President and CEO, Roger-Mark De Souza, stated “ 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.”
Sister Cities International was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and currently unites 500 member communities with over 2,000 partnerships- which are spread over 140 countries and 6 continents.
