Mayor Betsy Price and Dinner Chairs, Becky & Henry Borbolla, lead the crowd of nearly 400 through an evening of international cuisine and entertainment as Sister Cities recognized and honored individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made significant contributions to citizen diplomacy, global understanding, world political stability, and international commerce.
Awards were presented to: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company – THE GLOBAL NEXUS AWARD Catholic Charities of Fort Worth – THE GLOBAL CITIZENS AWARD Bob Jameson – GLOBAL IMPACT AWARDLockheed Martin Aeronautics Company received the Global Nexus Award as good representatives of Fort Worth to the world, creating commerce and a healthier community for all.
Catholic Charities of Fort Worth was given the Global Citizens Award for their strong representation of Fort Worth by creating a positive view of the U.S. through educational and humanitarian initiatives.
Bob Jameson received the Global Impact Award for his long-time service to the Fort Worth community and development of international partnerships through global business, culture, and tourism.
The event was made possible by the Fort Worth Sister Cities 2017 Members Circle, a network of individuals, organizations, corporations and community leaders committed to expanding global relationships for peace and prosperity at home and abroad. Funding and in-kind support from the City of Fort Worth plays a key role in its mission, but most work is made possible through public support through the Members Circle.
The dinner was held June 1 to celebrate 32 years of service by Sister Cities to the City of Fort Worth. Entertainment was provided by the Taiko Drummers, Mariachi Real de Alvarez, Andrea Tullis from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, KJRI Dancers from the Consul General of Indonesia’s office, Swahili Carmel Choir from Christ Chapel Bible Church, and representatives from each of Fort Worth’s eight sister cities.
If you saw crazy costumes over the weekend in downtown Fort Worth, they were teams in the 3rd Annual Amazingly Global Race chaired by Carolann Morris, Inwood Bank, benefitting Fort Worth Sister Cities International.
“It’s so good to see how creative people can be in order to support our international efforts. Forming international relationships, fostering new business connections, and promoting tourism and cultural understanding are vital to seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges in this global era,” said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.
“The Race is held annually to fund the international youth education programs of Sister Cities that give students leadership and communications skills preparing them for a global society,” said Mae Ferguson, President/CEO of Fort Worth Sister Cities International.
Newly elected officers at Fort Worth Sister Cities International’s 31st Annual Meeting, are Board Chair, Johnny Campbell, Sundance Square; Chair-elect, Veronica Chavez Law, Brackett & Ellis, LLP; Secretary, Lu Pham, Dowell Pham Harrison LLP; and Treasurer, Walter Stucker, UBS Financial Services. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price serves as Honorary Chair.
Kids Who Care was awarded the Eisenhower Award for Organizational Involvement presented by Mark Nurdin, Bank of Texas and last year’s recipient, and Julie Johncox was awarded the prestigious Bob Bolen Award for Outstanding Board Leadership presented by last year’s recipient Ann Rice.
“The annual meeting is a time to review accomplishments and recognize those responsible for our successes,” said Michael Bennett, Bennett Benner Partners, outgoing Chairman of the Board. A few of the year’s accomplishments were highlighted by President and CEO Mae Ferguson who said, “This year we sent delegations to Japan, China, Cuba, and Mexico. We coordinated youth exchanges to seven cities for over 100 students and welcomed 165 students and educators to Fort Worth creating a $14 million economic impact on the city of Fort Worth.”
Mayor Betsy Price and Dinner Chairs Phil and Anne Moroneso lead the crowd of nearly 500 through an evening of international cuisine and entertainment as Sister Cities recognized and honored individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made significant contributions to citizen diplomacy, global understanding, world political stability, and international commerce.
The event was made possible by the Members Circle, a network of individuals, organizations, corporations and community leaders committed to expanding global relationships for peace and prosperity at home and abroad. Funding and in-kind support from the City of Fort Worth (4% of FWSCI’s total budget) plays a key role in its mission, but most work is made possible through public support like that received through the Members Circle.
The dinner was held May 5 to celebrate over 30 years of service to the City of Fort Worth. Entertainment was provided by the Mondo Drummers, Ballet Folklorico de Fort Worth, Steven Li from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Youlan Ji from The Cliburn, Panther City Five band, and many community leaders and members of sister Cities performing various international songs and dances.
Ms. Forrest is a teacher at Fort Worth Country Day and has been involved with Sister Cities for many years. She has led the Jr. International Leadership Academy for the past ten years and hosted students from Nagaoka, Japan. She also served as the delegation leader to Japan for the prestigious Harashin scholars program in 2015.
Ms. Oliynyk has served in several leadership positions on the youth board and traveled to several sister cities including Guiyang, China and Bandung, Indonesia. She was also chosen as the recipient of the Sister Cities International Youth Volunteer of the Year award which was presented in Minneapolis, MN at the national conference in July 2015.
Three prestigious youth scholarships were also presented including:
Henry Chao and Zoe Nichols-Payne were recognized as this year’s Rotary International Scholars. These two ninth grade students will develop and organize a service project to be conducted at a school in Guiyang, China in June 2016.
