Sister Cities Fort Worth
Imagine the consequences had Fort Worth not explored an association with Sister Cities International 40 years ago.
We would only know how to say Foat Wuth, ah luv yew! in one language. (Do you remember those bumper stickers that made us all sound as if we learned our three R's in a one-room schoolhouse in the antebellum Deep South?)
Anyway, through the Fort Worth Sister Cities and our nine sister cities in China, Eswatini, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, and Mexico the land of Ripley Arnold has grown as a culturally diverse city through the exposure and exchanges Sister Cities drives, all designed to develop a better understanding of arts and culture, business, young people, governments, and economics.
It’s been a very fine thing, the Sister Cities, starting with that delegation from Reggio Emilia, Italy, which came to the City Council chambers in the fall of 1984 and declared to Mayor Bob Bolen and members of the council, “Fort Worth, ai lo viu.”
Larry Anfin
On Wednesday, Fort Worth Sister Cities launched the public campaign of the Members Circle of Giving by announcing Larry Anfin as the 2022 Campaign Chair.
“Due to the generosity of corporate and individual donors, $170,000 has already been pledged and Sister Cities is well on its way to meeting its $300,000 goal,” says Anfin, president of K&L Enterprises Inc., in a statement.
The Members Circle of Giving is a network of individuals, organizations, corporations, and community leaders committed to expanding global relationships for peace and prosperity at home and abroad. Lead donors to this year’s campaign will be recognized at the Mayor’s International Dinner & Global Awards in November.
“In an increasingly divided world, Sister Cities brings individuals, cultures and countries together for the benefit of all,” says Becky Renfro Borbolla, board chairman. “While international travel is difficult at this time, that doesn’t mean global relationship building has stopped. We are producing effective global education and creating cultural competence, and there’s more work to be done.”
Funding and in-kind support from the city of Fort Worth (4% of Sister Cities’ budget) play a key role in its mission, but most of its work is made possible through public support such as that received through the Members Circle of Giving.
Visit the Fort Worth Sister Cities at www.fwsistercities.org.
