West Liberty is working towards having its own Sister City.
The idea to find a Sister City through the Sister Cities International program came up last year. A committee was formed and a request to establish an agreement was sent last month.
“After more than a year’s process and after carefully considering many fantastic options, the committee settled on Arrecifes, Argentina,” WeLead (West Liberty Area Economic Development) Executive Director Ken Brooks said. “We hope to hear back from them in the next month.”
WeLead is the administrative home for the West Liberty Sister Cities program.
“WeLead helped recruit committee members from local government, local businesses, and from the community,” Brooks said. “West Liberty’s City Council recognized WeLead’s Sister City program as West Liberty’s official program by resolution last year.”
The committee was formed in May 2022. Ed Moreno is the chairman, West Liberty City Councilmember Cara McFerren is the vice-chairman. The West Liberty Chamber of Commerce, WeLead, local residents, city government and local business representatives make up the remainder of the committee.
“The committee carefully considered everything that they wanted from a partner in the Sister City program,” Brooks said. “The committee wanted to partner with a city where the Spanish language is spoken, is relatively close in size to West Liberty, has agriculture as a large part of the economy, specifically farming and meat processing, has a rich culture of arts, and emphasizes education.”
Brooks looks forward to learning from another culture.
“The Sister City program is a fantastic opportunity for us to learn from people who may live on the other side of the world but live in a community very similar to ours,” he said. “The chance to share best business practices, arts and culture, and learn from one another, will be priceless.”
Sister Cities International Logo
Sister Cities International was created at President Eisenhower’s 1956 White House summit on citizen diplomacy, where he envisioned a network that would be a champion for peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world, the website said. President Eisenhower reasoned that people from different cultures could understand, appreciate, and celebrate their differences while building partnerships that would lessen the chance of new conflicts.
The non-profit’s mission is “to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation — one individual, one community at a time.”
They work with members to play an essential part in creating a more peaceful world through people-to-people exchanges and initiatives. The value of face-to-face meetings and personal relationships across borders doesn’t just change the lives of individuals but helps communities all over the world to thrive.
