The Arlington Sister City Association has major plans for its global relationships as it continues to rebuild from the pandemic.
“We have a more important role than ever,” said Daphne Lathouras, chair of the organization’s board of directors, at the group’s annual meeting on Monday.
Established in 1993 and working in collaboration with the county government, the Arlington Sister City Association supports and coordinates the activities of formal partnerships with Aachen, Germany; Coyoacán, Mexico; Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine; Reims, France; and San Miguel, El Salvador.
“There’s such excitement … for the coming year,” said Anastasia Orfanoudis, who has served as executive director of Arlington’s Sister City group for the past two years.
The pandemic impacted in-person exchanges with all Sister Cities, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also had a major impact on the Ivano-Frankivsk partnership.
“The momentum from the Ukraine side has fallen a little bit off, understandably,” said board member Sophia Tailor. The past year has been spent “rekindling relationships,” she said.
Despite challenges, efforts to expand Sister City relationships continue, Orfanoudis said.
“We’ve really done quite a bit in the past few years,” she said. “This past year, we launched quite a few events that encompassed all our Sister Cities.”
Among recent and planned activities:
Aachen: A contingent of Arlington high-school students depart in early July to spend three weeks in Germany, living with host families in Aachen and traveling to Berlin. In October, a group of fifth graders and parents from Aachen will travel to Arlington.
Reims: July 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Arlington and Reims, with upcoming events and a dinner planned to mark the anniversary. There also was a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe; the German surrender was signed in a Reims schoolhouse serving as Allied headquarters on May 7, 1945.
San Miguel: Also marking 20 years since the start of the partnership, the San Miguel organizing committee plans to continue building on the success of a resource fair held earlier in the year, and aims to establish a student pen-pal collaboration between the two communities.
Ivano-Frankivsk: Though located in the western portion of Ukraine and, to date, only directly affected by the Russian invasion to a moderate degree, Ivano-Frankivsk has seen an influx of refugees and increased economic instability. A delegation from the city visited Arlington recently, and there are plans for ongoing partnerships between the fire departments of both communities, as well as a picnic to celebrate Ukraine’s independence day on Aug. 24.
Coyoacán: The partnership with Arlington’s first Sister City currently is dormant and classified as in “emeritus” status. But efforts could be made to reinvigorate it.
The five sister cities all have populations between 200,000 and 300,000, similar to Arlington’s.
In addition to individual/family memberships, the organization receives some financial support from the county government under a memorandum of understanding.
“There’s been a longstanding relationship, an important partnership,” said Shannon Flanagan-Watson, a deputy county manager who serves as liaison to the sister cities board. County Board members Takis Karantonis and Maureen Coffey also serve as liaisons.
Membership in the Arlington Sister City Association is $35 for individuals, $50 for families, with various sponsorship levels available.
The organization recently obtained its first corporate sponsorship — from Long & Foster — and is working with the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the county’s business-improvement districts to augment existing partnerships.
The international sister city movement evolved from an initiative that President Dwight Eisenhower inaugurated in 1956. It spans the globe, with communities in more than 140 countries represented.
