Fountain Hills Sister Cities held its annual meeting on Jan. 21 at the DC Bar & Grill with 35 members and guests in attendance. The board of directors members serving the 2020 term are

Elizabeth Matej Horchem, vice president; Carol Carroll, president; Christine Colley, treasurer and Clayton Corey, secretary.

Fountain Hills Sister Cities was founded in 2000 when Kasterlee, Belgium became the first Sister City to Fountain Hills. Fountain Hills Times publisher Alan Cruickshank and former Mayor Jerry Miles were instrumental in getting this partnership off the ground. In later years Dierdorf, Germany, Ataco, El Salvador, and Zamosc, Poland were added.

High School teacher Luke Salzman and Middle School teacher Chris Peterson coordinate active student exchanges with host families each year between Fountain Hills, Dierdorf and Zamosc. Sister Cities Inc. provides humanitarian support for the friends in Ataco, a coffee plantation community that is experiencing an economic downturn, leaving farm worker families without a steady income.

The brief business meeting was followed by a slide show presentation by FHHS graduate Michal Suchanek, FHHS senior Anya Feyrer-Melk and FHHS junior Andrej Urda about the student trips to Zamosc and Dierdorf. The students shared their positive experiences that took them out of their comfort zones and into learning about different cultures, food, history and traditions in beautiful settings. Languages are never an issue, German and Polish students are near fluent in the English language, which is part of the high school curriculum.

Fountain Hills Sister Cities, Inc. helps fund the inbound student exchange excursions designed to explore all there is in Arizona. Parents and students fund their outbound flights and are then hosted by the schools and families they visit. Many long-term friendships and ongoing private visits between the students are the result. Sister Cities believes the international experiences will prepare these future leaders in a global world.

Fred and Barb Hansen and Jean Linzer were recognized for their 20-year membership in Sister Cities, where Jean served as secretary for many years. For more information contact membership chairman Dan Fecteau at danfecteau@yahoo.com or 480-440-4701.