Welcome to the Asheville, NC Sister Cities Home Page

Home

Welcome to the Asheville, NC Sister Cities Home Page

Thursday, 11 February 2010 22:17

THE LAST WORD!

Today marks the last day of my tenure as President of Asheville Sister Cities, Inc. It will be a reluctant pleasure to pass the gavel to Rick Lutovsky, late of the Asheville Chamber, who will march forward with great plans to carry ASCI to new levels of greatness.

I would be remiss if I did not thank all of you for your support-through membership, donations, committee work, volunteer efforts, and just plain ole elbow grease at times. I trust you will continue your support in the future, and participate even more in the exciting agenda Rick has in mind. It is going to be a great era for ASCI!

Having said that, I would like to extend special thanks to several board members who have always been there to help: Alice Keller, Secretary; Gwen Hughes, Special Projects Chair; Marylyn Seyler, Membership; Monique Taylor, Finance Chair; and, of course, the indefatigable Social Chair and Historian, Barbara Hodgson, without whom we might never have had such great parties!

Thank you for the privilege and pleasure of serving as your President for these two years! The best is yet to come as ASCI moves forward under the leadership of Rick Lutovsky!

Farewell!

Andrew Craig, President

Asheville Sister Cities, Inc.

NEW DUES STRUCTURE-PLEASE NOTE!

From January 1 through June 30 of the current year, dues for a new or renewed membership are as follows: Individual - $25, Corporate - $150, Couple/Family - $40, Student - $10. From July 1 through September 30 of the current year, dues are as follows: Individual - $15, other categories - half of the annual dues. From October 1 through December 31 of the current year, the dues for a new membership are the full annual amount, and the membership includes both the current year and the next calendar year.

Just a note from the President:

As this year draws to a close, please allow me to thank each and every person who has contributed to the successful delegation visits, socials, fund raisers, and worthwhile projects undertaken by ASCI. What a pleasure it has been to see folks involved in what we do!

But we are not done yet! We are looking at expanding our sister cities base-which will bring opportunities for delegation visits to these proposed cities, and there are new projects by several committees that are taking shape that promise to be exciting.

In order to continue the excellent work of our committees, we need your continued support-and not just financial. We need people willing to serve on the board in various capacities, and we need new member support. So please, while you are having your coffee, tea, or latte this week, think about how you can further serve Asheville Sister Cities, and who you can bring as new members! For those of you who are willing to serve on our board, beginning with the February 2011 board meeting, please contact Rick Lutovsky, President-Elect, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . (And hurry, Rick is retiring and that email address will surely change soon!). For membership information, please refer to the above for rates and for further information, please contact our marvelous membership committee chair: Marylyn Seylor: .

Thank you again for your continued support!

Andrew Craig, President, ASCI

DELEGATION VISIT FROM OSOGBO, NIGERIA

A HUGE SUCCESS!!

The delegates visiting from Osogbo, Nigeria, had an extradordinary visit to Asheville! They were impressed with our Public Works Department, Curbie, MAHEC, Mission Hospital, and, of course, the hospitality of our members!

For fun they attended several receptions as well as the Drum Circle downtown on their Friday evening event.

See the Osogbo page for details.

Greetings Members and Friends of Asheville Sister Cities, Inc. We are delighted to welcome a six member delegation from our sister city of Osogbo, Nigeria! The delegates arrived in Asheville after 1 a.m. Tuesday, after a very long trip from Nigeria. Nevertheless, they were in high spirits and ready to proceed with their visit-after a short nap! On their first day in Asheville, the group toured our Public Works facilities, Curbside Management, MSD facility, met with City Council, and were guests for dinner at the Ritz with the Asheville Black Businessmen's Alliance.

Today, Wednesday, May 5, the group will breakfast with the Rotary Club of North Asheville, tour the Buncombe County Health Department, Mission Hospital, the WNC Aids Alliance, and will be honored at a dinner at the YMI Cultural Center.

For further information regarding the delegation's itinerary, please click on "Events" in the left column. A note: everyone is invited to Pisgah View Ranch at 5 p.m., Saturday, May 8th. There will be a $15 pp charge for dinner at the door.

Asheville and Sister Cities International

Thursday, 28 January 2010 23:38

The Sister Cities' programs center around promoting world peace.

With the friends we have interconnected with throughout the world—the arms we have around each other's shoulders will hopefully make our "world community" stronger.

The Asheville Sister City Program

Organized in 1988, Asheville Sister Cities Incorporated (ASCI) is an independent 501(c)3, that is people oriented community organization affiliated with the city of Asheville and Sister Cities International.

In conjunction with local governments, it serves to promote international awareness and maintain good relations with the sister cities linked to Asheville.

The Asheville Sister Cities program is open to all individuals and organizations in the Asheville community.

Membership in the Sister Cities program promises to be a rewarding and fun experience! Join us for international film festivals, food tasting from around the world, travel opportunities, and a chance to promote peace through global friendship with our partner sister cities.

We offer many unique and interesting opportunities:
* Cultural Exchanges
* Joint Business Ventures
* Student Exchanges
* Professional Training
* Volunteer Opportunities

Please invite your friends and family to join us in celebrating Asheville Sister Cities and it's accomplishments. Stop by the ASCI offices at 33 Page Avenue for more information!

Sister Cities International

Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between U.S. and international communities. We strive to build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development.

Sister Cities International is a leader for local community development and volunteer action. We motivate and empower private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term sister city programs. We believe that sister city programs involve two-way communication and should mutually benefit partnering communities.

Our goals are to:

Develop municipal partnerships between U.S. cities, counties, and states and similar jurisdictions in other nations.
Provide opportunities for city officials and citizens to experience and explore other cultures through long-term community partnerships.
Create an atmosphere in which economic and community development can be implemented and strengthened.
Stimulate environments through which communities will creatively learn, work, and solve problems together through reciprocal cultural, educational, municipal, business, professional and technical exchanges and projects.
Collaborate with organizations in the United States and other countries which share similar goals.

Sister Cities International (SCI) was created in 1956 by the Eisenhower administration to improve global understanding and cooperation. Since that time, more than 1200 communities in the United States have been linked with more than 2,100 partners in 117 countries and involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers. It is one of the largest volunteer organizations in the world, growing out of the recognition that we all are members of a single global community. It is a unique non-profit organization, nationwide/worldwide in scope, involving governments, businesses, cultural and educational sectors and private volunteers.