Chicago Sister Cities International Awarded Best Overall Sister City Program
Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI) received Sister Cities International’s (SCI) 2014 Best Overall Program Award for a city with a population more than 500,001 at the SCI 58th Annual Conference in San Jose, California this month. The 2014 SCI Best Overall Program Award recognizes sister city programs that demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in 2013 in advancing the goals and mission of the sister cities movement.
“As Chicago’s ambassador to the world, Chicago Sister Cities International was proud to receive Sister City International’s 2014 Best Overall Program Award,” said Leroy Allala, Executive Director of CSCI. “It is a particular honor for the organization as we have worked throughout the year to refocus our mission as a part of World Business Chicago. As one organization, we are expanding Chicago’s international footprint. With the largest and most active sister city program in the U.S., CSCI and its programming raises Chicago’s stature as a major global city.”
CSCI reinvigorated its organizational vision in 2013 by aligning its mission with Chicago’s overall international goals. The largest step CSCI took was to merge with World Business Chicago (WBC) in April 2013. CSCI and WBC now continue to boost Chicago’s global position by networking and building relationships across the globe.
CSCI showcased a diverse set of programs in 2013. The organization presented over 80 events, exchanges and programs, and hosted more than 40 international delegations from 12 countries. CSCI also engaged its extensive international volunteer base of more than 600 members through 112 committee meetings to plan and execute programs. CSCI’s balance between business and culture has helped lead to economic development growth and helped enhance Chicago’s reputation as a world class city for arts and culture.
In addition to this honor, earlier this year, Chicago and Shanghai shared the award for Best Overall U.S.-China Sister City Partnership.
Chicago Sister Cities International
Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI), a division of World Business Chicago, provides leadership to develop, manage and coordinate comprehensive programs and projects with Chicago’s 28 sister cities in the areas of economic development, education, tourism, immigration and cultural enrichment. CSCI expands Chicago’s global reach for the benefit of the City of Chicago, its residents and businesses.
For more information on Chicago Sister Cities International, visit www.ChicagoSisterCities.com, follow us on Twitter (@ChiSisterCities) or “Like” us on Facebook, Facebook.com/ChicagoSisterCities.
Chicago’s 28 sister cities include: Accra, Ghana (1989); Amman, Jordan (2004); Athens, Greece (1997); Belgrade, Serbia (2005); Birmingham, United Kingdom (1993); Bogota, Colombia (2009); Busan, Republic of Korea (2007); Casablanca, Morocco (1982); Delhi, India (2001); Durban, South Africa (1997); Galway, Ireland (1997); Gothenburg, Sweden (1987); Hamburg, Germany (1994); Kyiv, Ukraine (1991); Lahore, Pakistan (2007); Lucerne, Switzerland (1998); Mexico City, Mexico (1991); Milan, Italy (1973); Moscow, Russia (1997); Osaka, Japan (1973); Paris, France (1996); Petach Tikva, Israel (1994); Prague, Czech Republic (1990); Shanghai, China (1985); Shenyang, China (1985); Toronto, Canada (1991); Vilnius, Lithuania (1993); and Warsaw, Poland (1960).
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Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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