2016 was a big year for Aurora Sister Cities International! Between international delegation visits to festivals we’ve had a blast.

In 2016 we welcomed delegations from three different countries. In March visitors from Seongnam City, our sister city in South Korea, came for a week of tours and business and trade discussions. Then in May Aurora hosted a delegation from Loudi, China. Finally Aurora signed a friendship city agreement  Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador, when an official delegation which included the mayor of Antiguo Cuscatlán visited in August.

This year was also a big year for cultural and educational exchange. In May we collaborated with the Aurora History Museum to produce an exhibit titled “A Mosaic of Cultures.” Members of the Ethiopian community in Aurora contributed their time as well as cultural  clothes, ornaments, and other significant items to this exhibit in order to highlight the vibrant and diverse Ethiopian culture that can be found in Aurora today. Then in August we participated in Aurora’s now-annual GlobalFest celebration which featured nonstop music, entertainment, and food from around the world.

Finally this year we got to see some amazing examples of human generosity. In September we received a donation of Korean language childrens books from our sister city in Korea. These books were donated to the Korean Academy of Colorado so that students could read and enjoy them. And then in November we got wonderful news! A donation of eye glasses and medical supplies that the Aurora community had collected to benefit our sister city in Adama, Ethiopia, finally arrived in Adama.

It truly has been a wonderful year here at ASCI.  We couldn’t have done any of this without the help and dedication of our members, donors, and volunteers so THANK YOU to the entire ASCI support community!

Check out this gallery to see what we were up to this year!