January 2024: The FHSC General Meeting was held at Desert Canyon Grill, where all previous 2023 board members were voted and confirmed for 2024. A new board position of “Student Ambassador” was created and filled by FHHS student exchange participant Eli Van Beek. Upgrades to the FHSC website also began.
April 2024: The Fountain Hills Sister Cities organization honored the resignation of our longtime friend, influential board member, and highly valued treasurer, Chandra Merica. The FHSC team will forever be grateful for her years of exemplary service to our program.
June 2024: FHSC announced its annual Membership Drive. We decided that as of 2025, the membership period will be changed to coincide with the calendar year. All memberships paid from July through December of 2024 will be honored for the 2025 season.
September 2024: The Fountain Hills Sister Cities organization took a much-needed break from the hot summer months. The team reconvened in September, just in time to kick off planning for numerous autumn events.
December 2024: Instead of its usual December Board Meeting, FH Sister Cities opted to host a Christmas Party for its members and friends. The party was held at Phil’s Filling Station Grill.
January 2024: Sister Cities officially kick-started its 2024 fundraising campaign to support Ataco, El Salvador and its “Meals for Elders” program. Our efforts fed elderly residents in Ataco with critically needed, nutritious food packages.
February 2024: Ataco Chair Byron Roman organized a fundraising event to support Sister City Ataco. The fundraising event held by FHSC was hosted by Mountain View Kitchen and was a remarkable success. Guest speakers associated with past and present visits to Ataco shared their personal and heartwarming experiences. The event raised more than $3,500 that was put to work in our “Meals for Elders” campaign.
March 2024: Jennifer with Mountain View Kitchen created a “Round-Up” program in support of our Ataco fundraising campaign, which generated $250 toward our “Meals for Elders” campaign.
May 2024: Sister Cities provided the first humanitarian relief funds in support of struggling Sister City Ataco, El Salvador. A total of $8,000 was delivered to the newly elected mayor of the region encompassing Ataco.
June 2024: Ataco Chair Byron Roman helped coordinate our second Ataco fundraising event alongside the Hispanic Rotary Club of Phoenix and Phoenix-based El Salvadoreno restaurant. The event raised more than $1,000 that will be put to work in our “Meals for Elders” campaign.
December 2024: After two successful years of our (now-closed) Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Campaign during 2022-2023 season of giving, $4,000 in unallocated funds were finally released to three separate refugee-related charities operating inside war-torn Ukraine. FH resident and Ukraine champion Mark Lieber, who has personally worked in and around the region numerous times, helped organize the transfer. The monies were graciously received by the Ukrainian charities and could not have gone to a better cause. Our deepest thanks go out to all who generously gave of their money and of their time over the last few years.
January 2024: FHSC attended the FH Volunteer Expo at the FH Community Center with a display booth. It was a great opportunity to improve the community’s understanding of our purpose.
March 2024: FHSC attended the Fountain Hills Day celebration along the Avenue of the Fountains. The volunteer team, the booth arrangement, and our new banner helped secure FHSC with the award for Best Philanthropic Booth.
May 2024: Our Chair for Ataco, El Salvador, Byron Roman, competed in the “Taste of Home” magazine’s competition for “Favorite Chef.” He went up against numerous chefs across the country and focused on ancient Meso-American cuisine.
September 2024: Sister Cities participated in the official unveiling of the “Fountain of Light” sculpture across from Town Hall along the Avenue of the Fountains. Sister Cities was also incredibly proud to have our traditional booth set up at this year’s Oktoberfest, sponsored by the Four Peaks Rotary Club.
October 2024: Sister Cities hosted its first annual Heritage Month Celebration by decorating the outdoor patio at the FH Chamber of Commerce, where three different cultures were simultaneously honored. There were many highlights at this incredible gathering of community members interested in our purpose and passion.
March 2024: The FH Sister Cities Board approved a $1,000 donation to be given to the local Fountain Hills Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Connections like the one we share with the PTO help to solidify the commitment FHSC has to the youth and teachers of Fountain Hills.
May 2024: In cooperation with the Golden Eagle Foundation, Sister Cities gave $1,000 scholarships each to two deserving students who are likely pursuing international studies. The scholarships were provided to students exhibiting leadership qualities with an emphasis on citizen diplomacy, a hallmark of Sister Cities.
June 2024: Students from Fountain Hills High School travelled to Europe to visit numerous cultural and historical sites, with a final stop in Sister City Dierdorf, Germany.
August 2024: Sister Cities Student Ambassador Eli Van Beek traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the Sister Cities International Youth Leadership Summit.
November 2024: Fountain Hills High School students and teachers hosted Polish exchange students from our Sister City Zamość, Poland.
December 2024: FH Sister Cities was proud to have discovered that Zamość is home to a Rotary Club similar to that found here in Fountain Hills. We took steps to coordinate and secure a partnership between them and our local Four Peaks Rotary Club. A Zamość Rotary Club flag was hand-delivered by the chaperones of the Polish Student Exchange in acknowledgement of their commitment to form a relationship. This effort will further strengthen the friendly bonds between our two communities. The Sister Cities’ foundational concept of citizen diplomacy is working very well in our community.
February 2024: FH Sister Cities members joined local art historian Paola Vojnovic on a spectacular trip to historic Venice, Italy. Participants attended the much-anticipated Carnevale Celebration and toured famous public and private points of interest.
Jean Linzer, Jackie Miles, Carol Carroll, Gerald and Mary Comeau, Grady Miller, Estelle Mackey, James Wilson, Christine Colley, Chandra Merica, Katarzyna Suchanek, Suzanne Nann, Lillian Acker, Bev Tall
Bob & Susan Titus
Bogumil Horchem & Elizabeth Matej-Horchem, Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce
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Please use the donation link below. This will allow you access to our convenient and secure PayPal/Credit Card donation interface.
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Fountain Hills Sister Cities organized a unique event sampling wines from regions around Germany and sister city Dierdorf. It was hosted by local German Restaurant Treffpunkt in Scottsdale.
A VIP visitor from Sister City Ataco El Salvador dropped by Fountain Hills on her way to visit family in LA. While here she met up with key members of the Fountain Hills Sister Cities team associated with managing and promoting the Sister City Ataco partnership.
Oktoberfest is back again in Fountain Hills for 2026, and host FH Sister Cities is looking for volunteers and sponsors. You too can help make this year’s celebration of German culture and heritage a “Wunderbar” success!
