January 2025: The FHSC General Meeting was held at Mountain View Kitchen, where new board members were voted and confirmed for 2025. We welcomed our new Secretary Lillian Acker and our new Treasurer Ruby Moreno. A new board position of “Outreach Director” was created and filled by Tania Brown.
February 2025: Attendees to the Statewide Sister Cities Conference held in Sedona reported on the event. Discussions got kicked off for how we will celebrate and promote our 25th anniversary this year. Board member James Wilson provided a Sister Cities presentation to Fountain View Village to increase community awareness.
March 2025: A quick overview of the history of the Sister Cities movement worldwide and the development of the FH Sister Cities chapter here in town was presented for the benefit of new members. Find out more about this history by clicking here!
April 2025: The Fountain Hills Sister Cities team worked through numerous challenges presented by the current political conditions with our sister city of Ataco, El Salvador. Ataco and regional leadership uncertainty strained our otherwise tight bond with this cherished community, but we remain confident that the relationship is on solid ground and that we will do whatever we can to preserve this cherished connection. We continue to pursue a new sister city as we feel this will round out our current capacity to manage these all-important bi-lateral international associations. This is the true work of citizen diplomacy! Want to find out more about what we do? Click here!
May 2025: Sister Cities considered and rejected joining the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association. Additional discussion centered around an Italian city as a possible fit for our next new sister city partnership. Special guest Steve Baggio promoted Bassano del Grappa.
June 2025: FHSC announced its Summer Recess.
September 2025: The team reconvened from its summer break to begin planning for the Oktoberfest Festival. Planning began for our 25th Anniversary Commemoration. An art-piece is proposed as a permanent monument to our 25th anniversary and it will likely be placed on the grounds at the FH Chamber of Commerce. FH High School student Reece Beers was named as new Student Ambassador to the Sister Cities Team.
October 2025: Numerous FH Sister Cities’ Board of Directors members travelled to Tucson for the annual Sister Cities State Conference. Our Tech Director James Wilson gave a presentation on the use of marketing and social media to get the word out about our programs to the general public.
November 2025: FH Sister Cities ran a booth at the annual Fountain Hills Days event sponsored by the FH Chamber of Commerce. It was another important event for getting notoriety of our good work within the community. Our search for a new Sister City yielded some early successes as conversations with a town in northern Italy got underway. Town leaders in Bassano del Grappa seemed interested in discussing a future partnership. Newly elected Board Member Steve Baggio was selected to oversee the new city selection and approval process.
December 2025: FH Sister Cities President Christine Colley gave a presentation to the FH Town Council to approve a renewal of our contract to manage our sister city partnerships abroad on behalf of the town. The council approved of the ongoing contract without hessitation due to the remarkable work we do.
NOTICE: FHSC announced its annual Membership Drive for the 2026 season. We would love to have you as one of our new members, or our cherished returning members. Come find out what we are all about!
January 2025: FH Sister Cities continued its fundraising campaign to support Ataco, El Salvador. Our efforts for 2025 were intended to help feed elderly residents in Ataco with critically needed, nutritious food packages.
February 2025: Ataco Chair Byron Roman considered planning a trip to the Ataco area to discuss the relationship with the new mayor of the region, but was cancelled until sometime in 2026.
January 2025: FHSC attended the FH Volunteer Expo at the FH Community Center with a display booth.
February 2025: FHSC members attended three separate cultural events in February: the German Karneval Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, the German Karneval Festival in Peoria, AZ, and the 20th annual Polish Festival held in Phoenix, AZ.
March 2025: Sister Cities decided officially to be the host for the 2025 Oktoberfest in Fountain Hills.
April 2025: Planning continued for the 2025 Fountain Hills Oktoberfest.
May 2025: We invited all of our members and friends to a special evening celebration with the local German club Treffpunkt to promote international awareness and strengthen cultural bonds.
June 2025: Fountain Hills Sister Cities Vice President Elizabeth Matej-Horchem was awarded “Outstanding Pole” by the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles.
August 2025: Sister Cities showcased our lovely partner city Ataco El Salvador in a first of a series of cultural spotlights.
September 2025: Numerous announcements on social media and news outlets were organized to help spread the word about Oktoberfest in Fountain Hills.
October 2025: FH Sister Cities hosted a truly successful Oktoberfest Celebration that received rave reviews. The Mayor’s Proclamation at the event honored our 25th anniversary of service to the community. The far-ranging impact of social media broadcasts regarding the event was managed by social media director Joanne Colella. Our Oktoberfest Celebration was awarded the 2025 Fountain Hills Favorite Community Event, and Joanne’s work won her PR firm top awards for her promotional work. She will be sorely missed as she decided to step down from her role. If your or someone you know have skills in Public Relations, Marketing, and Social Media, we invite you to contact us here for volunteer opportunities.
November 2025: Members of the FH Sister Cities Board of Directors attended the annual Polish Heritage Ball.
January 2025: The FH Sister Cities Board sent out notices regarding the Arizona School Tax Deduction program in support of our FH High School students’ trip to visit Sister City Zamość .
February 2025: Marcia Hoenle from the Golden Eagle Foundation here in Fountain Hills spoke to our board regarding the scholarship fund that we participate in each year. Student Exchange Chair Luke Salzman successfully organized the Polish student exchange trip for our FHHS students.
March 2025: Guest speaker Robin Bratcher with the FH Parent-Teacher Organization gave us an update on programs they are involved in for the 2025 school year. Past collaborations between Sister Cities and the FH PTO have been very successful and we plan to continue that relationship and its benefit to our local students.
April 2025: The Fountain Hills Sister Cities Board discussed contributions to the 2025 FH High School Student Exchange.
June 2025: Students from Fountain Hills High School travelled to Poland to visit numerous cultural and historical sites, with the pinnacle stop in Sister City Zamość, Poland.
September 2025: Planning began for FH High School’s Student Exchange with Dierdorf Germany during the 2026 school year.
September 2025: FHSC Vice President Elizabeth Matej-Horchem reestablished communications between Fountain Hill’s newly elected Mayor and the newly elected Leader of Sister City Zamość Poland. Maintaining and strengthening these city-to-city bonds is an important element of the Sister Cities commitment to citizen diplomacy. In this way, (and so much more) we carry on the tradition of the Sister Cities movement begun by President Eisenhower in 1956.
Jean Linzer, Julie Ewald, Grady Miller, James Wilson, Steve Baggio, Suzanne Nann, Chandra Merica
Christine Colley, Lillian Acker, Beverly Tall
Bogumil Horchem & Elizabeth Matej-Horchem, Betsy Lavoie with the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce
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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!
