Kettering wins top award for its sister cities program

The Kettering Sister Cities Association won best overall program for its 2016 accomplishments, awarded by Sister Cities International.

Kettering has two sister cities: Kettering, England, and Steyr, Austria.

In 2016, KSCA sent adults and students to their sister cities at the same time. It also held its annual Spass Nacht festival, where volunteers donate homemade baked goods and sold authentic German cuisine to offset costs for student expenses on exchange trips.

“A particular point of pride for the city of Kettering is our award-winning Kettering Sister Cities program,” Kettering Mayor Don Patterson stated in a news release.

Kettering’s award was for cities with populations between 50,001 and 100,000. The award will be presented July 15 at the Lou Wozar Diplomatic Awards Dinner during Sister Cities International’s 61st annual conference in Virginia Beach, Va.

Kettering’s sister city program was founded in 1967. According to KSCA, “our mission is to build people-to-people relationships based on youth and adult exchange visits, and social and cultural gatherings with our sister cities worldwide.”

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