Sister Cities International 2021 Annual Award

Ken Albrecht, President of Friends of Eutin and Bill Keel, Chair of Sister Cities Lawrence Governing Board accept the award. - photo by Susan Wolfe Photo

Sister Cities Lawrence has won the Sister Cities International 2021 Annual Award for Innovation in Arts and Culture for a city with a population between 25,000 and 100,000. The awards competition, which is open to sister city programs worldwide, recognizes the accomplishment of outstanding individuals and community sister city programs that are promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.

photo by Susan Wolfe Photo

Sister Cities Lawrence initiated a series of newspaper columns in German for publication in the daily newspaper of their sister city in Eutin, Germany, called “Ostholsteiner Anzeiger.” Several articles have been published since its inception and their series of newspaper columns from Lawrence and Eutin will continue to keep them connected, even with the distance they have between them. Topics throughout 2020 mostly centered around how COVID-19 affected different aspects of life in Lawrence, such as university lifestyles and the recent U.S. presidential election.

“The articles were written by several different Sister Cities Lawrence members,” Ken Albrecht, President of the Friends of Eutin organization, said.  “We are indebted to them for their time and effort in portraying Lawrence to our German friends and neighbors.” 

“We are also indebted to Achim Krauskopf, Editor of “Ostholsteiner Anzeiger,” Bill Keel, Chair of the Sister Cities Lawrence Governing Board added.  “Without a willing newspaper partner in Eutin, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

“Sister Cities Lawrence has adopted a unique way to communicate the events, culture, and lifestyle of their city to Eutin,” claimed Leroy Allala, President & CEO of Sister Cities International. “Using media not only to reach those already involved in the relationship, but all citizens of Eutin, is crucial to citizen diplomacy. Education about one another’s culture has never been more important.”

The stories are available in English and German:

Plötzlich brach die Hölle los (German only)
Kansas-Uni startet Lehrbetrieb (German only)
Exchange by Videoconference
Virus Jolts Elections in Lawrence
The Phoenix Rises Again
No Rescue for Santa Claus
A Pandemic Retirement
Exceptional Teachers at Center of Pandemic Education
The Sacred Stone; Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe 

Lawrence has three sister cities – Eutin, Germany; Hiratsuka, Japan; and Iniades, Greece.