Sausalito Community Leaders, Chilean Consul General and Chile-California Council Gather to Celebrate 2021 Prestigious International Sister City Award for Best Program

Sister Cities International recognized and awarded the Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. Viña del Mar Operations Council for “Innovation for Business, Trade, and Professional Exchange for a City with a Population under 25,000.“ This is the second time Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. has been recognized by Sister Cities International. The first was for “Best Overall Program Award for a City with a Population Under 25,000” in 2016. The celebration luncheon for this year’s award was held on August 25th in Viña del Mar Park, named for Sausalito’s Chilean Sister City.

The luncheon celebration exemplifies how a community’s real strength is the aggregate of its multiple organizations and their support of one another. Sausalito believes in living well locally and working together globally. The Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. Program overall exemplifies how this model benefits an entire community.

Chilean Consul General, San Francisco, Jaime Alliende and his wife Ximena Acuña, joined Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. Members and the five Sausalito City Council Members. Also, in attendance was Matías Alcalde, Director of Chile-California Council and his wife, Isidora, and CEO of the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, Juli Vieira. Monica Finnegan, Viña del Mar Operations Council Chair, accepted the award on behalf of the Viña del Mar Operations Council and all who participated in the Zoom program both in Chile and in Sausalito. Those who assisted with the award winning application included Cathy Stierhoff, Secretary, and Viña del Mar Operations Council Members, Jan Swanberg, Deana Kardel, Lizzie Jeremie, among others. Congratulations for all your good work and great results!

For over sixty years, the Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. Program has worked to enhance the international relationships of its three Sister Cities: Viña del Mar, Chile; Sakaide, Japan; and its newest program Cascais, Portugal. The Exchange Programs promote and facilitate people-to-people relationships for a deeper understanding of our cultures, societies and histories.

Contact:
Karen Aiken
Executive Board of Sausalito Sister Cities
Sausalito Music Revival Executive Team
Marine Animal Center Chile Executive Team
408-234-9054 cell
Karen_aiken@mac.com

Left to right: Ron Albert; Dana Cilmi, President Sausalito Sister Cities; Cathy Stierhoff, Viña del Mar, Secretary; Ray Withy, former Sausalito City Council; Consul General Jaime Alliende; Monica Finnegan, Chair Sausalito Sister Cities; Sausalito Mayor Jill Hoffman; Matías Alcalde, Director Chile-California.

Chilean Consul General Jaime Alliende and his wife, Ximena Acuña, at the head of the table.
on left: Ximena Acuña, Sausalito Mayor, Jill Hollman, former Sausalito City Council Member, Mike Kelly,
Claire McAuliffe, former Mayor of Belvedere.
On Right: Consul General Jaime Alliende, Lizzie Jeremi, Viña del Mar Operations Council and Official Translator, Cathy Stierhoff, Secretary Viña del Mar Operations Council with her husband Frank Lawler, and Mike Langford, Director, Sausalito Parks and Recreation.

Monica Finnegan, Chair Sausalito-Viña del Mar Operations Council and Executive Board of Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. accepted the award on behalf of the Viña Operations Council and the Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. Program. She discussed all three Sister City Programs and their accomplishments.

Cathy Stierhoff, Secretary Sausalito-Viña del Mar Operations Council thanked all those who participated with her in the writing of the proposal for best program, among them Jan Swanberg, Deana Kardel and Lizzie Jeremi. She also discussed the details of the award-winning Sausalito-Viña del Mar Zoom Program.

Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. Viña del Mar Operations Council, Left to Right: Chair Monica Finnegan, Karen Aiken, Cathy Stierhoff and Deana Kardel.

Left to Right: Ralph Benson, Chile-California Council, Karen Aiken, Sausalito-Viña del Mar Operations Council and Sister City Executive Board Member and non-profit Marine Animal Center Chile Executive Team Member, Matías Alcalde, Director of Chile-California Council and Janelle Kellman, City Council Board Member and Founder of “Center for Sea Rise Solutions.”

Left to right: Chilean Consul General, Jaime Alliende, Sausalito Sister Cities, Inc. President, Dana Cilmi and Viña del Mar Operations Council and Official Translator, Lizzie Jeremi.

Medio: Sausalito Sister Cities