The Sister Cities Program is designed to establish links between the people, businesses and service organizations of other communities.
A member of Sister Cities International (SCI), Palm Desert has Sister Cities programs with Gisborne, New Zealand (established in 1978), and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico (established in 2003).
At the 2003 SCI Convention, the Palm Desert Sister Cities Committee was honored with the prestigious Innovation Award for its Art & Culture program involving an educational/cultural exchange with Gisborne.
Other SCI awards received by the Palm Desert Sister Cities Committee include the Humanitarian Assistance Award in 2005, the Best Practices Honoree in 2005 and 2006 and the SCI 50th Anniversary Award in 2006.
In July 2004, an 18-wheeler full of donated medical supplies was sent to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to outfit a new hospital in a rural area outside the city. Just months prior, Palm Desert Rotary, the Cove Communities and the Sister Cities Committee donated and shipped two fire engines and an ambulance to the Mexican community. Since then, two more fire engines and three ambulances have been shipped to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.
Palm Desert Sister Cities humanitarian efforts also include a Lifeguard training program, which resulted in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo being the first place in Mexico to receive the prestigious Blue Dolphin Award - the international "safe beach" designation.
For more information about the Sister Cities Program, please call 760.346.061, e-mail info@ci.palm-desert.ca.us or visit www.palmdesertsistercities.com.
