Sister City group seeks local input on choosing global community

There is movement afoot to pair Luverne with an international “sister city,” and now organizers are seeking local input to choose a global partner.
“We’re reaching out to the community if you have a relationship with a city or an interest in a location,” said Luverne Area Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere.
“Maybe someone has a cousin overseas who is a mayor in a small town, or maybe someone has a work connection … We just want people to be involved in selecting a sister city for Luverne.”
After a Jan. 7 gathering confirmed interest in a pairing, a local committee has been working through Sister Cities International to consider what’s involved.
According to Sister Cities International, “sister cities are relationships that create lifelong friendship that support peace and prosperity among communities through people to people citizen diplomacy.”
The sister city exchanges center on culture, education, business and municipal administration.
That’s meetings so far have included representatives from all those community sectors — school, students, fine arts, businesses, the chamber office and city leaders.
Luverne will work with Sister Cities International to ultimately decide on the right city and to properly set up an exchange.
Ideally, Luverne’s sister city would have a population of 10,000 or less and would be a community that values education, quality of life and agriculture.
To offer input, contact the Luverne Area Chamber at 507-283-4061 or email luvernechamber@co.rock.mn.us.