Hays has won the Sister Cities International 2018 Award for Best Overall Program for a city with a population of 10,000-25,000.
The awards competition, which is open to over 500 sister city programs nationwide, recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding individuals and community sister city programs that are promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.
In 2017, the Hays Sister City Committee welcomed residents from both its Sister Cities — Santa María de Fe, Misiones, Paraguay and Xinzheng, China — for Hays’ sesquicentennial celebration. A four-person delegation from Paraguay came to celebrate the occasion and the newly rekindled Sister Cities partnership. The committee worked with Fort Hays State University to include visiting students and faculty from Xinzheng, China in the festivities.
The impact of the visits was widely visible in the Hays community, as the city officially introduced guests at many events including a formal celebration and community barbecue.
The visit sparked many conversations with locals. Some conversations were light-hearted, and included teaching the rules of baseball at a local game, chatting about American cars at the car show, or small talk while browsing local vendors at the market and sidewalk sale.
However, there was also much more serious interaction, as people discovered common challenges between the sister cities: fostering business, stimulating growth, and retaining young people in the community after schooling.
(Read more: Hays Post)