Thank you Local Hosting Organizations!

Connecting Communities

Many of the stories we share focus on activities stretching across oceans from our home base of La Crosse, Wis., but World Services of La Crosse’s citizen diplomacy work is connecting communities throughout the United States, too.

In 2016, World Services partnered with 14 U.S. cities in 9 states to host 14 Open World delegations with participants from Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine.  Learn more about results from World Services administered Open World exchanges with our network of host cities here.

World Services is grateful for volunteer hosting organizations throughout the country who make Open World Program exchanges a success.  The following organizations support citizen diplomacy by hosting Open World delegations with World Services for over 15 years. Local host volunteer coordinators provide professional programming related to a theme, recruit home hosts, arrange for local transportation, and create cultural experiences . We are grateful to many volunteer organizations dedicated to mutual understanding and lasting relationships through citizen diplomacy.

California

San Diego Vladivostok Sister Cities 
Santa Cruz Sister Cities Support Committee
Sebastopol World Friends
County of Santa Clara/ Moscow Sister County Commission
Santa Barbara Cinco de Mayo Festival/ Santa Barbara Area Rotary/ Santa Barbara Sister Cities Board
Stafford Institute, San Francisco 

Colorado

Boulder Chorale
Boulder Dushanbe Sister Cities (BDSC)
Boulder County Health Department with BDSC
Colorado Springs Sister Cities International
 

Georgia

Greater Savannah International Alliance

Iowa

Organization Promoting Everlasting Neighbors (O.P.E.N.), Newton
Community Sister City Organization, Osage
Dubuque Chamber of Commerce
Iowa Sister States, Des Moines

Illinois

Bloomington/ Normal - Vladimir Sister Cities

Kansas

Prairie Village Dolyna Sister Cities, Prairie Village
with Global Ties KC, Mo.

Maine

Kotlas-Waterville Sister City Connection

Maryland

Maryland Sister States

Michigan

Colleagues International with Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association
Pittsfield Township, Ann Arbor

Minnesota

Duluth Sister Cities International
Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota, Bemidji
Minnesota State Bar Association, Minneapolis
U.S. District Court Minnesota, Minneapolis

Missouri

St. Louis-Samara Sister Cities
World Affairs Council of St. Louis

Montana

Advisory Commission on International Relationships, Great Falls

North Carolina

Stafford Institute, Kernersville
Greensboro Rotary

New York

International Institute of Buffalo
Albany-Tula Alliance
International Center of Syracuse

Ohio

Great Lakes Consortium for International Development with WSOS Community Action Commission, Toledo

Oregon

Grants Pass Sister City (Rubtsovsk)

Pennsylvania

Magee Womancare International, Pittsburgh
Project to End Human Trafficking, Pittsburgh

South Carolina

SOONCH, Tega Cay

Tennessee

Chattanooga Sister Cities

Wisconsin

Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton
University of Wisconsin Extension Juneau County, Mauston
University of Wisconsin Marathon, Wausau
University of Wisconsin Barron County, Rice Lake
University of Wisconsin Marshfield
World Services of La Crosse
AAUW La Crosse
Sparta Area School District