Iowa Sister States is dedicated to connecting Iowans with the world by hosting and facilitating exchange programs between Iowa and its eight sister states. Two recent examples of such visits: An Iowa delegation joined U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on a visit to Japan in April, and last week, a group of Italian bicyclists came to Iowa to participate in RAGBRAI.

The nonprofit organization, now in its 25th year, was founded to manage the official relationships established by the governor with foreign states. Those sister states are Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan; Yucatan, Mexico; Hebei province, China; Terengganu, Malaysia; Stavropol Krai, Russia; Taiwan; Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine; and Veneto region, Italy.

“It’s been a busy year,” said Carol Grant, who joined the organization a year ago as its executive director. “There’s a lot of interest, and how can you beat citizen diplomacy, particularly when they’re countries that used to be our enemies?”

Because of internal political tensions in Ukraine and Malaysia, however, those sister states currently aren’t active, Grant noted.

The organization relies on the involvement of volunteers; it maintains a list of more than 1,000 Iowans who have asked to stay informed about potential projects. It receives state funding of $100,000 a year, though budget cuts reduced that amount last year, augmented by donations and fund-raising events.

“To fund programs, we have to approach organizations (for sponsorships) and apply for grants,” Grant said. “It’s a matter of finding out who would be interested in a program with that sister state.”

Iowa Sister States also hosts delegations from the Open World Program, which brings representatives from former Soviet republics to study democratic institutions. In September, an Open World delegation from Stavropol is scheduled to visit.

Iowa is celebrating the 50th anniversary this year of its oldest sister-state relationship with Yamanashi Prefecture. During the Iowa State Fair, the Shimizu family from Yamanashi will visit to share their winning pork recipe as part of a trip sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.