The Marquette Area Sister Cities Partnership recently recognized Paulette Lindberg for her more than 40 years of service to the program, which celebrates the partnership between Marquette and its Japanese sister city Higashiomi.

“I really appreciate the award,” said Lindberg. “I’ve received other such awards and this is a very big celebration.”

Lindberg operated Adventure Travel and Tour from 1976 to 2003 and has been on the sister cities board since 1980. She has served as a travel planner for both outbound and inbound visits between cities, and served for a time as the chair of the Marquette Area Sister Cities Partnership. This was her 15th visit to Higashiomi, and the latest of several award ceremonies she has been honored at there.

The sister cities program aims to create a formal partnership beteen international cities to promote peace and understanding of the world.

Programs such as this one play a vital role in sharing all aspects of cultures between the two partner cities.

“We have had a partnership with Higashiomi, Japan, for 45 years,” said Mary Lou Blomquist, a board member of the Marquette Area Sister Cities Partnership.

It was “originally begun as a Rotary relationship with Dr. Pryce Duerfeldt, an NMU professor, as the champion of the project. The Kajaani, Finland, relationship was started 25 years ago by Marty Eskelinen of Marquette and a friend who lived in Kajaani, and later formalized by both cities.”

Michigan has a sister cities agreement with the Shiga prefecture, and according to Lindberg “there are 13 cities in Michigan that are connected to Shiga.” Michigan residents make delegation trips to Japan during odd years, so a group from Marquette will be visiting Higashiomi in July.

While the current state of the world may be worrisome to some, with geopolitical tensions rising on every part of the globe, programs like the Marquette Area Sister Cities Partnership are another reminder that while we may speak different languages, follow different religions and eat different foods, we all have a lot to learn from each other and a lot more in common than we realize.

Bravo to Paulette Lindberg and the rest of the organization for their inspiring work.