Former Aspen city council member and Mayor Pro Tem, Pat Fallin, has been honored with the highest award given by Sister Cities International. Fallin, who lived in Aspen from 1970 to 2011, was an active participant in the formation of the Aspen Sister Cities Committee then became involved with the National Organization of Sister Cities. She was given the Ruth Hashimoto Volunteer Service Award last month in Santa Fe.
The award was instituted by Sisters Cities International in 2007 to recognize an Honorary Board Alumnus or alumna who exemplify a commitment to promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation. The Ruth Hashimoto Volunteer Service Award honors one’s lifetime achievement as a citizen diplomat.
“I am humbled by this honor,” said Fallin from her Santa Barbara, CA, home. “I was actually quite surprised when I got the call because I have seen my efforts as simply building friendship bridges with other cultures, a crucial beginning for international diplomacy.”
Pat’s work with Sister Cites started locally in the Aspen sister city program which promotes relationships between mountain communities in education, medicine, sports and best practice. In the mid-1990s, Pat became involved with the National Organization of Sister Cities, based in Washington DC, funded in large part by the U.S. State Department.
Pat served with distinction on the national board of directors, culminating in the position as Vice President. When Pat left Aspen, she became a member of the Santa Barbara Sister Cities Association. She revitalized the State Coordinator Program for the Los Angeles and Central Coast region and she has been a longstanding member of the SCI membership committee, finance committee, fund development committee, and numerous task forces. Pat has been the prime champion for the initiation of the new global membership category for small communities worldwide. She is also an active member of the Honorary Board and serves along with longtime Aspen resident Len Olender, founding member and past president of the Aspen Sister Cities program.
Pat has also been a dynamic leader at the state level as SCI state representative for the SoCal (Southern California) chapter of SCI. She also has chaired the Santa Barbara Sister City Association and has always been responsive to the member cities of that region. Pat continues to represent and promote Aspen on the national and international sister cities platform.
Carlo Caputo, Chair of the Honorary Board for Sister Cities International said at the presentation in Sante Fe: “Pat’s passion and devotion for the Sister Cities International mission is without peer and has been seamless and continuous for decades.”
For more information of the Aspen Sister Cities Program please visit www.aspensistercities.com
Information of Sister Cities International can be found at www.sistercities.org
For further details, contact Aspen Sister Cities founding member, Len Olender, 970-404-5536
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