Sister Cities Commission 

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Introduction
Background
Accomplishments
Meeting Information
Agendas, Minutes and Quarterly Reports 

Introduction

The purpose of this 15-member commission is to foster international understanding and friendship by forging personal links through city-to-city affiliations. By exchanges ideas and experiences with Sister City, Nitra, Slovakia, the two cities strive to strengthen culture, business, government and environment.

The goals of the Naperville-Nitra Sister Cities Program include:

• Creating opportunities for cultural exploration;
• Providing economic development and trade opportunities;
• Opening a dialogue that addresses mutual issues including culture, technology, government, business, medicine, environment, and education.
• Developing partnerships through which we can creatively learn, work, and solve problems together

Background

In 1989, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, a group of Naperville citizens began exploring the possibility of developing a Sister Cities relationship with one of the emerging democracies. The Naperville City Council supported the concept and a partnership with Nitra, Slovakia  was formalized on November 17, 1993.

Located 90 miles east of Vienna, Nitra is the fourth largest city in Slovakia, with a population of approximately 100,000. This 6,000-year-old city is nestled in a valley surrounded by seven rolling hills. Although geographically distant, Nitra and Naperville share many similarities. Both communities:

• Developed from an agricultural base and now support technical industries;
• Have similar climates;
• Enjoy a riverwalk and a nearby arboretum;
• Place a high value on education and are college towns;
• Benefit by the presence of service organizations, such as the YMCA and the Lions Club; and
• Enthusiastically support athletics, the arts and family centered activities.

Accomplishments

Commerce

• A representative of Integra, an organization that provides support and counsel for entrepreneurs and small business owners in central and Eastern Europe, visits Naperville ('02)
• Naperville hosts a trade mission ('98)

Cultural

• "A Tribute to Nitra" Municipal Band Concert, featuring music from Slovakia ('03)
• Naperville hosts two Nitra musicians ('02)
• Display of Slovak artifacts in Chicago's Thompson Center ('02)
• Gifted "People of the Word: A Synopsis of Slovak History", by Thomas Klimek Ward, Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic of Illinois, to Naperville Public Library and local college libraries ('01)
• Naperville co-sponsors Slovak Cultural Heritage Week, a cultural exchange of Slovak folk musicians ('99)
• Mirror Image, two outdoor photo displays showcasing the similarities between our two cities, gifted to the City of Naperville ('06)
• Showcased the unique facets of Slovak culture at Highlands School’s Cultural Experience Night (’06)

Educational

• Annual participation in North Central College's International Festival
• Nitra Mayor Vitek creates a center for children in Nitra after his visit to the DuPage Children's Museum ('04)
• Program presented to Highlands School students by Sister Cities Commissioners and Naperville Police Department Officers ('03)

Health & Recreation

• A sports team exchange whereby Naperville and Nitra youth played baseball in Naperville ('01) and then in Nitra ('02)
• Mayor A. George Pradel presents a check for $3,000 for the construction of a baseball field in Nitra ('03), dedicated as "Pradel Field" ('04)
• Internship of Nitra pediatrician in Naperville and area hospitals ('02)
• YMCA camp counselor exchanges and training ('98)
• Naperville hosts Nitra basketball team ('98)

Municipal

• Nitra Mayor Vitek visits Naperville ('04)
• "First Decade Celebration" celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sister City relationship ('03)
• Nitra's head of the Center for Community Organizing in Slovakia visits to learn about Non-Governmental Organizations ('03)
• Mayor Pradel visits Nitra ('02)
• Naperville hosts the Illinois State Sister City convention ('00)
• Nitra hosts a 12-member delegation from Naperville ('93, '97)
• Naperville hosts a delegation from Nitra ('94, '03, '06)

Philanthropic

• Pass Christian, MS, established as a domestic Sister City as part of Naperville Responds ('05)
• Highlands School students contributed $240 to improve life in Nitra housing estates by purchasing coins in Nitra Community Foundation's "Three Coins" project ('03)
• NALCO and School Districts 203 and 204 shipped 6,000 pounds of books to Nitra
• Naperville sponsors an art sculpture in Nitra Community Foundation's "Let People Help People" project, which was similar to and inspired by Naperville United Way's outdoor public art event ('06).

Social Services

• Naperville Police Department Officers share expertise with police and social workers in Slovakia on domestic violence and sexual abuse ('01, '03, '05)
• The Director of Slonad Nitra, an organization that provides prevention, social services and counseling to victims of domestic abuse, visit the Naperville YMCA and Metropolitan Family Services with a grant from the Exchange Club ('03)
• Naperville professionals and volunteers involved in substance abuse prevention services and programming provide Nitra university students and community-based social services professionals with information about Naperville’s partnership approach to solving the problems of substance abuse (’06)

Religious

• Our Savior's Lutheran Church raises $275,000 to rebuild Lutheran Church in Nitra ('99), dedicated in 2000

Meeting Information

This 15-member commission meets the first Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the Naperville Municipal Center. Commission members serve three-year terms.

Agendas, Minutes and Quarterly Reports

Below you will find agendas and approved minutes for the current year as well as the most recently approved Quarterly Report for Naperville's Sister Cities Commission meetings. The commission approves meeting minutes for any given date at a subsequent meeting. Occasionally, the commission will choose to revise the meeting minutes. We do our best to post the meeting minutes as quickly as possible after they are approved.

Most Recent Quarterly Report (PDF):

• May 2010  

Archived copies of agendas, minutes and quarterly reports are also available on the city's Web site.