Bend Belluno Sister Cities Cultural Exchange

BEN ARRIVATA                   DI                       EVENTI                       SCAMBI                   METTE IN EVIDENZA              CONTATTO

Roger Meets with Belluno Mental Health Professionals

Pam Meets with Belluno Tourism Group

​September 2010

It's Official - Signed Sister City Agreement

By Roger Kryzanek

In late September 2010, Pam and I spent three very enjoyable days in Belluno and the Veneto region of Italy. We had the honor of acting as “couriers” for the City of Bend and presenting the official document creating the Bend/Belluno Sister City agreement to the Belluno Mayor, Antonio Prade, for his signature.

We also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the mental health, social services and tourism sectors in Belluno. These meetings provided us with a personalized view of the issues that community leaders in Belluno face as they are dealing with complex tasks of dealing with health and social service challenges while trying to promote a vibrant tourism industry.

We found that Bend and Belluno face many of the same problems when it comes to the human element. It seems that people are people and providing good health care and the opportunities for employment and a strong economic base are at the forefront for both communities. That said, Bend and Belluno can be quite different in their respective approaches to dealing with these issues.

The similarities and differences seem to offer wonderful opportunities for members of both communities to interact share and learn. Pam and I both were impressed with how much interest there was about Bend and this new Sister City relationship. The mutual interest from those Pam and I have spoken with in both Bend and Belluno should offer some wonderful opportunities for future exchanges between the two cities.

We want to thank Angelo Paginin for arranging a stimulating and fruitful day of meetings and contacts for us while in Belluno. We also want to thank Marco Perale and his wife Mariangela for acting as our hosts. Our stay in Belluno was brief, but the impressions made have made a lasting mark in our lives. We plan to return and hope that many others from Bend will have the opportunity to see Belluno and meet the wonder people who live there.

This sister city agreement could not have been possible without the efforts of many citizens from both Bend and Belluno. Special thanks to Oran and Jane Teater from Bend and Marco Perale and Angelo Paganin from Belluno for having the vision to initiate this international effort and continuing to see it through to this point.

Belluno City Officials Present Signed Agreement

Signed Sister City

Agreement