At an important moment for Denver Sister Cities, one local connection can make a difference.
For decades, Denver Sister Cities International has connected people in Denver with communities around the world through citizen diplomacy, cultural exchange, education, international delegations, business connections and friendships that can span generations.
But 2026 has brought an important change for our organization.
Due to City budget reductions, Denver Sister Cities International did not receive funding from the City and County of Denver in 2026 and will not receive City funding in 2027.
Support DSCI. With City funding unavailable in 2026 and 2027, individual support matters more than ever. Memberships, donations, sponsorships, volunteer time and participation all help keep Denver’s international relationships active.
SUPPORT DENVER SISTER CITIES
That makes this a critical financial period for DSCI.
It also makes something else very clear:
We need to make sure Denver knows who we are, what we do and why these international relationships matter.
That responsibility doesn’t belong only to the DSCI Board or our Sister City committee chairs. Our greatest strength is the network of people who participate in these relationships.
And each of us can help.
One very simple place to begin:
Get to know the Denver City Council members who represent our communities.
Why City Council relationships matter
This isn’t simply about funding.
When an international delegation arrives in Denver, when a Sister City celebrates an important anniversary, when students participate in an exchange, or when we host a cultural celebration, dinner, film, lecture or community gathering, we are doing something in Denver’s name.
We want our elected representatives to know that work is happening.
Better yet, we want them to experience it.
Invite a council member to welcome an international delegation.
Ask them to attend an anniversary celebration.
Introduce them to students participating in an exchange.
Invite them to Ashenda, an Ulaanbaatar program, a Potenza dinner, a Takayama exchange, a Kunming celebration or one of the many other ways our Sister City relationships come alive in Denver.
These experiences help our elected officials understand that Sister Cities isn’t simply a name on an agreement between two governments.
It is a network of people.
And right now, those relationships are especially important.
A critical moment for DSCI
The loss of City funding for two consecutive years creates a significant challenge for Denver Sister Cities International.
DSCI must increasingly look to members, individual donors, sponsors, community partners, foundations and earned revenue to sustain our organization and its programs.
But financial sustainability begins with something even more fundamental:
Relevance and connection.
People support organizations they know.
Community partners engage with organizations they see making a difference.
And elected officials can better understand our work when they have actually met the people doing it.
That’s why we’re asking every DSCI committee and every member to help reconnect Denver Sister Cities with Denver.
Not through politics.
Through participation, invitations and relationships.
By showing people what citizen diplomacy actually looks like.
We already have examples of these relationships working
When we looked back through DSCI correspondence, we found examples of exactly the kind of connections we’d like to build.
Councilwoman Shontel Lewis and Ashenda
Our correspondence from the Denver–Axum community shows that District 8 Councilwoman Shontel Lewis has helped initiate an Ashenda proclamation for the past three years.
Ashenda is an important cultural celebration for the Tigrayan community and an important part of Denver’s relationship with Axum, Ethiopia.
That relationship didn’t begin with a funding request.
It grew from a community, a cultural tradition and an elected official becoming familiar with the people involved.
Councilman Darrell Watson and Denver’s Ukrainian community
We found another example involving District 9 Councilman Darrell Watson.
Watson participated in the Ukrainians of Colorado film series in February 2024. In September, members of Denver’s Ukrainian community reached back out to him as they worked to introduce him to the new Denver–Dnipro Friendship City relationship.
Denver and Dnipro formally established that relationship earlier this year.
Again, that’s what relationship-building looks like.
A council member attends something.
They meet members of the community.
People stay in touch.
And when something significant happens later, there is already a connection.
Now we’d like every Sister City committee to do this
The next time your committee plans something, ask:
Have we invited our City Council member?
If you’re hosting a visiting delegation, invite them.
If you’re celebrating an anniversary, invite them.
If you’re holding a film, dinner, lecture, cultural celebration, student program or community gathering, invite them.
If something remarkable happens between Denver and your Sister City, send their office a short note and tell them about it. Last week was full of DSCI events. Share one story with your council member!
They may not always be able to attend.
That’s okay.
The invitation itself begins the relationship.
Who represents you?
Denver has 11 City Council districts, each represented by a district council member. The current district assignments are confirmed in City of Denver materials.
Here are the representatives and public contact emails to make getting started easy:
District 1 — Amanda P. Sandoval
districtone@denvergov.org
District 2 — Kevin Flynn
kevin.flynn@denvergov.org
District 3 — Jamie Torres
district3@denvergov.org
District 4 — Diana Romero Campbell
diana.romerocampbell@denvergov.org
District 5 — Amanda Sawyer
DenverCouncil5@denvergov.org
District 6 — Paul Kashmann
paul.kashmann@denvergov.org
District 7 — Flor Alvidrez
district7@denvergov.org
District 8 — Shontel M. Lewis
district8@denvergov.org
District 9 — Darrell Watson
district9@denvergov.org
District 10 — Chris Hinds
district10@denvergov.org
District 11 — Stacie Gilmore
stacie.gilmore@denvergov.org
At-Large
Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez — Council Member At-Large
G-Gutierrez.atlarge@denvergov.org
City documents confirm the district assignments and Gonzales-Gutierrez’s at-large role.
Denver normally has two at-large City Council members. The second at-large seat is currently vacant following Sarah Parady’s resignation.
Find your Denver City Council representative
Not sure what to say?
It doesn’t need to be complicated.
If you live in Denver, you can simply introduce yourself as a constituent and DSCI member:
Hello Council member ______. I’m a constituent in District ___ and a member of Denver Sister Cities International. I’m involved with Denver’s relationship with ________. I’d love to introduce you to our committee and invite you to one of our upcoming activities.
If you’re contacting a council member because an event takes place in their district rather than because you live there, tell them that instead.
And if you’re inviting them to something, make it easy for their staff.
Tell them what the event is, when and where it is, why it matters to Denver, and what you’re inviting the council member to do—attend, offer a welcome, meet a delegation, present a proclamation or simply spend some time meeting members of the community.
You don’t need to ask them for anything else.
Start by building the relationship.
Relationships work both ways
We should also show up for our neighborhoods.
Find out what’s happening in your council district. Attend a community meeting occasionally. Introduce yourself. Learn about the communities your council member represents.
You don’t need to speak officially for DSCI to say:
I’m a Denver Sister Cities member. I thought you might be interested in what we’re doing.
Citizen diplomacy isn’t something that happens only when we get on an airplane.
It happens right here in Denver, too.
Do you know something about DSCI’s history with City Council?
We’d also like your help.
DSCI has been part of Denver for decades, and some of our institutional history lives not in an archive, but in the memories, photographs and files of our members.
Has a current or former Denver City Council member:
- attended one of your Sister City events?
- welcomed a delegation?
- participated in an exchange?
- presented or supported a proclamation?
- spoken at one of your programs?
- helped your committee make an important connection?
Tell us about it.
We want to document those relationships—and build on them.
CONNECT YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER WITH DSCI
Three ways you can help DSCI right now
Connect us. If you already know a Denver City Council member, City employee, community leader or organization that should know more about DSCI, make an introduction. You can always cc us on your outreach and we will follow up.
Invite them. When your committee holds an event, welcomes a delegation or celebrates a milestone, include the appropriate City Council offices on your invitation list.
Support DSCI. With City funding unavailable in 2026 and 2027, individual support matters more than ever. Memberships, donations, sponsorships, volunteer time and participation all help keep Denver’s international relationships active.
SUPPORT DENVER SISTER CITIES
For more than 75 years, Denver residents have built friendships around the world in Denver’s name.
This is an important moment for Denver Sister Cities International—but it’s also an opportunity.
An opportunity to make our organization more visible, more connected and more deeply rooted in the Denver community.
Imagine if every Sister City committee had a genuine relationship with the council members representing the neighborhoods where its members live, where its events happen and where its international visitors experience Denver.
Imagine if every council member knew something about Denver’s Sister Cities.
And imagine if every DSCI member made just one new connection this year.
That’s how relationships begin.
That’s how communities grow.
And that’s citizen diplomacy.
Become a Member
Citizen diplomacy starts with people like you.
When you become a member of Denver Sister Cities International, you’re joining a community of people who believe that relationships across cultures and borders make Denver—and our world—stronger.
Your membership helps support cultural programs, international delegations, educational exchanges and the volunteers who keep Denver’s Sister City relationships thriving.
And right now, membership matters more than ever. With DSCI receiving no City funding in 2026 or 2027, our members are essential to sustaining this work and building its future.
Join us. Get involved. Make a connection.