About

Our membership consists of 200 units, or approximately 300 people. A nine member board, with one third elected by members each October, runs the organization. We hold monthly board meetings and semi-annual membership meetings in April and October. At our Stammtisch gatherings, members meet monthly at local restaurants to socialize. Occasionally, we will sponsor activities like our autumn hike at Stemler Nature Preserve:

Our main interactions with Gedern consist of a ten-day official visit every two years (each city hosts a visit every four years) and a student visit every year, alternating host schools. Most visitors stay in homes, which helps to develop friendships between hosts and guests. The main activities during the visits are sightseeing and getting to know the local culture through interaction with members of the community.

Sister Cities of Columbia has enabled our members to build relationships both within our organization and in Gedern. We bring visitors into our homes and try to make them feel like part of the family. We are eager to share our pride of community, state, and country with our guests. We are also open to experiencing the culture of our sister city and allowing them to share their pride. Since 1991, 836 people (323 students and 513 adults) have visited their sister city in an official exchange and we think that number speaks for itself. The relationship of Sister Cities of Columbia and Verschwisterungsverein Gedern has a proud past and a bright future!