Lexington Sister Cities: We are thankful for...

At Lexington Sister Cities, we have so much to be thankful for every year. Through our organization, we get the chance to meet so many amazing people: from middle school and high school students on exchange programs, to university students attending school or participating in an internship, to adult delegates traveling to promote tourism - we are thankful for all the relationships we are able to form and grow through the Sister Cities program.

We are thankful for the students who participated in our 2016 student exchange programs.

Lexington-County Kildare Student Exchange

Lexington-Deauville Student Exchange

Lexington-Newmarket Student Exchange

Lexington-Shinhidaka Student Exchange

We are thankful for the families who hosted students in their home this year.

Lexington and County Kildare exchange students and host families in Lexington.

Lexington and Newmarket students with their host families in Newmarket.

Lexington student with her host family in France at Point du Hoc.

Lexington and Shinhidaka students with their host families in Lexington.

We are thankful for the friends we made from our University Student Exchanges and Internship Program.

Maynooth interns Emma and Lucy with Sarah Martin.

Emma and Lucy in Lexington.

Violette Touchard (right) is studying at UK for the 2016-2017 school year. She is with her sister Lena (who studied at UK from 2014-2015) and Deauville Committee chairman Betty Mills.

Transylvania student Aaron Botts interned in France this summer as part of our Deauville Internship Program.

We are thankful for the student exchange chaperones we bonded with in Lexington.

Lexington Sister Cities Ambassadors with chaperone Ellen Brett.

Lexington Sister Cities Ambassadors with chaperone Fintan Brett.

Lexington chaperone Sarah and Newmarket chaperone Annette Hill with the exchange students in Lexington.

Shinhidaka chaperones present Councilmember Angela Evans with a gift during their visit to Lexington.

Lexington chaperone Sara Tracy (center) with two students during the exchange in Japan.

We are thankful for the teachers and counselors who promote our programs to their students each year.

We are thankful for the many sponsors who donated their time and money to our Golf Scramble.

Team UBS - and first place finishers!

Team Frank & Helen Hamilton

Team Trek Advancement.

Team McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland - and 3rd place finishers!

Team Kentucky Utilities.

Team WKYT.

Team Kyna Koch.

Team Lexington Legends.

Team Sister Cities.

Team Visit Lex 1.

Team Visit Lex 2.

Team Central Bank.

Team Hilton Lexington/Downtown.

Team Wayne & Kathy Martin - and 2nd place finishers!

We are thankful for our ambassadors, without whom we couldn't do what we do.

Lexington Sister Cities Ambassadors at our annual meeting.

Lexington Sister Cities Ambassadors support fellow ambassador Helen Hamilton as she receives an award.

Ambassadors present Kay Sargent with a cake to recognize her Sister Cities International Award.

We are thankful for our friends in our Sister Cities.

Lexington Sister Cities Ambassador Helen Hamilton with County Kildare Twinning Committee Chairman Senan Griffin.

Lexington Sister Cities Executive Director Kay Sargent with County Kildare Twinning Committee Secretary Marjorie Moore.

From left: Kent Barker, Lori Vaught, Diane Prim, Dale Barker, Nora Lahart, Linda Gorton, and Kay Sargent.

Lexington and County Kildare delegates at a dinner in Dublin, Ireland.

John & Kay Donovan - Kay passed away earlier this year. We will miss our friend in County Kildare.

We are thankful for the international connections we are able to make through our program.

Kay Sargent with Sister Cities International Executive Director Mary Kane and board members.

Lexington delegates with the Lord Mayor of Belfast.

From left: former Lexington Vice Mayor Linda Gorton, Lexington Sister Cities Executive Director Kay Sargent, Ireland Prime Minister Enda Kenny, and County Kildare Twinning Committee Secretary Marjorie Moore.

Lexington Sister Cities Ambassadors with the Ambassador of Ireland to the United State at the Sister Cities International Conference.

Kay Sargent with the Japanese Ambassador to the United States at the Sister Cities International Conference.

Lexington city representatives meet with delegates from Quebec City

We are thankful for our supporters in the community who give us the opportunities to expand our programs each year.

Lexington and Shinhidaka students visit American Pharoah at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

Newmarket and Lexington students at the North American Racing Academy in Lexington.

Lexington and County Kildare students at Southland Bowling Lanes in Lexington.

Connemara Golf Course - site of our 4th Annual Golf Scramble.

O'Neill's Irish Pub - home of our annual Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Fundraiser for 14 years.

We are thankful for the long-term friendships we were able to see come back together this year.

Barton & Gregoire were counterparts in the 2010 Lexington-Deauville Student Exchange. Here they are again in 2016.

Aurore and Amanda were counterparts in the 2008. They reunited in 2013 when they both attended UK; and then again in the summer of 2015 when Aurore participated in an internship in Lexington.