Welcome to the Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach!

SCAVB CELEBRATES VIRGINIA BEACH’S 50TH BIRTHDAY

| March 18, 2013

The Association has been busily planning a week-long event to mark the City’s 50th Birthday.  Delegations from Moss, Norway, Miyazaki, Japan, Bangor, Northern Ireland as well as the prospective Sister Cities of San Juan Del Sur, Nicarauga and Naic, Philippines will be visiting to assist in the celebration.  

 The week will be full of exciting events including a student art exhibit at the Museum for Contemporary Arts which will feature three entries from students from each of our Sister Cities as well a local students.  There will be a Global Luncheon with the Official Delegates to meet with local businesses to explore mutual business and cultural collaboration.

The week will be topped off by a Gala Musical Performance to be held at the Sandler Center for Performing Arts and featuring choirs and dance groups from our visitors as well as local musical talent.

Keep your eye on our page and as final arrangements are made we will be updating.

JAPANESE AZUMAYA DEDICATION CEREMONY

| August 16, 2012

On July 25, 2012, a ribbon cutting was held at Red Wing Park to dedicate the Azumaya, patterned after a simple style house of eastern Japan.  It is a setting for contemplation, meditation and reflection.  Built in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Sister Cityhood of Virginia Beach and Miyazaki City, Japan, the Azumaya was completed in March 2012.  

The Miyazaki Garden at Red Wing Park is a unique setting; which is open to the public year round.  The Azumaya anchors the rear entrance of the park and features flagstone flooring and walls made of parapet.  Dimensional lumber, bamboo, cedar shingles and roof sheating along with other materials complete the structure.

The dedication was enhanced by the presence of  The Honorable William D. Sessoms, Jr., Mayor and Chairmanof the Board Mrs. Ruth Hodges Fraser, President, Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach, Mr. Tatsuya Ishida, President, Miyazaki Sister Cities and Dr. Hiroyuki Hamada, Chair, Japan Cultural Education Center.

Philippine Mayor Mendoza Visits Virginia Beach

| August 15, 2012

 

Mayor Edwina P. Mendoza, Municipality of Naic, Cavite, Republic of the Philippines, having expressed an interest in establishing a “sister city” relationship with Virginia Beach, visited Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr., on June 26.   Mayor Mendoza is an attorney by profession, formerly an Assistant District Attorney and later a Judge in the Province of Cavite.  Her husband currently is a presiding Judge.  She, like Mayor Sessoms, has a strong commitment to serving citizens and striving to make a difference for her constituents.  She is serving her fourth term as Mayor and has four daughters, two of whom are practicing physicians in New Hampshire; two reside in the Philippines, one an attorney and the other a physician.

 Mayor Mendoza shared the commonalities of the Municipality of Naic and the City of Virginia Beach.  Naic is a major municipality in the Philippines with similar population, coastal area, marine life, and higher education facilities.

 Public Utilities personnel escorted Mayor Mendoza on a tour of their facilities and the Atlantic Treatment Plant in response to Mayor Mendoza’s inquiry regarding waste management while Parks and Recreation staff provided tours and information regarding basic construction and maintenance of the two “Mount Trashmores” in Virginia Beach.

 The Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach (SCAVB) hosted a luncheon with Mayor and Mrs. Sessoms, Mayor and Judge Mendoza and representatives of the Philippine/American Association.  Mr. Louie Atangan, with the organization, is working with others to see their dream of helping Naic become Virginia Beach’s next Sister City turned into a reality.

JAPANESE TSUNAMI SURVIVOR CHILDREN VISIT VIRGINIA BEACH

| August 15, 2012

Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach as well as the City of Virginia Beach were privileged to host fourteen elementary school students escorted by two teachers from the City of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture who survived the horrific tsunami disaster March 11, 2011.  As a result of a major grant and fundraising efforts conducted in Japan and the U.S. it was possible for them to travel to America for the first time and join in the international youth exchange organized by the JECC (Japan Education Culture Center, Inc.)

NEPTUNE FESTIVAL PARADE 2011

| October 3, 2011

SCAVB members participated in the 2011 Neptune Festival Parade. This effort, led by Kim Baylor, is a first for the Association and was a great way to let citizens and visitors know about Virginia Beach’s Sister City affiliations. A great time was reported by all the “floaters”. A special thanks to the members, friends and family who helped to decorate the float which was donated by the Neptune Festival.