a Sister City of Irondequoit, NY since June 29,1992 due to an agreement signed by Anatonij Kukoba, then President of Poltava City Council, and Fredrick W. Lapple, then Town Supervisor of Irondequoit, NY. The scope of the relationship is broadly defined in this document, agreeing that many sectors of public life are open for engagement. After elected signatories process documents of this kind, agreements between Sister Cities are submitted to the main branch of SCI and kept on file at the Washington, DC office. SCI's CEO has advocated for sustained relations between existing Sister Cities programs even in times of conflict. The Agreement between Irondequoit and Poltava states that their Sister City relationship never expires. Former Irondequoit Supervisor Lapple formed a committee to locate a city willing to partner in the interest of honoring the Ukrainian community active in his town. The relationship is ongoing, with a virtual conference occurring on July 14, 2022, featuring elected officials, organization leaders, and various citizens all given a venue to speak as the Ukrainians fight to secure their democracy. This expression of citizen-to-citizen diplomacy has fostered participation in the international relations of multiple localities. Sister Cities afford the opportunity for individual citizens to achieve global impact through efforts within their own local US communities. The SCI platform allows people to mobilize a network of international organizations, expanding participation in spheres driving democratic values, humanitarian relief, financial markets, and good governance organizations. Irondequoit hosted Ukrainian delegates from Congress' Open World organization, supporting the development of leaders who embrace democratic values. In an effort to inform the public for generations to come, the citizens from Irondequoit instituted a special collection of documents at the University of Rochester to historically preserve the more than one-hundred-year history of Ukrainian community in the greater Rochester area. In 1995, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to eliminate the United States Information Agency (USIA) with vocal support from the U.S. Conference of Mayors International Affairs Committee and Sister City members. The broadcasting functions of the USIA were maintained by the now independent Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG); all other continuing functions became part of the organizational structure overseen by the purposefully established Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs within the United States Department of State (DoS). SCI is a leading member of a consortium of non-profit NGOs that partner with the DoS Bureau of Educational