Peoria Area World Affairs Council (PAWAC)

06/13/2026

Best of luck to our friends at Business ISU and IFAMA at Illinois State as they head across the pond to compete on the world stage! 👏🏻🌎✈️ These enterprising business & ag students will be competing in a global agribusiness case competition against teams from around the world 🌽🚜🇺🇸

06/10/2026

Shoutout to our very own former Board member & proud PAWAC supporter - Anne Fox! 👏🏻🌎

Today, we’re recognizing and celebrating Anne as she has concluded her term on the Community Foundation of Central Illinois Board of Directors

Anne, your commitment, insight, and willingness to show up for our mission have helped move important work forward across Central Illinois. We’re grateful for the role you’ve played and the difference you’ve helped create.

Thank you for your service and support over the years.

06/09/2026

It’s that time of year again! The PAWAC team has been having a great time at The World Affairs Councils of America Council Leadership Meeting hosted by the World Affairs Council - Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Whether that’s seeing old friends or making new ones, we are proud to have Central Illinois so well represented apart of this national network 🌎🇺🇸🤝

06/08/2026

Meet face-to-face with a REAL expert! 🧠🌎💡 One week from today, join PAWAC & the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council for an engaging evening at Distillery Labs where we will be hosting foreign trade expert Fred Hochberg to hear why Peoria business matters on the world stage 🔎🌎🚜🌽 We hope to see you there!

06/04/2026

Bringing experts to the air waves of Central Illinois! 🎙️ Special thanks to upcoming speaker, Fred Hochberg, for joining The Greg and Dan Show to preview our program on June 15th and connect with listeners about how the world economy connects with right here in Central Illinois 🌎 You can listen to Fred’s interview here: https://omny.fm/shows/greg-dan-show-interviews/trade-the-global-economy

Check out this interview with Fred Hochberg about his upcoming June 15th event, “Trade is Not a Four Letter Word,” hosted by the Peoria Area World Affairs Council at Distillery Labs.

https://omny.fm/shows/greg-dan-show-interviews/trade-the-global-economy

05/31/2026

Die Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und Zentral-Illinois bleiben stark. Herzlichen Glückwunsch a die German American Central Society, Friends of Friedrichshafen, & City of Peoria Illinois - Government! Auf weitere 50 Jahre! 🥂5️⃣0️⃣⏰🎉 🇺🇸🇩🇪🌎

The connections between Germany and Central Illinois remain strong as ever. Congratulations to the German American Central Society and Friends of Friedrichschafen, & City of Peoria! Here’s to 50 years more!

Peoria and Friedrichshafen, Germany, Celebrate Milestone Anniversary
Honoring 50 Years of Sister City Friendship and Cultural Exchange

May 28, 2026 (Peoria, IL) This year, Peoria and Friedrichshafen will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their sister city relationship, marking five decades of cultural connections, youth exchanges, business partnerships, and enduring personal friendships between citizens of the two communities.

Founded in 1976 through shared ties between Caterpillar and Zeppelin, the relationship has grown into one of the most active sister city partnerships in the United States. Over the past fifty years, hundreds of youth, families, civic leaders, and volunteers have participated in partnerships that have transformed international connections into lifelong friendships.

Anniversary events are planned in Peoria from June 3 through the June 7 and in Friedrichshafen from September 30 to October 4, bringing together current and former participants, civic leaders, host families, and community supporters to honor the partnership’s legacy and look toward its future.

Peoria Mayor Rita Ali emphasized the importance of people-to-people diplomacy in today’s world. “At a time when division and uncertainty too often dominate global conversations, the friendship between Peoria and Friedrichshafen reminds us that lasting peace begins with personal relationships. For fifty years, our citizens have opened their homes, shared their cultures, and built bonds that transcend borders. Those human connections are more important today than ever before.”

Friedrichshafen Oberbürgermeister Simon Blümcke also highlighted the significance of international friendship built through direct personal experience. “Our sister city partnership demonstrates that international understanding is not created through governments alone, but through families, students, neighbors, and friends who learn from one another. The relationship between Friedrichshafen and Peoria has shown for fifty years that mutual respect and friendship can unite communities across continents.”

A centerpiece of the relationship has been the youth exchange program, believed to be among the longest continuously running student exchanges in the country. More than 900 students from both cities have experienced daily life abroad through host families, creating friendships that have continued for decades.

The anniversary celebration will also recognize the many volunteers and community organizations that sustained the partnership throughout the past fifty years, including the Friends of Friedrichshafen in Peoria and the Peoria Club in Friedrichshafen. The public is invited to greet the German guests on Saturday, June 6, at the German American Central Society Sommerfest event, held at Hickory Grove Park, 12403 N Hickory Grove Road, Dunlap.

For information, visit www.peoriasistercity.org or email the Friends of Friedrichshafen at [email protected].

https://bit.ly/43B3u24

05/28/2026

🧠💡 Did you know that Illinois is the one of the top 4 states that conduct foreign trade in the United States? 🌎 Illinois may be 400 miles away from the border, but Central Illinois is tied to the world every day from farm to table, from Caterpillar to even family owned small businesses. 🚜🌽 Join the Peoria Area World Affairs Council (PAWAC) and Greater Peoria Economic Development Council on June 15th at Distillery Labs where we will be hosting trade expert Fred Hochberg to hear why Peoria business matters on the world stage 🔎🌎✈️

05/25/2026

Did you know scholastic bowl is not just an Illinois thing??? Teams from across the country and even across the ocean flew to Atlanta to compete at Nationals over the weekend. Check out this cool story about a team from Guam! 🌎🧠💡🇬🇺🇺🇸

We care about remote quizbowl circuits, but we are hard-pressed to find any more remote than the eight teams that play in Guam. Among them are St. John’s School of Tamuning, John F. Kennedy High School across town, the Academy of Our Lady of Guam, Okkodo HS, and the team that won the Guam state tournament.

The Guam champions is the farthest afield team at HSNCT, Father Dueñas Memorial School of Chalan-Pago.

Brandon of Father Dueñas reports “St. John’s and JFK gave us a run for our money. We had to play a 2-OT match to beat St. John’s to win state.”

So that intense competition made Father Dueñas far more prepared to compete at HSNCT than you might expect, and even though they took a 615-25 loss to Bella Vista (CA) in their opening match, they were not fazed in the slightest.

Coach Jovie Manzanilla, said “the first round was quite a shock, but even scoring against a team so strong gave us confidence that we can do this.”

That “never-give-up” attitude defined the Father Dueñas experience at HSNCT, where the finished 4-6. Rylan is a vocal leader of the team; he insists “we’ve got a lot of heart. We’ve give you our best game every time, no matter how big you are.” Jovie praises the resilient captain of the team, Mikhel; he says that “NAQT competition brought the team’s brotherhood closer and stronger.”

There is a hope for more presence at HSNCT in the coming years. “Guam is coming,” the team says in unison. Even though the team is senior-dominated, Marc is an 11th grader and Brayden is a 10th; brother Taga, one of the co-captains of the team, expresses confidence that “my teammate here Brayden is going to give it all in two years.”

Rylan thinks more broadly. “This is motivation for all the teams in the state. We'll study harder and prepare more to make sure we’re all equipped. Iron sharpens iron, and we want the competition in Guam to be the best it can be.”

It’s completely appropriate that this team didn’t want to take a picture with a mascot or icon from their school, but with the Guam flag. They have aspirations bigger than their team, aspirations for their place, and aspirations to develop qb broadly.

📸 and ✏️: Chuck Pearson

05/21/2026

We’re still celebrating!! 🎉 Last week PAWAC colleagues, friends, & family alike came to together to cheer on our very own Executive Director, Angela Weck, at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois Women’s Fund Leader Luncheon. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Angela’s tenure with PAWAC as she looks ahead to a new chapter later this year! 👏🏻