(above) Santa Monica Sister City Association (SMSCA) President Joseph E. Deering presents Santa Monica Mayor Ken Genser with a certificate of recognition at Santa Monica City Hall on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. (top) Graham Wong, Technical Director of the International Youth Soccer Tournament, gives Mayor Genser an official match ball.
The City of Santa Monica sponsored the International Youth Soccer Tournament with a $7,500.00 grant. In appreciation of the grant, Santa Monica Sister City Association presented the City of Santa Monica with 100 soccer match balls which will be distributed to the Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and John Adams Middle school boys and girls soccer teams. The International Youth Soccer Tournament brought together teams from Santa Monica High School, L.A.'s Korean, Japanese and Salvadoran communities, and a team from Cassino/S'Entelia, Italy. Other tournament sponsors are the City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Santa Monica Rotary Club, Santa Monica Kiwanis Club, Santa Monica Sister City Foundation, Santa Monica Daily Press and many individuals. The motto of the Santa Monica Sister City Association is "Peace in the World - One Person at a Time." To fulfill former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's dream of "citizen diplomats" establishing peace with "people-to-people" contacts between countries, the Santa Monica Sister City Association aims to educate, foster and encourage youth from all over the world.