Two members of the Sister Cities of Greenfield Board of Directors represented the organization at the 2025 U.S.-Japan Sister Cities Summit in Izumisano City, Japan in September 2025.

Board President Lyndi Grubb and board member Mitch Ripley attended the summit, which included panel discussions on a variety of topics from the base of growing a sister city relationship to the economics and diplomacy of the partnership. Grubb spoke on an expert panel about “Building a Vibrant Youth Program,” sharing how Sister Cities of Greenfield have built a connection with the community beyond the annual travel exchange with Kakuda City.

Grubb discussed initiatives the board of directors have taken to visit classrooms in the Greenfield-Central Community School District, sharing Japanese culture with children as young as kindergarten. The board of directors has also built a relationship with the Hancock County Public Library, delivering books to Kakuda City to help their library build an English-language book collection.

While at the conference, the board members also reconnected with representatives from Kakuda City, while making new connections with sister city representatives from across the United States and Japan.