Cat Island and Bahamas delegation left Nassau on Monday September 22nd for Richton Park, Illinois to attend Sister Cities negotiations. Pictured are Jackson McIntosh, Cat Island Administrator; Danson King, Chairman, Cat Island Sister Cities Association; Ginger Moxey, President & CEO of Immerse Bahamas; Melvin Seymour and Garth King, members of the Cat Island Sister Cities Association. (Photo by Immerse Bahamas)

A delegation from Cat Island and The Bahamas is headed to Richton Park, Illinois, for Sister Cities negotiations.

The group will be in Richton Park from September 22nd- 25th, 2014 to further explore the reciprocal benefits to be achieved as a result of the sister cities relationship.

Ginger Moxey, President and CEO of Immerse Bahamas, is among the delegation travelling to Richton.

Immerse Bahamas, a destination and project management company that aims to promote culturally-immersive programs, has partnered with Sister Cities International to develop sister city relationships intended to enhance cultural, educational, tourism and business exchanges for the islands of The Bahamas.

Cat Island is one of the first islands under this initiative to cultivate a sister city relationship with the Village of Richton Park, IL.

The Village of Richton Park is a small community located 30 miles from the City of Chicago in northeast Illinois and is home to about 13,500 residents who are looking to engage in cultural, tourism, business, educational and youth exchanges, as well as humanitarian projects. Education has been identified as the initial area of focus with virtual class exchanges and scholarship opportunities.

Cat Island is positioned in the centre of The Bahama Island archipelago, 325 miles southeast of Miami, Florida and has a population of approximately 1,600 people. Its history is rich in Bahamian culture and tradition while the island’s industries include agriculture, tourism, sports and weaving straw hats and bags.

Immerse Bahamas’ mission is to empower groups to experience the splendor of The Bahamas: its culture; with music, dance, cuisine, arts and craft, and the unadulterated charm of the islands, which is the beauty and hospitality of the people.

At the opening of Immerse Bahamas earlier this year, Moxey pledged to further propel The Bahamas as a destination ripe for those seeking the authentic experiences that The Bahamas has to offer.

Sister Cities International President Mary Kane, who was present at the Immerse Bahamas opening, also committed to making the relationships, those current sister city agreements under development for The Bahamas and the restoration of existing ones, truly beneficial to The Bahamas and the United States cities.

The negotiations planned for this week are aimed at doing just that.

Among the delegation accompanying Moxey areDanson King, Chairman, Cat Island Sister Cities Association; Jackson McIntosh, Cat Island Administrator; Kevin Brown, Chief Councillor, Cat Island, Melvin Seymour and Garth King, members of the Cat Island Sister Cities Association.

Michael Fountain, who was recently appointed Bahamas Honorary Consul for Mid-Western United States to Chicago, is also expected to take part in the four-day mission.