The Phoenix Sister Cities Chengdu Earthquake Relief Fund raised more than $120,000 that will be sent to Chengdu, China, to help rebuild schools that were devastated during a massive earthquake in May.

“We have shared a 20-year sister city relationship with Chengdu and it is inspirational to see how the Phoenix community came to the aid of our sister city during this difficult time,” said Councilman Michael Johnson, City Council liaison for the Chengdu Sister Cities.

The Phoenix Sister Cities earthquake relief account received numerous donations from the community, including a $42,488 donation from Konica Minolta, USA.

“We were all affected by the Chengdu earthquake and wanted to show our support in China’s relief efforts,” said Jun Haraguchi, president and CEO, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. “In keeping with our corporate social-responsibility charter to help children, we chose to focus on supporting the rebuilding of schools with a donation to Chengdu’s sister city, Phoenix, to aid in this critical effort.”

The Phoenix Chengdu Committee consists of volunteers who promote activities including Chinese Week, trade delegations, youth and education programs, arts and cultural exchanges, teacher training and municipal training.

The residents of Chengdu, China, and the Phoenix Chengdu Sister Cities Committee wish to thank the Phoenix community and Konica Minolta for supporting earthquake relief efforts in Chengdu,” said Charles Tsui, past chairman of the Phoenix Chengdu Sister Cities Committee. “Donations will support current and future generations by helping to rebuild schools damaged in the earthquake.”

The Chengdu sister city relationship has resulted in numerous benefits, including a gift of a Giant Panda sculpture from the city of Chengdu to the city of Phoenix. The Giant Panda sculpture, aptly named Maternal Love, is located at Margaret T. Hance Park. The Chengdu relationship also led to the permanent relocation of five Phoenix families to Chengdu to develop a start-up team for Phoenix-based Food for the Hungry.

The city of Phoenix also has sister city relationships with nine other cities around the world. For more information about the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, visit phoenixsistercities.org or call 602-534-3751.