Ketchikan-Kanayama Exchange, Inc.
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The Ketchikan-Kanayama Exchange program started in 1986, beginning with teacher exchanges and then annual exchanges of students in 1987. The exchange started as part of a school district program, and then the Ketchikan Gero Kanayama Exchange Association was formed in 1989 to administer the program. It is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers that are dedicated to keeping the program running well. Funding from the school district and the borough is minimal and usually only cover expenses for the teacher exchange. The first visit from Kanayama delegates (the Mayor and Superintendent, etc.) to Ketchikan to decide whether or not to start an exchange, took place in November 1986. Ketchikan delegates (Ketchikan’s Mayor and Superintendent) then visited Kanayama in March 1987 for the first time. Following that, exchanges began.
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