Community – Page 2

Welcome to the International Pen Pal Program between Kutztown, PA, and Altrip, Germany!

Kutztown Borough Council officially adopted a Resolution, on February 16, 2021, “Forging a Relationship with Altrip, a municipality in Germany, through programming to exchange historical and cultural information in an effort to participate in town twinning.” The goal is for both towns to explore, encourage, and promote opportunities for shared cultural exchanges, visits, and experiences between the two communities and their broader regions, to build understanding and nurture transatlantic friendship between the United States and Germany.

View the Full Resolution (PDF )

With that in mind, the pen pal program was created to help the members of our two cities get to know each other as our town twinning relationship develops. This program, created by the Kutztown Community Library, is a collaboration with the Borough of Kutztown and Mayor Jim Schlegel, the Kutztown Area Historical Society, and the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center.

The pen pal program is the first step in fostering a sense of community between our town and Altrip, Germany. Even though we are almost 4,000 miles apart and can’t travel right now, we can explore each other’s towns and countries.

At your own pace, you can write to your pen pal using our recommended question prompts, or choose your own topics. Children ages 12 and up can write to each other with parent supervision. Participants will drop off completed letters (no need to stamp) at the library to be mailed together to protect privacy. If you’d like and both participants are willing, you can email your pen pal instead. Small, light gifts that fit inside an envelope can be sent as well.

To register, fill out the form, by using the link below or downloading the PDF, with your information and any preferences you would have for a pen pal. Do you only want to write to someone of your own age or gender? Do you want to write to someone who likes to garden? We will do our best to match you with someone that fits your preferences. Printed forms can be completed and returned to the library.

You will receive your pen pal assignment via email. An optional pen pal kit will soon be available for $5. It includes letter writing supplies, stickers, conversation prompts, and other fun things. Happy writing!

Complete Your Pen Pal Program Registration Online

Download the Registration Form (PDF)

Updated February 2021