ADDITIONAL HOST FAMILIES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED
to host our Inbound
Youth Exchange student Vanya
from Indonesia.
We are still looking for two more families to host Vanya during her stay in our community. Each family will host her for three and a half months. The next family will host her from late November until mid-March, and the final family will host her from mid-March until she leaves in early July. Just a reminder that the club pays for her school lunches and will give her a monthly allowance of $80.
IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE FIND TWO MORE FAMILIES SOON!! Please contact Rita Varner-Otness to learn more about being a host family for Zefanya, or to let her know of possible families to contact. Rita’s number is 763-682-5256, email address:
healinghands.dc@bwig.net.
Without the willingness and sincerity of families who have opened their hearts and homes to students they have never met, the Rotary Youth Exchange Program can not exist. In an ever-changing world, it is important that we expose our children, our students and ourselves to areas and people unlike us—it’s how we open our eyes to a global community that shares the same hopes and dreams that we do.
In the landscape of today, adults and children alike must learn about others and reaffirm their faith that people from all over the world are good. What better way to do that than becoming a host family?
Becoming a Host Family
A variety of family structures are perfect for being host families—small, big, with many children, or no children. We aim to reflect real-world families to students, and we know that real families come in all shapes and sizes.
THE EXCHANGE PROCESS IS TRULY MUTUALLY REWARDING
Similarities of cultures should be celebrated and differences should be embraced because there is so much to learn from one another. Each side can act as teachers, leaders, and ambassadors of their cultural background by answering questions, teaching each other, and opening minds to new thoughts and experiences. No matter our age, we are all students of culture and life, which is why becoming a host family is so rewarding.
What is Required?
Host families need to:
- Provide a private bedroom (or a bedroom with no more than one of your own children of the same gender)
- Treat your exchange student like one of your own children (for example, arranging transportation to school activities, including students in your own family meals, helping students with homework, and making sure they are a part of all family activities)
- Help your student learn English and about American culture (Rotary clubs have scheduled activities for the students)
What is not Required?
Host Families do not need to:
- Have children living at home. (It is not uncommon for your own children to be away at college, for example.)
- Be married/partnered at the time of the exchange. (We have many single-parent families who host an exchange student. The State Department requires one additional level of review.)
- Be a particular race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. All families are welcome.
- Pay for all miscellaneous expenses for the student. Students receive $80/month from our Rotary club and must cover all additional expenses themselves. As a general rule of thumb, however, if you are paying for something for one of your children (like a ticket to a movie or a family dinner out), it is customary to also pay for your exchange student. School lunches and activity fees are paid for by the Buffalo Rotary Club.
Vanya's Bio Information:
Present age: 16. She is enrolled as a senior at Buffalo High School.
Dad: Restaurant owner
Mom: Owner of a chocolate shop
Siblings: One younger sister, age 12
Sports: Cheerleading and swimming
Hobbies/Interests: Music: plays piano, violin, ukulele and drums; Traveling, Culinary arts, Drawing, Crafts, Backpacking trips
Qualities: Responsible, Mature, Excellent student (ranks in the top ten of her class), Fluent in English language, also speaks Mandarin
Future plans: Attend a university and own her own business
PLEASE CONTACT RITA TODAY IF YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVE OUR CLUB AS A 2ND or 3RD HOST FAMILY FOR VANYA! 
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