Submitted
AFS is looking for host families in the Ohio River Valley area willing to open their hearts and homes to an international exchange student for the 2017-2018 school year.
There is no “typical” AFS Host Family. Families can have small or teenage children at home, be empty nesters, or couples with no children. Single adults, LGBT couples and single parents are also encouraged to apply!
Host families provide a bed and meals, share their daily lives with students, and help guide and support students as if they were their own children. AFS spends time finding a student to match the interests of each host family – whether it’s the arts, academics, sports, scouts or other interests.
Families and their hosted students also receive ongoing support from AFS staff and a team of experienced, local volunteers.
“I can’t find the words to explain is how deeply we grew to love someone who came into our home a complete stranger just a short year ago,” says Host Mom Wendy Moniz. “I had no idea I could open my heart that wide to someone from another culture, nor could I have imagined that when I would call this person my son, I would truly mean it. And I certainly never imaged that he could feel the same.”
Now is the time to apply; students like Boom and Laetitia, shown below, arrive in August and need families to call their own. Learn more about our available students by visiting www.afsusa.org.
“Boom” from Thailand is an active young man, who has recently developed a passion for golf! He says golf has helped him learn patience and concentration, and he finds it an excellent complement to swimming, for which he has won some awards. Boom enjoys academic pursuits as well, especially math and physics, and hopes to pursue a career in telecommunications engineering someday. Boom is close with his family and enjoys cooking for them. He prides himself on being a good cook! He is enthusiastic, active, and healthy, and looks forward to exchanging cultures with an American family.
Laetitia from Germany has played the piano for six years, is currently on a rowing team, and does strength training weekly. Laetitia lives in a small village with her parents. Nightly dinners are important to her family because they discuss how their days went. Laetitia’s favorite subjects include biology, German, and English. Her friends and family describe her as well-organized, well-balanced, polite, friendly, and funny. She is a good student who is motivated, reliable, helpful, and ambitious.
For more information about how to host a student with AFS, call 419-777-4AFS (4237), email [email protected] or visit www.afsusa.org.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
