Program open to all

EDITOR:

As a longtime member of the Minden Rotary Club, I would like to invite families here in the Carson Valley to participate in a program that until recently has been restricted to families of Rotary members. That program is hosting a foreign exchange student.

Starting in 1995, my family has hosted seven foreign exchange students. These students were a part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program. We have hosted two girls from France, one from Belgium, two from Germany, one from Japan, and one from Argentina. (We hosted only girls because I had two daughters, no sons.) My daughters were 9 and 6 when we hosted out first exchange student. By the time we hosted our last one, one daughter was in college and one midway through high school.

Everyone in my family agrees that it has been an invaluable experience. We still keep in touch with many of these girls. Both of my daughters have traveled extensively in Europe, and have visited some of these exchange students in their homes. A few have returned to visit us here in Gardnerville. The Minden Rotary Club sponsors one exchange student every year. We try to rotate families so that they don't stay in one home any longer than four months. Typically the exchange student will stay with three different families. We have found families with young kids are the best host families.

The Rotary Club is opening up this program to the public. If you have a young family and would like to host an exchange student, please call me at my home phone, 782-7447 and I'll talk to you about the program.

Skip Pardee

Gardnerville