Group Seeks Host Ocean County Families For French Students

An organization with Ocean County ties is seeking help from the community in hosting students from France for 20 days later this month.

World Exchange’s "Invite the World Home" is scheduled for July 11-30. It is an opportunity for students to experience the American way of family life, according to Vera Sklaar of World Exchange's headquarters.

Lisa Boyle is the local director of World Exchange, and she still is in search of families locally to host students and their adult leader Sandra, and she is hopeful families "will find it in their hearts to come forward to give these young people the experience of genuine American hospitality – once the Hallmark of the American spirit – and so much admired in France."

Each participating family will have an orientation and support and Boyle will organize two day-trips and a party/picnic. The rest of the time host families will be free to make their own plans to take their student to the beach, to camp, to work, to the supermarket – to participate in whatever their family normally does during July.

The French teens look forward to practicing their English, trying their hand at baseball, eating barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers, exploring, playing video and board games. Here they are:

• Andréa is 15 plays handball and other sports and music. She loves “McDo” hamburgers!
• Garance is 14 and likes reading, riding, relaxing. In future she hopes to be an architect.
• Savanna is 16 comes from Lyon and loves cooking as well as sports and drawing.
• Mathilde is 16 with three younger siblings and she enjoys concerts, shopping and travel.
• Emma is 17 and is into acting and theater, as well as art, riding and golf.
• Gregoire is 16 and enjoys video games, music and design. He is particularly interested in architecture.

Profiles of the students, as well as detailed letters of introduction can be seen in full after contacting Lisa at: lisarana@aol.com or by calling her at 732 267-0048. Emails and calls can also be directed to Vera at 1 800-3924 or vsklaar@worldexchange.org.

To see a short video on what it’s like to experience hosting, visit www.worldexchange.org.

Photo provided by World Exchange