Agency Seeking Enumclaw Families to Host International Exchange Students in Late Summer and Fall

Have a spare bedroom in your home? Curious to learn about a different culture? Want to open your family up to learning about a new culture? Feel like sharing with an international exchange student what American life is really like, right here in Enumclaw?

If you answered yes to the above, AFS Intercultural Programs (http://www.afsusa.org/) wants to hear from you.

This non-profit agency, which has been helping facilitate student exchange for the last 60 years, currently has about 55 students from more than 40 countries arriving in the Puget Sound area in early August, according to spokesperson Chelsea Smith.

"We want them to be placed in communities like Enumclaw," she said.

What does it take to be a host family? For starters, host families provide room and board, including school lunches, but are not monetarily compensated by the agency. The student has personal spending money and full health benefits. Here's a lot of information from AFS to get you started though the steps toward being matched up with a student look pretty simple.

If you'd like to speak with a regional representative who has been through the experience, contact Heidi Cook at 425-643-3045 or heididcook@aol.com.