Grande Prairie Club Hosts Second Exchange Student

Posted by Kevin Hilgers 
on Apr 11, 2011
 

When Rotary Exchange Student Karly Hilgers had to return home from her year in Japan due to the earthquake, Rotarians in Brazil offered to take any exchange student returning from Japan.  Karly signed up and she is on the way to Brazil.  At the same time Club President Karen said out loud "What about the exchange students from Brazil who have to come home from Japan?" Word was sent to Brazil that the 3 Grande Prairie Clubs would take students from Brazil.  There were just a few exchange students from Brazil in Japan at the time the earthquake hit, one quickly took the opportunity to finish the exchange year in Grande Prairie.   Our Club will host Luiza from early May till late July.  She will stay with Munjak family.  Luiza is from a Rotary family as well.  Luiza will attend grade 11 at PWA who jumped at the opportunity to have Luiza as a student.   It's believed to be the first  time our club has had TWO exchange students.  

 
   A great example of Rotarians working together from around the world.   It probably couldn't be said any better than the words emailed to our District Youth Exchange Chair Wayne McCutcheon from Luiza's District Chair, Narcia.  Upon hearing Grande Prairie would host Luiza, she typed the below message:  

Dear Wayne,
      You cannot image how happy our student was at the time I told her about your offer. She has just returned from Japan and is so depressing to let her Japanese families and friends in such terrible circumstances. Although she was not affected physically by the earthquake she experienced awful moments. Now you are offering her the opportunity to end her exchange year in Canada and assume that the life has to go on. She has many reasons to believe that spirit of Rotary is always present in her life.

Thanks for this opportunity and I will scan her Guarantee form very soon.

Hugs from Brazil