Local host families needed for foreign students

Sussex County - A few more local families are needed to host foreign high-school students who are scheduled to arrive soon for academic semester and year-long program home stays, according to Pacific Intercultural Exchange, the sponsoring organization. The students are all between the ages of 15 and 18 years, are English-speaking, have their own spending money, carry accident and health insurance, and are anxious to share their cultural experiences with their new American families, said John Doty, executive director of the sponsoring group. Doty said the organization currently has programs to match almost every family’s needs, ranging in length from a semester to a full academic year, where the students attend local high schools. Area representatives for the group match students with host families by finding common interests and lifestyles through an informal in-home meeting. Prospective host families are able to review student applications and select the “perfect match.” As there are no “typical” host families, Pacific Intercultural Exchange can fit a student into just about any situation, whether it is a single parent, a childless couple, a retired couple or a large family. Eligible for tax deduction Host families are also eligible to claim a $50 per month charitable contribution deduction on their itemized tax returns for each month they host a sponsored student. For the coming programs, the organization has students from Germany, the former Soviet Union, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Macedonia, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Australia, Yugoslavia, China, and others. Pacific Intercultural Exchange is also participating in two special government-funded programs to bring scholarship students from the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, as well as predominantly Islamic countries, such as Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar, to the U.S. The agency also has travel/study program opportunities available for American high school students, as well as possibilities for community volunteers to assist and work with area host families, students and schools. Pacific Intercultural Exchange is a non-profit educational organization that has sponsored more than 25,000 students from 45 countries since its founding in 1975. The organization is designated by the U.S. Dept. of State and is certified by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel. Doty urged interested families to contact the program immediately, to allow proper time for the students and hosts to get to know one another before they actually meet in person. For information, call toll free at 866-546-1402.