See Alexandre Jodart with Host Family, Jennie and Horace Johnson at Hersey Park. 

 

                                                       

Jennie is our Maryland Coordinator. Her and her son Horice has been hosting for LEC for two years. Thank you for taking care of a student every year!  





Farewell to our July Group!

July 29th was a sad day for alot of people who participated in hosting one student for three weeks. We all waited untill the Air France ticket counter opened. Here is a picture of the group before they all went through the security.

Four students need homes

I still have four students who need a home for August. I remind you that they all speak English, have their pocket money and are eager to make new friends. They are fully insured for medical emergencies. The host families are compensated with $100/week for hosting. The August group is a "full immersion", so no group activities or classes scheduled. Please ask around and see if we can offer these four kids (3 boys and one girl) with room, board and companionship for 3 weeks.

We had a blast at Kings Domiinion despite the high humidity and the temperature neering the three digits. Spent the afternoon at the waterpark. Left the park at 9:30 pm, just in time to watch the fireworks from the bus.

Arrival at Dulles

 

We had a two hour wait at Dulles until the kids poured out of the double doors separating us from the customs. As they proceeded in our direction, all the host families and kids started to cheer. There was a look of surprise and maybe fear on their faces. What a warm welcome from all. Welcome to America!

Discovery Activities for July

Activities for the Discovery group  in July have been scheduled as follows:

July 11 - Smithsonian Museums, departure from Bull Run Shopping Plaza at 9 am, return around 5 pm. Bring a lunch.

July 18 - Full day at Kings Dominion, departure at 9 am, returning at 11 pm. We close the park! Bring your lunch, bathing suit and sun protection.

July 25 - Lunch at Medieval Times @ Arundel Mill with an afternoon of shopping. Departure at 9 am, returning around 5 pm. Bring your wallet!

A shuttle bus will be picking us and returning at the Bull Run Shopping Plaza (in front of Long & Foster). If it makes more sense for you to meet at the activity, just let me know. All activities and transportation fees are included for the students. Host families are welcome to join us, but will have to pay for their admission (Kings Dominion and Medieval Times). Please let me know so I can make sure we have room in the shuttle if you want to ride with us. We're going to have a blast!!!

Families wanted for July and August

I still have three boys who need a family for July. The group will be here in less than a week and if I can't find families for these three boys, they will not be able to come. They have their plane tickets, and are anxious to know and befriend you.
If you can help, or know someone who can, please let me know and I'll follow up with them. Time is running out.

Five guys... not the hamburgers!

Thanks to my favorite reporter at the Bull Run Observer, I have a nice article that appeared in this weeks paper. I have been able to place a couple of students. But 5 guys are left, (and the chaperon), in the discovery group, and they are very anxious to know if they will be able to come. They all have their plane tickets and are waiting for the green light that a family will be able to welcome them for three weeks.
Here are their pictures:

Benjamin

 

Francois




Matthieu

 

William


 

Pierre-Achille



Please, talk to you neighbors and friends, and spread the word. I have never had to refuse a student, and I'm running out of time.

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

HELP! We're only five weeks from the arrival time, and I still have a dozen kids who are anxiously waiting for a family to welcome them in the States in July.

They will be arriving on Air France 28 on July 9th at 12:55 at Dulles Airport. The departure is scheduled for the 29th of July on Air France 39 at 16:15 from Dulles. NOTE that all students will be meeting at the Air France ticket counter 4 hours prior to departure. This is standard procedures for groups and it is the time we need to make sure all students and their luggages are processed by the airline in time for the departure.

Thank you to the families who have already signed up. This will be an exciting adventure for your family, and you'll be making memories to last a lifetime. Who knows, you may be the one flying out of Dulles to Charles-de-Gaule next year for a visit to France.

I just heard from a past host family The Fays. Their daughter Lisa will be graduating from high school, and her family will take a vacation to London and Paris to celebrate. They will be spending time with their French student Armelle in Paris who came with LEC two years ago. Susan (the mom) says that the girls created a lifelong frienship and it all started with their hosting a LEC student. "The girls are so excited to be together again" says Susan.

Well, this is a success story, and I have heard so many. This is an unbeleivable opportunity for everyone. If you would just open your door, and your heart to a French teen. Susan, thank you for sharing and enjoy your trip to Europe.

Piedmont Day was a success. The weather was absolutely perfect. Ten families from this Gainesville community signed up to get more information about the program. Jeannie, our MD coordinator and her son Horace stopped by and helped spreading the word. Louise also met with past families who are thinking about participating another year. If you want to talk to past families, we have a lot of good testimonials from families who have hosted in the past, and continue to do so.

LEC to make a presentation in Silver Spring this coming Wednesday April 24th, 2013 at 1 pm. Interested people may call our local coordinator, Jeannie Johnson at 301-580-1037 to reserve their seat and get more information concerning the location.

People attending will meet General Coordinator Louise Lamy and will learn more about the program. They will have the chance to meet repeat families and talk about their past experience.

More presentations are planned in the Northern Virginia. Stay tuned for dates/locations, or give Louise Lamy a call at 703-392-6234. You can also send an email for faster response.

Hope to see you there.

Louise met with Mr. Wilson, Principal at Arcola Elementary School in Silver Spring. He embraced the program and will make it available to his students and teachers. Even if his students are younger than our French teens, Mr. Wilson understands that there might be older sibblings in the family. And if younger or no other sibblings are present, the French student can play the role of a big sister or brother. As long as they have opportunities to meet with other teenagers through youth groups, or neighbors; placing a student in a family with younger kids, or no kids at all is acceptable.

More students are signing up!

Let's show these teenagers that we care and that we will welcome them in our homes. As a reminder, host families  don't need to speak French and are compensated with $80 per week as a token of appreciation for their generosity. Please sign up to the blog and get notifications of new arrivals. We expect 25 students in July and 25 in  August. Thank you for spreading the word.

Student's Profiles are now available!

I already have four (4) students who signed up in France. Their profiles are now accessible. Just click on the name of the student. In addition to their age and gender, the profile includes their interests, activities they practice at home and a hand written letter to the host family, expressing why they want to come to the United States. I usually can tell a lot about the personnality of the student, just by reading their letter. They share their dreams and tell us a little bit about themselves. I'm here is you have any questions.

I am also looking for coordinators to assist in recruiting families. The compensation is good, the rewards... priceless! Looking for help in VA, MD and south PA. If you want to spread the word about our program ask me about it. Call 703-392-6234 and leave a message. I'll get back to you.

LEC is back! The students are signing up and we'll be kicking off the 2013 season in San Diego. Once a year, all General Coordinators meet in a different city. This year, we chose San Diego. I can't wait!

This year again we'll be hosts to two groups of 25 students each. Here are the dates:

 JULY 9 go 29th
AUGUST 6 to 26th

Reserve your student NOW, they go fast! I will start receiving student's profiles soon, and I can watch for your perfect match. Let me know your preference such as gender, age, interests and I'll put the perfect match on hold until we meet.

I'll be posting student's profiles as soon as I receive them, end of February or March.