Ted Everingham moderated the discussion.   The first exchange occurred in Denmark in 1929 and there are currently 8,000 students taking part in 100 countries.  Inbound students come to our Club and outbound students are sponsored by our Club to travel abroad.  Katie Dotson was just accepted as an outbound student and will find out in January where she will be living.  Her top choice is Norway.  The Club currently has an outbound student, Anna Gleason, in Finland.
 
Having recently hosted a student, Jessica Keyser and Paige Niehaus (Simon) and Michelle Roberts (Sebastian) offered their perspectives.  Jessica and Michelle spoke about how their children bonded with their student and the overall adjustment of having a teenager in the house.  Paige reflected on how much she misses having Simon in her daily life and the little things that remind her of him.
 
Current and past Rotarians spoke of the impact of hosting a student.  John and Susan Mozena (8 students)...
believe that hosting establishes lifelong relationships, having attended two of their students’ weddings.  Former Rotarians Mike and Cindy Carlson (13 students) really appreciated how they were able to view our country and culture through the eyes of the students. 
 
In our Club, Bill Scott is the youth exchange administrator, handling travel arrangements and school registration.  Steve McMillan is the counselor for male students and Kim Towar for female students.  All provide support for host families by answering questions and offering assistance if any issues should arise. 
 
To revitalize the Club’s inbound program, members are encouraged to talk to friends and family about being a host family.  Based on the positive discussion, the hosts get as much, if not more, out of the interaction then the students.