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San Pedro Valley Lions Club with their international visitors.
On Saturday, July 14, 2018, the San Pedro Valley Lions Club hosted 10 international students and their staff escorts. They provided a Mexican food lunch and some gifts for the students. Some knit items were provided by the San Pedro Valley Needle Group.
This was the 5th consecutive year the local Lions club has hosted the students, who are part of the C. Kirby Smithe Lions Youth Exchange program.
This youth exchange program allows for up to 10 students each year to visit Arizona for a two week period. The students stay with a host family which provides the students the opportunity to observe the American way of life and the host families get to learn about other cultures. The students get to travel and experience a number of sites and communities around Arizona. In 2018 they will be visiting the areas of Nogales, Bisbee, Tombstone, Globe, Sierra Vista/Ft. Huachuca, Morenci, Sedona, Flagstaff, Kayenta, Monument Valley, Holbrook, Tucson, Grand Canyon, etc. Along the way, they meet with local Lions clubs who provide meals and entertainment for them.
This year’s students and their countries of origin follow:
Eric Sundsov, Norway; Eyal Kapon, Israel; Marie Lourioux, France; Matias Lintala, Finland; Josefine tho Seeth, Germany; Florent Vanden Bergh, Belgium; Dakota Kolarova, Slovakia; Sofia Estero, Italy; Anne Nieuwstraten, Netherlands; Mia Johnson, British Isles.
If you would like to learn more about this program and how you can help, visit their website: arizonayouthexchange.org or their Facebook page: Arizona Lions International Youth Exchange.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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