Foreign exchange host family with Greenheart shares story: Consider hosting student from France

Kathy Hansen is a Mainer who has lived in Windham with her husband, Jon, for 44 years.  They raised their family here and hosted exchange students.  Her friend Stacy hosted Hisham from Palestine, and he did a video of his exchange experience this year.   When her daughter Kristin saw it, her comment was:

“Oh, my gosh. Hisham describes it perfectly!! Memories are flooding back from some of the coolest students we hosted when I was growing up! I learned so much from them. So thankful to my parents for teaching us beyond four walls.” 

Host mom Kathy says, “I have no idea what inspired me to say yes to hosting, but it was a monumental moment that changed the course of my life.”   She agreed to help find families for teenagers from France from July 8 to July 28, and she needs help from the community with hosting even if they can only host a week in July.

They are here to practice English and to make friends.  If you have a teenager, they could get invited to France. It does not cost anything except to feed them.  They can share a room.  They are not here to be entertained or to travel.   They have their own spending money. If you can’t host for the whole time, let me know when you can.  They can hang out with each other if no one is home for the day or night.

If you are interested in being a host family, simply fill out a short application: https://www.tfaforms.com/236744. For more detailed information, contact Hansen at: Khansen@greenheart.org.