- Name Jan und Steve B.
- Location South Dakota
- Heimatland USA
- Betreuer seit 15 Jahren
Jan:
We became involved with EF Foundation 15 years ago. The professionalism and enthusiasm of our local coordinator was contagious. It’s since become the passion of my life. I love it. I love the kids. I love the German daughter and Norwegian daughters that we have as a result of it. And the host families have become good friends. The benefits are innumerable.
We have international weddings that we have to attend in the future, so we’re looking forward to those. All of the students we’ve hosted have come back to visit. It’s a forever connection. It’s a forever family member.
Steve:
When a student that you helped ten years ago connects with you out of the blue, or calls or sends a postcard to let you know how much everything meant to them even thought you were just their IEC, it’s so rewarding it’s more than words can express.
As a father of five sons, the opportunity to have daughters was just phenomenal. I think the most positive thing that has happened to me with those daughters was prom dress shopping. You have no idea what it’s like to see all that through the eyes of an exchange student. It’s like they’re going to Disneyland, getting to be a princess for the first time. Being allowed to be a part of it is a gift that many dads will never have, because their daughters grow up expecting it all.
The greatest value to us as a family is getting to know other people in our community on a different level. We see them every day; we deal with them professionally or as parents of our children’s friends and team members. When they become host families, we get to know who they really are. We form bonds that go way beyond normal community involvement. As Regional Coordinators, doing that with the new International Exchange Coordinators has been very rewarding as well. Building professional relationships as well as personal ones has been really worthwhile. We feel really good about that.
No matter how much you believe in something, if you don’t have support, you won’t keep doing it. That’s what EF Foundation staff have provided for us. From our very first meeting we felt valued, trusted and respected. That’s been reinforced, at every level, every time we have had contact with the organization.
