Attending pep rallies and being on the Crimson gymnastics team are opportunities 16-year-old Chloe Bard couldn’t partake in at her high school in France. But in the Rotary Exchange Program, Bard is amid those new experiences in her yearlong homestay in Maple Grove.
“It’s good,” Bard says in a thick accent. “It’s different than France, but I wanted a different life for one year.”
The 75-year-old Rotary Exchange Program provides about 8,000 students from 80 countries with new experiences each year.
Tony Keiffer, president of the Rotary Club of Maple Grove, says host requirements are minimal and the rewards are vast. That’s something Bard’s hosts Katie and Charlie Heitzig and their two children can attest to.
“If you at all have an interest, truly explore it,” Katie Heitzig says. “You have to look at your flexibility because it challenges your flexibility and adaptability. We’ve learned to be better at it, and everyone could use that.”
The homestay can come from empty nesters or families with kids, and will run about four months. “It’s a fantastic cultural learning opportunity,” Keiffer adds.
Bard and the Heitzigs have learned about how their cultures differ. Bard says people in Maple Grove are warmer than the French, but are a bit stricter. She says schools in France are solely about academics, so a variety of activities at Maple Grove High School make it easier for her to meet new friends.
& To learn more about becoming a host family for a Rotary Exchange Student, visit this site for a program overview and this site for specific information on Maple Grove.
