MONROE, CT — Life in war-torn Ukraine is taking a toll on families, but a Rotary Club of Monroe program can give some parents peace of mind in knowing their children are out of harms way, living with host families in Monroe, while taking classes at Masuk High School.
The Rotary Club is seeking two families interested in hosting a high school student for 2025-2026 school year. You do not have to already have a student enrolled at Masuk to qualify. One student would live with a family from August through January, and the second will live with a family from February through June.
“These are students who have been growing up in a war environment,” said Dave Wolfe, a Monroe Rotary Club member. “Some have been fortunate to have been moved to locations that have not been targeted, including to neighboring Poland. Many have been separated from their parents for safety reasons. Each student has a story.”
Hosts provide room and board and treat the exchange student as a member of their family. The Rotary will provide transportation to and from their home country, as well as medical and personal liability insurance.
Rotary Club of Monroe will provide a $100 monthly stipend to the student, along with local support contacts for the students and host families.
Host families must submit an application, pass a background check, and participate in a mandatory training session. For more information, call Dave Wolfe as soon as possible, at 203-257-2517.
“Time is critical,” Wolfe said. “There are several steps involved in the program and visa application process. The first is identifying one host family.”
Wolfe said a Ukrainian girl made a Zoom presentation for the Monroe Rotary Club. “It was extremely moving,” he said. “She was talking about what it was like in her country the last few years. Now she has the opportunity for a normal life in Brazil for a few years. It’s an outreach of peace to keep them safe.”
Wolfe expressed his hope that host families will step up in Monroe to help two other students.
The Wolfe pack
Wolfe was an exchange student himself through the Rotary Club, staying at a host family in Brazil’s home over 50 years ago. He and his wife, Rachel, have hosted three foreign exchange students over the years, including a young man from Brazil and young women from Turkey and Romania.
Wolfe said they talked about their different customs and it often made him think. Sometimes his family would do things they take for granted, only for the student to ask why they do it.
They also talked about some oddities with the English language like words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, like “bear” and “bare,” and how letters are sometimes pronounced a different way.
“Obviously, having someone you don’t know in your home, not for a day or two, but for a few months can be odd and awkward in the beginning,” Wolfe said. “But the kids are looking for stability, connections and family. Families embrace the students and really do consider them to be part of the family.”
He said there will likely be times when a student does something you don’t like. “What I’ve told the families is, you tell them you don’t like it, just as you would your own kid,” Wolfe said.
Years ago, he said the student from Brazil visited and it was like he never left. “We had a nice time,” Wolfe said. It was interesting to hear his comments on being here and he was able to reflect back on it.”
When Wolfe was an exchange student, he lived with a family in Brazil. In 2016 he attended his host brother’s son’s wedding and in 2002 Wolfe’s family went to the medical graduation of one of his host sisters.
“Her parents came to my daughter Carly’s bat mitzvah,” he said.
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