Thank you Rotary!

My dad has been a member of Kelowna Sunrise Rotary Club for a number of years now and Rotary has had a huge influence on my life.

My parents have hosted 5 exchange students, starting with Marie from France who stayed with us when I was 11. We've stayed in touch with Marie (I have seen her twice in France and Mom and Dad just visited her and her family in September). as well as our two brazilian sisters Ana Lu and Isis.

I thought Rotary Exchange was great and in Grade 12 applied to the program. In July 1999 I was on my way to Haderslev, Denmark for a year. I stayed with three wonderful families, attended school there and learned Danish. That year was pivotal for me. It opened up the world for me and made me eager to seek out opportunities to see and live in other parts of the world. I gained a huge amount of confidence that year and learned so much about myself and what I was capable of doing. I think it's safe to say without Rotary and their Youth Exchange Program I would never have considered going to Kenya.

I spoke to Kelowna Sunrise Rotary in December 2007, right after my first trip to Nairobi. This summer I presented to them again in hopes of getting them on board with my project for Mama Tunza's Children's Home. I am happy to say thank you to them for their generous donation of $500, which brings total donations to $2500, half way to the end goal. Thank you very much!