AFS Seeking Host Families in Mayfield District

Grace Kassoff of Mayfield Heights said hosting an AFS exchange student was a great experience that other families should share.

"It's made a huge impact on my life," she said.

Grace and her husband, Greg, hosted a girl from Belgium, Emeline Barrea, for the past 10 months.

"It's really a nice experience. Actually, that's not the word for it, it's beyond nice," Kassoff said. "You're sharing a lot of things in a year. It's very rewarding."

Kassoff said that while Emeline was learning about our culture, she was also teaching them and sharing experiences. The Kassoffs, who are Jewish, hosted a Christmas celebration for Emeline.

"We put together a really nice holiday," she said.

She said it helped that has a diverse student body and Emeline made friends of various backgrounds – Asian, Lebanese and Dominican, among others.

However, Kassoff, who hosted three AFS students previously when she lived in University Heights, said it would have helped if there was another exchange student at Mayfield High.

"It's really nice when you get more than one family to host from a school. Especially if you're a new host family," she said.

AFS volunteer Krista Hawthorne said the plan is to have two students at Mayfield High next school year. She said 20 students will arrive in early August and are being placed on the east side, including five at Heights High, and the intent is to spread them around among several districts.

"The goal is to reach out and get as many people involved in the international community," Hawthorne said.

Students know some English and have their own spending money. AFS also assists with sending students on a trip to Washington, D.C., and New York city, so host families don't necessarily have to pay for vacation expenses.

"Host families basically provide room and board," Hawthorne said. "It's like having nephews or nieces staying with you. They do homework and help with chores – they live the full life of an American teenager."

Families interested in hosting a student can contact volunteer Adrienne Yelsky at adrienney@msn.com or 216-371-3733. More information is available at www.afsusa.org.

Hawthorne said host families don't need to have other children at home and all type of families make good hosts.

"People think that they're not the right kind of family to host. You don't have to have a big house – they can share a bedroom. You don't have to take them on big, fancy trips," she said.

Kassoff said the experience of hosting an AFS student is much like starting a new job.

"A lot of people are nervous. It's always different that first week," she said. But the rewards are worth the initial discomfort, she added.

"There's no experience like it," Kassoff said.