This Is A Community Project???

Guest of Nambucca Heads Rotary Club for their part in hosting the People to People "Ambassadors".
Back Row: Marty Adams, Phil Atkinson, Ken Welsh, Nigel Elson, Rod Blair, Harry & Mrs (Hidden) Greenwood.
Middle Row: Katy Adams, Leanne Welsh, Carmel Elson, Jackie Blair
Front Row: Peter and Joe Lawler.

Hosting People to People by Special Projects Correspondent Frederick Millard.

When a club first thinks about hosting the People to People “ambassadors” from America. They usually decide it is a fundraising “project” and tend to not consider the community aspect of this great experience.

We at Nambucca heads have just hosted for our eighth year and would like to share with other clubs our views and ideas.

Forty young American students with four teachers from a state, but not representing any particular school arrive late afternoon. The bus pulls up and you greet these young people who are travelling Australia for 3 weeks to “see” as President Eisenhower planned the other peoples of the world.

The twenty two host families are there with you. They meet and greet and take their instant sons/daughters back to their homes.

The next day as a club you plan some events if needed, but at least a great get together in the late afternoon, a BBQ, a Party, a Dance anything that creates camaraderie.
The next morning you sadly meet the bus and farewell the young people who you will definitely miss. Job done Money raised, but is that all you have done.

You have exposed 22 new families in your community to another culture and to Rotary; you have brought into your region money from outside of your community and not had to sell one ticket. You have shown Americans something special about your area and its people. You have earned money to spend on the youth projects within your town/region and you have supported the concept that to see another people another country is to promote goodwill and understanding.

In the Nambucca region we have encouraged other organisations that need the funds to also host a PTP group and have assisted with contacts and ideas to assist them become more self funding. That also relieves the pressure on community groups to give from depleted coffers. Remember each coach results in $3,700.00 coming to the club.

Now, we in Nambucca regard our PTP in a very different way, and yes it is definitely community based. This meeting night we have invited the host families to our meeting as a thankyou at no cost of course. Ten couples have said yes, we wonder if any of them will want to join us now they know about us. THINK ABOUT IT.