{"id":9664,"date":"2023-02-01T15:47:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T20:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=9664"},"modified":"2023-02-01T15:47:12","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T20:47:12","slug":"greenheart-exchange-opening-hearts-and-doors-to-exchange-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/ponte-vedra\/greenheart-exchange-opening-hearts-and-doors-to-exchange-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenheart Exchange: Opening hearts and doors to exchange students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wendy Cruff became a host mom last year for Greenheart Exchange after seeing an ad seeking host families in her church bulletin at St. James Catholic Church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was calling to me,\u201d said Cruff, whose adult daughter had been an exchange student in Taiwan. \u201cI saw how much being an exchange student helped her grow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against that backdrop, Cruff accepted two students into her home \u2014 Matilde from Italy in September and Yohan from Brazil in October. They attend Baymeadows Charter School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like I have gained a heart full of joy,\u201d said Cruff. \u201cI feel a lot of gratitude to give them these experiences, and I feel blessed to have two students who bring so much joy into my home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruff, who has two adult children and four grandchildren, said she tries to provide as many fun experiences for the students as possible. Some highlights and firsts so far: Watching their first live performance by seeing \u201cThe Nutcracker,\u201d watching a Jaguars football game (which just happened to be the game against the Tennessee Titans), attending a Jumbo Shrimp baseball game, going to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, and seeing St. Augustine Nights of Lights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis really is a bonding experience,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenheart Exchange is a part of Greenheart International and provides students with an opportunity to have an American high school experience and to be fully immersed in the English language. Since 1985, Greenheart Exchange has placed more than 25,000 International exchange students with host families in the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruff credits Greenheart Exchange local coordinator Wanda Cox with providing a very strong support system for host families in the area and for making the entire process easy on everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox first became involved with hosting exchange students with Greenheart Exchange while in Connecticut, filling a temporary housing need for two students from China and a student from Spain for three summer programs. When she moved to Florida a year and a half ago, Cox saw a job posting to be the local coordinator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt spoke to me,\u201d said Cox, who also hosted a student from Germany last year for a school year. \u201cOur family has grown, and our hearts have been expanded from these experiences.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox helps to find host families for international high school students for a full or partial school year, depending on the needs of the exchange student. Students come from a range of cultures and backgrounds with more than 60 countries represented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to finding a host family, Greenheart Exchange also must find a school to accept the student. Currently, Greenheart Exchange students are enrolled at Beachside High, Fleming Island High, Matanzas High, and several Jacksonville charter schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox said prospective host families need only have \u201ca willingness to open their hearts and home\u201d to an exchange student. The basic requirements for host families are to provide a bed, three meals, local transportation, and a welcoming family atmosphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA host family could be a single parent, someone who is retired, an empty nester, or a big family,\u201d said Cox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step is to fill out an application where families can express their interests and indicate a country preference, she said. From there, a background check will be conducted, and references will be checked with the goal of finding a safe and loving environment for the student. In addition, Cox checks in with both the student and family throughout the school year to make sure everything is going smoothly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce you have the experience, it just opens your heart and makes you want to keep doing it,\u201d said Cox. \u201cIt is very exciting for the student and the family to make these memories.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Cox, the experience makes the world seem a little smaller and gives her the opportunity to witness the excitement of someone trying new things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, one student got to ride a go-kart for the first time, another really wanted to try Cheetos and another really loved having a Dr. Pepper soda, s\u2019mores, and sweet potato fries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox said that bonding also takes place with the parents of the student, often becoming an extension of the family with a lifelong connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, important to note, said Cox, is that the exchange student will have their own health insurance and a regular monthly amount of money to cover outside expenses such as school sports, uniforms and trips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are not expected to be a tour guide. There are lots of free and affordable things to do in Florida,\u201d she said. \u201cMost of these students are quite worldly with a great sense of independence and self-sufficiency in many ways.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Author\u2019s note: Greenheart Exchange is currently accepting host family applications for the 2023 \u2013 24 school year. For more information, call Cox at (904) 588-2338 or go to www.hostwithgreenheart.org.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo courtesy Wanda Cox\u00a0
Greenheart Exchange students at a recruiting fair.<\/em>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tiffany Merlo Phelpsmail@floridanewsline.com Wendy Cruff became a host mom last year for Greenheart Exchange after seeing an ad seeking host families in her church bulletin at St. James Catholic Church.  \u201cIt was calling to me,\u201d said Cruff, whose adult daughter had been an exchange student in Taiwan. \u201cI saw how much being an exchange […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9664","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ponte-vedra"},"yoast_head":"\nGreenheart Exchange: Opening hearts and doors to exchange students - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ponte Vedra NewsLineBy Tiffany Merlo Phelpsmail@floridanewsline.com Wendy Cruff became a host mom last year for Greenheart Exchange after seeing an ad seeking host families\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/ponte-vedra\/greenheart-exchange-opening-hearts-and-doors-to-exchange-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Greenheart Exchange: Opening hearts and doors to exchange students - 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