Resident honored for commitment to exchange student program

Lowcountry resident Anne Schaffer recently joined more than 500 EF Foundation for Foreign Study International Exchange Coordinators (IECs) for a fun and informative weekend in Dallas, TX.
Attendees, including Schaffer, were recognized for their strong commitment to high school student exchange and had an opportunity to celebrate the year’s accomplishments.
In 2012, EF Foundation international exchange coordinators placed nearly 3,000 exchange students from 25 countries with host families across the United States.  
In Schaffer’s position as an international exchange coordinator, she is supporting a priority United States foreign policy goal of expanding communications between U.S. citizens and people from other countries. She, along with EF Foundation’s full-time professional staff, is responsible for matching enthusiastic students with nurturing host families, enrolling them in high school and providing students, schools and host families with ongoing guidance and support throughout the year-long exchange experience.
 “It was really great going to Dallas,” said Schaffer. “I was able to meet other coordinators from all over the country to celebrate high school foreign exchange.  It’s amazing to see how many American schools and families already value the cultural benefits and opportunities that hosting a student can bring.  While I already have five local schools participating this year, I would love to see more participation throughout Charleston and the Low Country.”
EF Foundation is currently looking for families to open their homes to an exchange student for the 2013-2014 school year. 
For more information about the program, contact Anne Schaffer at Anne.Schaffer@effoundation.org.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, EF Foundation for Foreign Study is the leader in high school exchange. Committed to promoting international understanding and global awareness for over 30 years, EF Foundation brings more students to the United States each year than any other high school exchange program.
Since 1979, the organization has matched more than 100,000 enthusiastic students from around the world with caring host families across the United States. EF Foundation is designated by the United States Department of State as an Exchange Program Sponsor. To find out more information about EF Foundation, visit effoundation.org.