May 28, 2015 Meeting of West Bay Rotary

Terry Bregy introduced International Recruitment Specialist Lauren Kelly from the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), headquartered in Portland. The program started in 1961 with the Fulbright Hayes Act, and CIEE became a sponsor, then with mostly students from western Europe and it has progressively moved east in terms of student participation.

663 Students are currently in Maine, from Bar Harbor to Old Orchard Beach. She spoke about the Summer Work to Travel program for t he purpose of diplomacy and cultural exchange. They place students in areas with seasonal workforce needs in the tourism and recreation (not agricultural or manufacturing) industries.

They act as a “sponsor” for the J-1 Visa program for the US State Department, a cultural exchange visa with a work component. All participating students are enrolled university students, with an average age of 22. They can work up to 4 months and not past October 1 (in Maine). A big focus of their employment goals are improving their English proficiency. To qualify for the program, they have to have an upper level pf proficiency in English, and be high-level academic performers.

Students come from all across the globe, and depending on which side of the equator, are here for our summer or theirs during their school breaks. It is a participant fee program, so students pay for the service, ranging from approximately $1,500 to $2,000.

Gary Walker presented the Rotary quiz, illuminating many historic facts and current Rotary census data.

Peter Berke updated the club on the Duck Derby last Saturday. All 2500 tickets sold, and the event netted in excess of $9,000.

Next week's speaker is Abigail Matlack, a student at Camden Hills Regional High School, to talk about a recent trip to do medical humanitarian work in South America with her mother and aunt.