For the first time in many years, Allentown-West Rotary Club does not have a foreign exchange student participating in the Youth Exchange Program this year.

Students are selected the year before and go through a rigorous vetting process.

A young lady from Denmark was selected, host families were secured, and all was in place to welcome her this past August.

Unfortunately, she experienced a health emergency and was unable to follow through with her plans.

The club was therefore unable to fill the slot for this school year.

“We were very disappointed,” said Sue Weber, co-chairwoman, with her husband Bill, of the Youth Exchange Program. “During the process we had many points of contact with the young lady, and were looking forward to meeting her in person. It’s always such a personal connection. We become surrogate parents to all of our students.”

In fact, the Webers refer to their past exchanges students as “our Norwegian son” and “our Mexican daughter,” etc.

They stay in touch with all of them, and those who come back to the United States to visit always make time for a visit with the Webers in Upper Milford.

The Youth Exchange Program takes up a lot of the Webers, and the Allentown West Rotary Club’s time, so, with that program gone for this year, they have turned their efforts to recruiting in a different direction.

“We haven’t had an outgoing student in a few years,” Bill Weber said.

“We really want to send a student abroad.”

Allentown West Rotary has put out the call in the Parkland and Northwestern school districts for students ages 15-17 who are interested in studying abroad, making new friends, finding adventure, and exploring new opportunities.

“We try to choose a student who is going to be a junior, so that they will be back for their senior year,” Sue Weber said.

Once the contact is made, she will explain the costs involved (students’ families are responsible for airfare, insurance and a few other costs), the benefits (including a monthly stipend), and the steps in the process, beginning with the application.

Students will have a choice of from three to five of the 45 participating countries, and the Rotary District will do its best to match the student with his or her desired choice.

Last year’s incoming Youth Exchange student attended Northwestern Lehigh High School, which was quite a change from her school in Croatia.

In the student’s report to her home school, she wrote: “Who in their right mind wants to leave their family, friends, their whole life and travel in the land where they don’t know anybody and where people speak a different language? That certainly isn’t easy, but it is the best decision that I have made.”

She ended her report with these words: “If you have a chance to be an exchange student no matter how terrifying it may seem, grab that chance because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I promise you, life just gets better.

“I’ve been here for two months and I just want to stay here for the rest of my life. This country has stolen my heart for good and I will have a hard time going back home. When I first came here, life seemed like it’s not mine, like I’m living someone else’s life, in a movie. But now I know that this is my life. A life that I chose, and I will never regret it.”

For information, contact Sue Weber at 610-310-2409 or floraweber@aol.com.

Applications must be completed by the end of December.