Announcing the Community Friends Program (formerly known as the Friendship Family Program)

May 16, 2012

For more than thirty years, Portlanders have been able to share their lives with Lewis & Clark international students through the Friendship Family Program. Through this program, international students have had opportunities to get off campus, practice their English in real world settings, and have authentic cultural experiences. Over time, the Friendship Family Program has grown and evolved. Because of this, the program needed a new name to better reflect the relationships that develop and the demographics of the program’s volunteers.  After a year of transition, Lewis & Clark is pleased to announce the Community Friends Program.

Through the Community Friends Program, international students will still be matched with local volunteers, who do something once or twice a month with Lewis & Clark’s international students, broadening and enhancing their experiences in the United States. The hope is that the students will be included in the volunteers’ normal activities, so that the students have a better understanding of what it is really like to live in the Pacific Northwest. These real-life experiences enable the students to easily share their culture with their Community Friends as well.

If you are a current volunteer, I thank you for your continued service to the Lewis & Clark community. If you are a past volunteer, I hope you will consider volunteering for the program again. New students arrive several times each year and new volunteers are always welcome, so please pass on information about this program to anyone who might be interested in spending a little time with an international student.

For more information, please see:  http://www.lclark.edu/programs/academic_english_studies/community_friends/