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For more information on each
state, click below:
Regional Presence:
Region 5 encompasses the four states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky
and Indiana. The clusters in the 4 states vary in size, with Michigan
having the largest contingent of Au Pairs and host families. There
are 10 Community Counselors in Michigan, primarily located in the
northern suburbs of Detroit, with another grouping in Ann Arbor,
home of the University of Michigan and Lansing, the State Capital.
Kentucky is home to two clusters in Lexington and Louisville and
Indiana has a group in the Indianapolis region. Ohio accounts for
the second largest grouping of families and au pairs with 8 community
counselors spread across the entire state, with Cincinnati and Cleveland
having the biggest presence.
The community counselors have, for the most part, been with the
organization for over 5 years, which makes them seasoned veterans,
and knowledgeable in both cultural diversity and counseling. They
are also some of the most fun and spirited of 'social directors'
and hold numerous events and activities for their groups. They have
diverse educational and life experiences and bring those to bear
in relating to both young adult and family issues.
The Midwest region is home to a special quality of people and values,
and the host families, with support and encouragement from their
community counselors, are open, warm, and giving to the au pairs
who live in the area for their year in the program. With the rolling
hills and horse farms of Kentucky, the famous Indy 500 car race,
the car capitol of the world in Detroit and the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame and art museums of Cleveland, the region offers a wonderful
opportunity for au pairs to learn and live the American way of life.
Quarterly Message:
July 2008
All four of our states really began to blossom as Spring became a reality in April and activities and outings began to shine with the warmer weather.
Lexington, Kentucky had several great gatherings:
- April 19 – International Kite and Culture Festival – This was a great festival in Georgetown, KY, in conjunction with their sister city in Japan. Arts, crafts, kids’ activities, kids’ plays, lots of kites, and international food.
- April 27 – Cluster meeting – This was a "Spa Day" for the au pairs. It was hosted at a host family home. They had a hot hand wax machine (for softening hands) and lotions and finger nail polish and lip gloss. All au pairs got a door prize of lotion or finger nail polish or lip gloss. It was fun just doing girlie things – nails and talking!
- May 18 – Cluster meeting – The cluster met at a new Thai restaurant in Georgetown, KY. Four of the au pairs are from Thailand and knew the family who had just opened the restaurant. The food was great. They talked about APIA Advantage, upcoming cluster meetings, and activities. One au pair rode her bike 25 miles to the lunch and then rode home again – another 25 miles – after lunch!
- June 22 – Cluster meeting – They will meet at a host family home for a day of hiking in the woods, tennis, hot tubs, etc. And of course, they plan on making s’mores!
Michigan had a myriad of activities across the state:
In Lansing, our state capital:
- April 20 – the community counselor had a lunch meeting in her home and invited Judge Rosa Aquaalina, who put together a safety program/presentation with the local police. The Judge is also a “mystery writer,” so she brought some of her novels and they had a book signing session (with free books!). They were joined by the Grand Rapids cluster for the day.
- May 18 – the cluster en masse attended the East Lansing Art Fair. The entire downtown area was dedicated to showing the artwork of over 200 artists from across the country. They finished with a delicious lunch at an outside patio that is one of their favorite hot spots.
- June 1 – Annual Au Pair Cultural event: attended by over 200 girls from all the clusters in Michigan – this event continues to be the ever-popular and exercise-filled barn dance and hayride. The ranch has been hosting line and square dancing, hayrides and pizza for over a dozen years, and it is the highlight of the au pair social events. Even the counselors dance ‘til they drop! The au pairs laugh a lot, dance their feet off, stuff themselves with yummy hot pizza slices, and see friends they haven't seen since Orientation (some au pairs room together there but end up in different clusters).
Activities in the other suburban Detroit clusters included:
- April 20 – there was a very unusual volunteer opportunity for the Ann Arbor group, who were able to attend/work at the appearance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Crisler Arena.
- April 20 – Ann Arbor also had an afternoon cluster meeting at Bandemer City Park where a Fire Circle is available (to build a sit-around-the-circle bon fire), along with a newly added Frisbee Challenge area. There were lots of offers to teach our au pairs how to throw the Frisbee on this new course!
- May 25 – Greenfield Village. This is a great visit to an outdoor museum of “old” America's towns, shops, smithies, bicycle shops, candy stores, etc., of 100 years ago (much like Williamsburg for folks on the East coast).
Indiana had a great spring:
- April was time for Girl Talk. The cluster met at Starbucks, and the topics were anything and everything. We learned about what classes au pairs liked and which ones they didn't, who was planning what great vacation for the summer, and who had taken a great vacation with their host family over spring break. They also took the opportunity to welcome our newest au pair additions. They talked and talked and talked.
- May was rained out. Our original plan was to attend an Indianapolis Indians baseball game, but it was a miserably cold and rainy day. So, in true APIA form, they quickly altered plans and had a great time inside at Pottery By You, getting their creative juices flowing decorating ceramic souvenirs of the Au Pair in America experience. A great time was had by all.
- June was the annual au pair cook-out at the counselor’s house. We were "All American" this year with brats, hotdogs, hamburgers, and lots of extras. We had some fun picnic games (au pair bingo is always a favorite), and as in years past, anyone who wanted to go horseback riding was welcome to. More often than not horseback riding turns into sitting on a horse and having your picture taken so you can share this with friends and family back home. It's still terrific fun!
And from Ohio:
In the Cleveland area:
- April – they had an au pair bowling event with a huge turnout. The bowling alley let the group bring in birthday cake, so they did a birthday cake celebration.
- May - they had a host mom/au pair Mexican fiesta at a local Mexican restaurant. We had over 40 people – great turnout. Food does bring everybody together! This is an annual event and one cherished by the host families and au pairs alike.
- June – a golf lesson at a local Country Club was followed by a light supper at a host family’s home. Tiger Woods – look out!
In the Cincinnati area where there are two clusters:
- April – the group went to the Annual Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory. The conservatory is a historic building with hundreds of plants, and they fill it with thousands of butterflies for the show.
- May – the au pairs went to Jungle Jims for a guided tour and free samples of international cuisine. This is a very famous international grocery store with a "carnival" atmosphere, and the au pairs love to shop there because they are guaranteed to find their favorites from their home country.
- June – the two clusters gathered for a group bicycle ride on Loveland Bike Path, a 70 mile path that runs along the Little Miami River. Au pairs were invited to bring their own bikes or rent one (and no, they did not ride the whole 70 miles)! Some of the Kentucky au pairs joined in the fun!
Regional Representative:
Donna Hanley Crudder has been part of the Au Pair in America family
almost from its inception. She was the second Community Counselor
hired in Michigan and from a base of 4 families in 1987 organized
and managed a cluster of 50+ in the Ann Arbor, MI area.
Donna has a great deal of experience working with cultural diversity,
problem solving techniques and commiunication strategies. She became
the Regional Representative of Midwest Region 5, which encompasses
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, after serving in the community
counselor role for 13 years.
She has held numerous other positions with both community based
non-profits, as well as large manufacturing companies, where she
led organizational learning and change management strategies to
a global workforce. She has traveled extensively with her jobs to
Europe, Japan, India, and South America and feels that these opportunities
have afforded her insights and information into the different perspectives
and cultures that make up the Au Pair world.
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