August 1, 2016 is J Day – a day to celebrate international exchange!
J Day brings people together through volunteer work and fun opportunities to share culture and customs while doing something good for the community. This is a chance for American host families and international participants on cultural exchange programs like Au Pair in America to raise awareness about J-1 Exchange opportunities.
This year, Au Pair in America staff, host families and au pairs teamed up for a special Shoe Drive and festive gathering in honor of J Day.
For several weeks leading up to the event, shoes were donated by Au Pair in America staff and host families and collected at Au Pair in America headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
This past Saturday, everyone assembled at Camp Pa-Qua Tuck in Center Moriches, New York.
In addition to an afternoon of food, music and fun, J-1 Visa au pairs enjoyed working together with other volunteers to sort and clean all of the donated shoes which will be given to charities to help families in need.
Au Pair in America’s J Day festivities ran coast-to-coast across the country. Here we see participants celebrating in San Diego, California:
Thanks to everyone that helped make the J Day Shoe Drive such a success!
We can all help raise awareness about J Day on social media with the hashtags #CelebrateJDay and #EatPlayGive. We encourage you to post stories and pictures of fun times and special memories to let everyone know how great it is to share culture and customs through J 1 exchange.
Happy J Day everyone!
