Yearly Archives: 2016

Congratulations to Manon Heijkamp for her outstanding Global Awareness presentations!

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Manon Heijkamp, an au pair from the Netherlands, shared her culture on November 10, 2016 with two 2nd grade classes at Gretchko Elementary School in West Bloomfield.
Manon volunteered as part of Au Pair in America’s Global Awareness Program, which is designed to foster a greater knowledge of diversity and bring multi-cultural understanding into the schools.
The students learned many things about the Netherlands – the small size of the country (the whole country could fit inside the state of  Michigan); special Dutch foods; popular sports; about some special Dutch holidays and other interesting facts.    The kids were surprised to learn many people ride their bikes to work and they have special large garages where they have to arrive early to be assured of a spot to park their bike.
 
Especially fun for the children was to learn how to speak Dutch.   Manon taught the 2nd graders how to say hi and bye, how to introduce themselves (I am…..) and how to say “how are you”  and a few other simple words.
Each child received a Global Awareness passport booklet to take home and a Netherlands flag sticker to start their passport book with The Netherlands.
Au Pair in America feels strongly about cultural diversity and sharing.   Their Global Awareness program offers something special to all of the participants.  For the children, it is an exciting experience to meet someone who comes from another country and learn many interesting facts.   For the au pairs, the Global Awareness program is an opportunity to volunteer in the community, share their culture (which makes them very proud) and learn more about American education.
Manon provides child care for 7 year old twins who were thrilled and proud to have their au pair come to each of their classrooms.  Manon enjoyed sharing her Dutch culture with their classmates and their two teachers.   Her enthusiasm and super friendly personality appealed to the kids making the whole experience even more special.

 

Bruna Cardoso wins award from Au Pair in America

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On June 12, our cluster honored Bruna Cardoso for winning the State of Michigan’s Au Pair Service Award.  She was presented with a lovely lucite plaque, an award certificate and a gift card.
Bruna entered the 2016 Au Pair in America contest and submitted her essay describing her volunteer work during her year and expressing the great personal satisfaction she derived from helping others.
Bruna volunteered regularly in her childrens school – assisting in reading and math and helping students who needed a little extra personal attention.  She also assisted at a holiday shop event, disability awareness and did a special Chinese presentation with her host mom to teach the kids about Chinese New Year which was very well received by everyone.
Bruna also participated in some other non-profit association volunteer work including helping for a Chinese New Year event at the FCC-MD (Families with Children from China – Metro Detroit)
In Bruna’s own words:   “Helping at these different kinds of volunteer work made me learn a little bit more about the Chinese New Year.   It’s  always great to learn about different cultures because it adds different values for ourselves.   Seeing how each culture has different walks of life teaches me great life lessons appreciating the differences we all have.”
Bruna plans to continue her volunteer efforts in year two as well.   She feels “Volunteer work is great for me, because it makes me feel like I really make a difference in the community. Seeing the smiling faces of people I help is the one of best feelings in the world.”
As a special treat for Bruna, her counselor made 3 kinds of brigideiros, a traditional Brazilian dessert, which everyone enjoyed.
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It’s Holiday Party Time Again: December 6, 2015

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For many years, it has been a tradition for Carol Benton and Linn Kereji, two local Au Pair in America counselors, to organize a holiday party for their au pairs. Both Carol Benton and Linn Kereji have worked for APIA for 22 years and every year have enjoyed this special event where au pairs from across the Metropolitan area come together to celebrate the December holidays.

The last few years the party has been held at Ginopolis’ restaurant where our group has been warmly welcomed by staff who understand the au pairs are far away from home and who go the extra mile to make the party special.

After a visit from our very own Santa, the au pairs had time to mingle with each other and play a few games before the luncheon began. Following the meal, some shared holiday customs from their country and more fun games were played – including some holiday trivia (no cell phones allowed!)

The highlight of the afternoon was our version of Project Runway. This year, there were 5 tables and each table selected a model. All 5 tables had the same materials given to them and with team effort, 5 lovely gowns were created. Each model walked down the runway while another table-mate described her outfit and the creative touches they added. The gowns were amazing and headpieces were all unique. Each had its own distinctive look and the accessories were really cute. The 5 models did a wonderful job and the designers did an equally wonderful job.

All of the au pairs enjoyed themselves and had a fun afternoon. Everyone left with big smiles, lots of photos and several goodies.

A big thank you goes out to the host parents since this event was made possible due to their generosity.

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