The Suffolk County cluster of Au Pair in America meeting in September was filled with au pairs and with important information. Cindy Garruba, Senior Community Counselor advised all host families to make sure their au pair attended this important meeting.
All summer long Au Pairs were arriving in Suffolk County. Some of them came to families whose former au pair had completed her time as an au pair and was heading home to her own country. Some were coming to new host families! Along with au pairs who have been in the country several months, the new au pairs gathered at Cindy Garruba’s home. They had lessons on safe driving led by Cindy, always a high priority for all au pairs. Cindy also taught the au pairs about managing the needs of their host children going back to school; things like handling the stressful morning on school days, safe trips to the bus stop, communicating with school through the back pack, and advice from teachers.
Along with the valuable lessons learned, the au pairs also had a chance to talk about themselves. They each told the group their name, their country, when they arrived in the USA, where their host family lives in Suffolk County, how many and the ages of their host children. The group includes au pairs from Europe, Asia and South America. Everyone made new friends!
People come from as close as Connecticut and as far as California. Perfectly bonding with the diverse population of New York City, people also come from Europe, Asia and Africa, to join in the festivities. Some travel in groups, they commute by bus, some fly in, and others simply drive hundreds of miles. No one wants to be left out of this party, which is now considered the world’s biggest Brazilian event outside Brazil and one of the greatest ethnic events in the Big Apple.
Cowboys and cowgirls will ride into Old Bethpage Village Restoration Saturday for an event billed as the “Gunfight at the Gulch,” the group’s second Long Island match of the season. 
On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO) praised the Department of State’s Au Pair Program on Friday in a statement on the floor of the House of Representatives. Carnahan noted that the Au Pair Program not only broadens “global understanding through a sharing of culture, language, and religion,” but also provides au pairs with the opportunity to be “active contributing members of their American community.”
For over 40 years Earth Day has mobilized and motivated people and organizations around the world to demonstrate their committment to environmental protection. 
On Saturday, April 2nd the Long Island Clusters of Au Pair in America went to NYC to see the new Broadway show “Baby It’s You!” The show is in previews and officially opens April 27th. We all loved the show which featured songs made famous by the Shirelles. 
BABY IT’S YOU! is the original Broadway musical inspired by the true story of Florence Greenberg, a suburban housewife from New Jersey, who discovered one of the greatest girl groups of all time, The Shirelles, and created Scepter Records, becoming the music industry’s first female powerhouse.