Tag Archives: Cluster activities

AAA Winter Driving Class for Au Pairs

Over 70 Au Pairs filled a room at the Potomac Community Center on Thursday night to better their winter driving skills with a presentation by AAA MidAtlantic’s Joe Beddick. Joe showed the girls a film with lots of  vehicles slipping and sliding and also instructed the Au Pairs what to keep in their car: cat litter or ice melting salt, blanket, first aid kit. He alerted us all that there are some key things to pay attention to especially in winter: properly inflated tires, filling washer fluid, and more. Photos of what it means to clean off a car with snow i.e., no snow left on top and all windshields, lights and mirrors completely cleared off.

Each Au Pair departed with a AAA booklet on Winter Driving Safety and a custom-made Au Pair in America Ice Scraper to keep in her purse should she need to clear off a car.

I think we all learned a lot…and possibly just in time!  🙂

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Our 12th Year in the Potomac Day Parade

DSCF0835 resizedDSCF0834 resized cropDSCF0848 resizedThe announcers welcomed back the Au Pair in America group for the 12th year!  A group of au pairs marched in the parade on Saturday 10/22/11 and gave prizes and coloring books to children along the route. While waiting for the parade to begin, the girls delighted in meeting the Chick-Fil-A cow. It was a wonderful day and and we were all proud to represent the au pairs of the Potomac Shoreline Cluster.DSCF0844 resizedDSCF0846 resizedDSCF0840 resizedAPDC0126 resize

Au Pairs Brave Halloween Haunted Forest

DSC01751 resizedIt was a dark and stormy night….actually it was a dark and beautiful night out in Dickerson at Markoff’s Haunted Forest.  Au Pairs huddled together as they entered the forest which was described as the “scariest ever”. An experience none of the au pairs will forget!

Happy Halloween!APDC0115 resize

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Au Pairs Learn About Fire Safety & Meeting Points

APDC0008 resizePotomac Shoreline Cluster Au Pairs (Bethesda, Cabin John, Glen Echo and Potomac) on September 20th visited the Cabin John Firehouse #10 on River Road for a lesson in fire safety including: when to phone 911, importance of a family having a meeting point outside the house in the event of a fire, locating 2 exits from the home, what to do in a power outage, what to do in the event of flooding roads etc.

After the girls asked questions and learned a lot of new and useful safety tips, several au pairs were selected to put on the fire gear in 1 minute or less. That gear is HEAVY!!

Then au pairs were invited to explore the fire trucks and to take photos. That was a lot of fun!

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Victoria Finishes Bike Ride in Utah & Raises $5600 for Leukemia

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Victoria trained from May to October to do her first-ever 100 mile bike ride in Moab Desert, Utah – the “Moab Century” on 9/17/11.

Moab Team full frame Color Caption She was raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via Team in Training Cycling in memory of her dad and aunt who both died young form Leukemia. Victoria exceeded her FundraiIMG_3088ning minimum of $3400 with donations from friends and family of $5600!!

Au Pairs Organize and Participate in a 5k Walk for Leukemia

I was so surprised and happy when a few au pairs came to me saying they wanted to organize a 5k walk for my Leukemia & Lymphoma ride in Moab Desert on 9/17/11. With a registration fee of only $5, a group of dedicated South African au pairs arrived at Starbucks in Potomac Village, set up a table and mapped out the route with Au Pair in America signs. We had about 20 walkers who came out on a Sunday noon – Au Pairs and Host families and a dog! Each walker received a water bottle, a kit kat for energy and a purple Leukemia & Lymphoma bracelet. With the registration fees and passers-by giving donations they raised an amazing $175!!

Thank you so much!DesereIMG-20110925-00067

Au Pair in America and Potomac Pizza – Potomac join together to raise money for Leukemia

Join Au Pairs, Host Families, friends and others who want to help raise money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Wednesday, August 10th 4-9pm at Potomac Pizza – Potomac Village only – where 20% of all eat-in or carry-out orders go directly to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Potomac/Bethesda, Au Pair in America Community Counselor, Victoria Paton, is raising funds for Leukemia & Lymphoma by riding a 100 mile ride in Utah on September 17, 2011.  She trains weekly (yesterday reaching her longest ever of 66 miles in Gettysburg, PA) and many Au Pairs said they want to help her raise money as their friends and family have also been affected by blood cancers. So we decided to eat some excellent American pizza and have a fun event also.

The event is open to the public, but Potomac Pizza requests that anyone wishing proceeds to go to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society print the attached flier or mention it at check-out.

Victoria replies to Host Family email on Blackberry at mile 34 rest stop near covered bridge

Victoria replies to Host Family email on Blackberry at mile 34 rest stop near covered bridge

Print flier to take to Potomac Pizza  http://potomac.patch.com/events/potomac-pizza-and-au-pair-in-america-fundraiswer-for-leukemia#pdf-7292310

Host Family/Au Pair Picnic June 2010 – Fun before the storm!

About 30 Host Families and Au Pairs attended the picnic at Great Seneca Park’s Doe Shelter. It was a hot and sunny day but the shelter provided some shade and we had lots of cool drinks. New Au Pairs made friends, old friends met again and host families and their children shared lunch, delicious desserts and the fun with each other.
FacepaintingImelda welcomes picnic-goers at registrationEnjoying the picnicLunchtime!A custom balloon sculpture by BartiraWearing a heart balloonIeva and Kerry welcome newly-arrived MaryAdorable triplets enjoy some shade with momVisitors to Latvian table chat with Kerry

Au Pairs from Latvia had put together a great table with great posters about their wonderful country and a computerized slide show. Ieva and Kerry both cooked for hours on the morning of the event to prepare Latvian food that everyone could try: soup, cake, etc. DELICIOUS! Thank you! We now have 2 Latvian au pairs with Alisa to arrive in July and Zane in August.

Children played on the playground, enjoyed face painting done by Imelda’s daughter and friend, participated in a raffle of Au Pair items, and lined up for balloon sculptures made for each child of an item of request (crown, heart, sword, bunny etc.) by our own Brazilian Au Pair, Bartira Frank. Thank you!!!

Then we all heard the thunder, but a park ranger came by and told us that we had about 15 minutes to pack up the fun as a big storm was on the way. We all hustled and packed up JUST in time! A big storm did follow, but we had had almost 2 hours of our wonderful picnic.

Au Pairs Collect Hygiene Products for Haiti

At our cluster meeting on January 19th, many au pairs donated supplies to create hygiene packets for victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Here are some photos of au pairs and the great number of donations.IMG_1918

Here is the link for the organization that is sending the packages to Haiti.