Julie Kjorsvik - I live in the beautiful State of Washington. I have a wonderful husband and three amazing children ages 15, 10 and 4. We were blessed to have adopted our youngest daughter from China who is a constant reminder that love has no boundaries. Our family is very active - there’s certainly never a dull moment around our house. As a child, my family hosted exchange students from various countries and as I began to raise my own children, I wanted them to be able to have the same amazing experience that I had. So my husband and I decided to dive into hosting exchange students when our first two children were only 2 and 7! To this day, we can’t figure out who benefited more each year…our exchange student or our family. Each experience brought different memories that will last a lifetime. We will always consider our students – “family”. In fact, each of our “kids” has remained in contact with us over the years and they are each planning to return “home” to visit us soon. I highly encourage you to become a part of this program. There is certainly no “typical” host family – all you have to have is an open heart and willing to share your own culture and traditions with a young person from another country. Who knows….you may soon have someone calling you their “family” and have a friendship that will last a lifetime.
 
Julie Kjorsvik
PEACE Program Coordinator
NW Services PEACE Program
Ellensburg, WA 98926
509-899-2623
kjorsvik@fairpoint.net