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PUTNAM NEWS
Lions host youth exchange program
SCOTT DEPOT -- Lions Clubs International adopted a Youth Exchange Program in 1961 "to create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world."
The Lions of West Virginia adopted a program in 1984, and it has been active since. In the mid-'90s, the Scott/Teays Lions Club initiated an annual picnic for the Youth Exchange kids. The picnic is held on Aug. 2 at the Wave Pool Park in Hurricane, and the Park provides free pool passes for the youth. In the past, the Club has had a covered dish dinner but this year, the main dish was pizza.
Six youth exchange kids attended this year with their host families. Three are from Finland and three are from Japan. They were: Roosa Oksanen (Finland) hosted by Mark and Sharon Belcher of Bridgeport; Niina Salo (Finland) hosted by Clay and Linda Ott; Emilia Niemi-Korpi (Finland) hosted by Bill and Ruth Griffith of Spencer; Kanako Yano (Japan) hosted by Johnny and Sandy Thaxton of Hurricane; Aimi Tsunekawa (Japan) hosted by David and Kim Trader of Culloden and Eriko Hiromatsu (Japan) hosted by Jack and Cheryl Knox of Cameron.
The picnic is always held on the first Saturday in August because it is the day after the Japanese arrive and the day before the Finnish leave for home. The West Virginia Lions exported five students this summer to Australia, Finland and Japan.
The Scott/Teays Lions Club was the Host Club this year for Kanako and Aimi. They and their host families were invited to an August dinner meeting of the club, where they were presented with gifts and the girls presented the club with banners and pins from their host clubs in Japan. The Scott/Teays Club has been the host club for this program for about 14 years.
