LAGUNA NIGUEL : Student Exchange Group Needs Homes

Host families are needed for exchange students from several countries who are scheduled to visit Orange County in the coming months.

Volunteers would be asked to open their homes for the 1994-95 school year or for just a few weeks under student group visits run by the International Exchange Foundation.

The most immediate need is short-term housing for a group of high school students from Thailand who will be visiting Orange County in April. Several French students are scheduled in July.

Finding people willing to provide housing for even a two- to four-week stay can be difficult, said Lila Brumbeck, a regional coordinator for the exchange foundation.

“The truth is, everyone thinks that foreign exchange student programs are a good thing. But when it is actually time to volunteer, few families actually do, even for short programs,” Brumbeck said. “Once they do it, though, they find the experience enriching.”

“Many of my host families have made lasting friendships with the families” of the exchange students, she said.

Brumbeck also hopes to find accommodations for students from Croatia and Egypt who will be going to an Orange County high school next year.

“Right now, I am seeking host families for two teen-age girls . . . a Croatian 16-year-old who is fond of philosophy and music and speaks four languages, and an Egyptian 15-year-old who is fluent in three languages,” Brumbeck said.

The exchange students are usually between 15 to 18 years old and speak English. They have their own expense money and carry full accident and health insurance.

For information about the program, call (714) 362-0810.