Don Peters can't help himself. He gets emotional when remembering a dinner party that turned into a mini-international event.
Peters, a charter member (1987) of Sherwood Rotary club and the 2013-2015 president of Rotary's North American Youth Exchange Network (NAYEN), recalls the evening when the German exchange student living with him and his wife, Kay, had some friends over.
"Afterwards," Peters says, "our daughter commented, 'Dad, it was so neat to have three different languages being spoken at the dinner table.' That's kind of eye-opening in itself as far as your own family view of the world. She wanted to experience that -- to see something of the world. To see something different than what you find here in Arkansas, and the U.S. for that matter."
Retelling the tale in his country home northwest of Jacksonville causes Peters' voice to break. He chuckles and explains unapologetically, "When I do presentations, I get really involved and go off the deep end."
About that family dinner, Peters adds, "That was a unique experience. I didn't think of it as it happened, but that's what drives you. Those types of experiences happen to the [exchange] students. When they get together, there could potentially be nine different languages around the dinner table."
Along with Susan Chan, Peters is also the co-Youth Exchange Officer of Rotary District 6150, which covers central and northeast Arkansas. He is also a past president of the South Central Rotary Youth Exchange, an organization of 38 Rotary districts in 18 states, and the recipient of the prestigious "Service Above Self" award from Rotary International.
Peters, who recently retired as a manager for Entergy after almost 40 years, has been volunteering in the youth exchange program since 1999. That's when his older daughter, Emily, wanted to participate and Peters discovered there was no one running the program in his district.
Rotary struck volunteer gold when Peters signed up. Chan marvels at his energy and dedication.
"Don has worked incredibly long hours for Rotary Youth Exchange and its students," Chan says. "He never seems to get stressed. Frankly I don't know how he does it."
Chan recalls Peters' Herculean efforts in 2011 to gather 200 exchange students from all over the middle of the country for a Rotary International convention in New Orleans.
"The logistics involved were tremendous as were the plans to keep the students safe," Chan says. "But watching the students in their Rotary blazers carrying more than 200 country flags across the stage before 17,000 Rotarians from around the world brought tears to our eyes."
Safety is one of the main concerns for Rotary Youth Exchange. The program, which involves more than 8,000 students and 80 countries each year, is a study-abroad opportunity for young people ages 15 to 19 to spend anywhere from a few weeks (short term) to a full academic year (long term) as an international student hosted by local Rotary clubs.
Peters says that at any given time, he's keeping tabs on nine long-term and seven to nine short-term students for the district. But he has plenty of help.
"Our program strives to have two to three host families for each student," he says. "Each student may have 15 to 20 volunteers between host families and district support. It takes a lot of volunteers for each student. Everybody in support of that student is a volunteer."
It's also a rewarding experience for all concerned.
"Working with the youth provides energy and motivation for all those involved," Peters says. "That's because they know the effect the program has not only upon the students who actually participate, but the host families and all the people with whom they interact. It's a long-term, lifelong effect."
That effect has lasting international implications far beyond the dinner table.
"Rotary believes that these cultural exchange programs will be the path through which peace and world understanding is achieved. One of our past presidents said if every 17-year-old went on an exchange, there would not be any more wars because they would all gain a perspective in addition to their own culture."
Central Arkansas will witness four days of that international perspective Feb. 19-22 when NAYEN holds its annual conference at North Little Rock's Wyndham Hotel. There will be about 300 visitors representing 15 to 20 countries, all networking, attending educational sessions and making memories.
"It is a great exposure for the Little Rock area for these people from all these countries to come," Peters says. "Not only for our foreign partners, but also for partners from around the United States who have never been to Arkansas."
Peters urges those interested in learning more about Rotary Youth Exchange to check out the website Rotary6150.org and click on the "Youth Programs" link.
High Profile on 02/01/2015