Au Pair Makes a Donation to Locks of Love

With the simple act of getting a haircut, CHI Au Pair Angela Fiore was able to extend her care beyond her host family's children, and do something to help children around the world  

Italian au pair Angela Fiore enjoys many of the typical activities of a CHI Au Pair USA participant.  She spends time with her host family, plays games with the children, and explores her new American surroundings.  She's also done one other thing, however, that's not so typical.  Taking inspiration from her host family, she decided to cut her hair, and donate it to Locks of Love. This simple, yet meaningful, act of charity has helped make Angela stand out as an extraordinary au pair participant.

Angela, 26, enrolled in the CHI Au Pair USA program because of her love for children and her desire to improve her English. She considered applying to an American college, but decided against it because she thought that being away from her home town of Torino , by herself, would be too lonely. She was thrilled when she came across the CHI Au Pair USA program. Angela's younger sister was already living with her own host family in Japan and let Angela know how wonderful it was. Two months into her program, Angela completely agrees. Angela says "Live with a family. It is the best way to learn about a language and a culture".     

Angela lives with the Williams family from Fredericksburg , Virginia. Angela has been entrusted with the care of the family's two daughters, Madeline and Rosa.   Angela reports that the Williams' really see her as a member of the family, and she feels like she is fitting right in. They have done a good job of helping her adjust to her new life in America. She has made such a connection with Madeline and Rosa that the girls went out of their way to cheer her up when she was homesick. They gave her a few small gifts and told her that they would feel the same way if they were in her shoes. Angela feels lucky that the Williams family chose her to be their au pair.    

Soon after Angela arrived Mrs. Williams and her daughters went to the hair salon.The young Rosa returned home with her hair in a bag.   Angela accompanied her host family to the post office where they mailed Rosa 's hair to Locks of Love, "a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children".   Their mission is to " return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children ". www.locksoflove.com

Angela was struck by the kindness shown by her host family, and couldn't wait to share the information with her own mother back in Italy .   Needless to say, Angela's mom thought it was a fantastic idea. She pointed out that her daughter had long and beautiful hair and could do that same thing that Rosa did. This gave Angela the courage that she needed to step into a hair salon and say "I want to donate my hair to a beautiful child that may need it". Today, Angela has no regrets whatsoever, and even inspired her sister and her friend to donate their hair as well. Angela continues to enjoy her time with her host family and is extremely grateful that little Rosa was able to be a catalyst for such generosity.  

Rosa was an au pair with CHI Au Pair USA: http://www.chiaupairusa.org/news.asp#2

Cultural Homestay International (CHI) is a non-profit, public benefit, educational organization. For over 25 years, CHI has offered programs including the Group Homestay Program, Academic Year Program, Internship Training, USA Work & Travel, Camp USA and CHI Au Pair USA.

CHI's mission is to bring people of diverse cultures together so those who participate gain a greater knowledge and understanding of one another. CHI believes that the best way to learn about the cultures languages and customs of other countries is through international educational exchanges and homestay programs.

CHI's main administrative office is located in the northern California community of San Anselmo, just north of San Francisco. All CHI's personnel are committed to the ideals of international exchange and friendship.

To learn more about our exciting and multi-faceted programs, including outbound educational travel opportunities for Americans, please visit CHI's main website at: www.chinet.org

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Contact us at:
CHI Au Pair USA
104 Butterfield Road
San Anselmo, California 94960-1560
Phone: 415-459-5397
FAX: 415-459-2182
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