The Daily Bulletin Archive

The Buffalo Dortmund Sister City Student Exchange Program invites German high school students from our sister city of Dortmund, Germany, to spend three and a half months with a host family in the Buffalo area while attending high school. The program has been bridging the cultures between these two cities for 40 years. (President Katherine Conway-Turner hosted a reception for the Lord Mayor Ullrich Sierau along with a delegation of 18 members of government and higher education on April 15.) This year’s group will arrive on Sunday, August 19, and depart on Sunday, December 9. A host family's primary responsibility is to provide a bed, food, and encouragement to a student in what will prove to be an unforgettable experience.

The program offers activities scheduled throughout the duration of the student’s visit, and also includes funding for the participation of a host brother or sister for each activity, with some activities allowing more family members to attend. Events in past years have included Darien Lake, Sky High Adventures, white water rafting in Letchworth State Park, Niagara Falls, group dinners, tours of City Hall with a welcome from Mayor Byron Brown, sailing on Lake Erie, a Buffalo Sabres game, and an Aufwiedersehen (departure) dinner at the Anchor Bar. These activities are meant to build a sense of community within the group, and again come at no cost to the host family. The program also provides $600 to each host family, to make it easier on families to show their student around.

We are still in need of hosts for the following schools: St. Joe's, Mount Mercy, Bishop Timon, Sacred Heart, and Mount St. Mary's.

If you are interested in learning more about the program or how to host, please contact Lynn Engle, lecturer in the Modern and Classical Languages Department, (716) 989-8849.

What a tremendous opportunity for you and one of our Dortmund students to build lasting friendships and lifelong memories. Thank you for your interest in the program. Please consider becoming involved in bringing two very similar cities with two very similar groups of citizens closer together!