From LaVergne to Paris to Toulouse to LaVergne

LaVergne, France is a little north of Toulouse which is in the south of France. In July, a handful of very lucky teenagers and adult volunteers will travel there to spend a week in our European sister city. I went to a meeting tonight hosted by Angie Mayes and city adminsitrator Mark Moshea. Angie shared a brief itinerary which included a stopover in Paris and a week in host parents' homes.

Here's what we learned:

• The French speak fairly good English, so your child should be able to communicate.
• The cost is approximately $2,000 but the city is working to raise money to help offset these costs by half. We are looking for fundraising ideas to help out ... anyone have any suggestions?
• It is an opportunity of a lifetime, with the possibility that your child may get to travel to nearby Spain or Monaco. This is by no means guaranteed, but maybe possible.
• The French hosts try to place children in homes with other kids the same age.
• If you are interested, you should contact Angie at amayes@lavergne.org as soon as possible.
• Confirmation of travel and $100 deposit is due December 1st.
• A passport will be necessary and didn't sound too hard to do. Read about it here.

It may be hard to see, but Toulouse is southwest of the red star France. It's south of Bordeaux and west of Marseille. Let's see if this Mapquest.com link works.

If you have any interest in this at all, I encourage you to contact Angie as soon as possible! It really is an amazing program that our community offers!