Miss Mathenia chosen for Australian trip

The Messenger 09.16.09
Kaycee Mathenia, daughter of Mike and Peggy Mathenia of Union City and an eighth-grader at Lake Road School, has been accepted as a People to People Student Ambassador.
As such, she will be traveling with the group to Australia next summer on the 20-day Australian Adventure program. Upcoming fund raisers to help fund Miss Mathenia’s efforts will be scheduled locally.
People to People was started in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who called a special White House conference to launch the initiative. His experiences as a World War II general had taught the president that “the peace lies, when you get down to it, with all the peoples of the world and not just with some political leader. ... If all the peoples are friendly, we are going to have peace.”
Eisenhower knew it was direct interaction between ordinary citizens around the world that would truly produce world peace and cultural understanding. As a result, People to People has always focused on firsthand experiences with other cultures, giving young people a sense of what it means to be a good neighbor and a global citizen. The programs are unique, face-to-face journeys that show students the world through fun, challenging, life-changing activities in the communities and lives of other cultures.
Nine U.S. presidents have served as honorary chairmen of People to People International, including President Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson, President Richard Nixon, President Gerald R. Ford, President Ronald Reagan, President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush.

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