When Alex Valentino, a resident of Taylor Avenue, and a student at Palm Harbor Middle School, heard about a chance to represent the Clearwater Sister City program as a Young Ambassador in Nagano, Japan, he told his parents he would do anything for a chance to go. They told him to earn money to help pay for the trip, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Alex is looking for odd jobs in the neighborhood. He can do yard work, run errands to nearby stores, and care for pets, among other things. The Clearwater Sister City program began in 1959 and the student exchange program began in 1990. Alex obtained teacher recommendations, wrote an essay, and completed an interview before he was invited to participate.
This summer Alex, along with a small group of local middle school students, will get a chance to experience Japanese culture by staying with a host family for one week and by visiting important cultural sites near Nagano the second week.
Please call Alex at 238-8909 to help you with odd jobs and to help send him on his way to Nagano.