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ent001330-209

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ent001330-209
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University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Libraries

A mbassadors for Friendship seeks to give select- ed*foreign%students an opportunity to come to jL JL. know ?╟╓America and its people while travel- ing for six weeks throughout the United States. Tour- ing in Rambler station wagons, donated by the American Motors Corporation,.the foreign students and their American tour coordinators visit homes, schools, churches, factories, farms, ranches, large cities and national parks, freely mingling with Amer- icans from all walks of life. Both formal interviews and chance meetings with politicians, civic leaders, policemen, teachers, traveling salesmen, entertain- ers, factory workers and members of minority groups give the Ambassadors an opportunity to exchange views with a cross-section of Americans. The students who participate in Ambassadors for Friendship are selected each year from appli- cants enrolled at American colleges and universities. Families, civic organizations, and international hos- pitality centers around the country are contacted by the Ambassador tour participants and Macalester's International Center for assistance in arranging home stays and tours of local industry, government agencies and other places of interest. Purposely, a portion of each tour is not pre-arranged in order to allow for flexibility and spontaneity. During such unplanned stops, the Ambassadors either camp out in park areas or rely on the hospitality and gener- osity of persons with whom they come in contact. Ambassadors For Friendship, founded in 1955 by Harry W. Morgan, is supported by hundreds of financial contributions from Americans who have heard about the program and feel it is an important key to international good will and friendship. Macalester College, through a special grant by Mr. DeWitt Wallace, co-Chairman of the Reader's Digest, also contributes to guarantee the success of each year's program. Funds are used to cover the cost of all gas and oil for the station wagons, meals for the students while traveling between communi- ties, and unforeseen emergencies. Participants pay personal expenses while on tour. The experience is unique and rewarding for those who travel and those who meet the Ambassadors along their journey. It is a ten thousand mile journey toward understanding, toward the building of bridges and the opening of doors between nations and individuals. It is not a "sell-America" campaign, nor a luxury vacation; it is ah opportunity to explore, to share, to grow, and to know America as it really is,