The Light - An Alumni Publication Summer 2015 | Page 2

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
YFU for Life – Continuing the Legacy
There is a wonderful 2013 documentary titled “Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago”
chronicling the real-life journey of a group of hikers as they make the arduous, 500-mile trek to the shrine
of St. James in Galicia, Spain. Each comes to the journey for his or her own reasons, but the universal truth
is that something transformative happens to these wanderers, these pilgrims along the path. In the act
of journeying itself, these men and women find a deeper meaning about life and are forever altered.
This issue of The Light chronicles a similar adventure: stories of YFU students who said “yes” to
the adventure of a lifetime and, in so doing, changed the course of their own lives for years
to come. I hope you enjoy the stories of teenagers from decades past who now carry the core
values of YFU with them as they continue their journeys of discovery in their adult lives.
One of YFU’s most critical values is “caring: personal and people oriented.” I hope you’ve had a chance
to read the blog post of one of our Trustees, who we featured in the last issue of The Light. Andrew
Towne was hiking Mount Everest as a fundraiser for YFU when the earthquakes and avalanches hit. True
to form, Andrew, who thankfully was not hurt, spent the next days caring for those injured on the
mountain. I couldn’t be more proud that this incredible selflessness showed up under the banner of
YFU. Andrew demonstrated the best of what we hope to produce in all of our program participants.
Our alumni continue to inspire and amaze. For those who contributed stories to this issue,
thank you for sharing your journey. For those yet to come, we look forward to meeting you
on the path of life and to hearing how YFU shaped you then, now and in the future.
With every best wish,

Michael E. Hill
President & Chief Executive Officer

SAVE DATE
THE

2015 YFU GALA
& ALUMNI REUNION

GALA

REUNION

Cocktails @ 6 pm
Dinner @ 7 pm

Culture, food, music and
city-wide activities.

October 8

October 9-11

LOCATION

YFU USA National Headquarters
641 S St. NW
Washington, DC 20001

TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND LEARN MORE,
GO TO YFUUSA.ORG/GALA