Posted: 7/19/06
Chisago Co. athlete to represent US as a People to People ambassador in Holland
 Gwen Vitalis of Shafer will travel to Holland this week as an ambassador in the People to People Ambassador Program. |
Gwen Vitalis, a soccer player and student who recently finished 5th grade at Taylors Falls Elementary School and the daughter of Wade and Carol Vitalis of Shafer, Minn., has been accepted into the People to People Ambassador Program.
Vitalis, who has been playing U11 soccer and ran the Lindstrom Loppet this past Saturday in preparation, will be heading to Holland on July 20 for 10 days.
She will be competing in the 22nd annual Haarlem Cup as part of the Youth Friendship Games.
In Hollandís #1 tournament, held in the medieval towns of Haarlem and Heemstede, there will be teams from 25 countries including Holland, Spain, Hungary, Brazil, England, Scotland, Ireland, Demark, Sweden, Finland, Poland and Sudan, to name a few.
In addition to building athletic skills, Vitalis will take part in this exciting cultural exchange by taking on a community service project, exploring some of Amsterdamís 500 miles of canalís, visiting the Anne Frank house and Dutch wind mills and biking through the ancient village of Volendam.
Vitalis will be met overseas and accompanied by a team of experienced coaches and teacher-leaders.
The athletic delegation will be escorted by a local delegation manager who coordinates the cultural and recreational excursions and is very familiar with local customs.
Acceptance into the sports ambassador program is an honor. After being invited to apply, Vitalis submitted references and participated in a successful interview process with program coaches and leaders which lead to her selection to represent the USA in Holland.
President Eisenhower created the People to People Program in 1956 with the involvement of citizen leaders like entertainer Bob Hope, Olympian Jesse Owens, Walt Disney and Hallmark Cards founder Joyce Hall.
President Eisenhower believed that ordinary citizens of different nations could make a difference where government could not.
People to People Ambassador Program, which is located in Spokane, Wash., still carries out the mission of its founders 50 years later.
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