October 10, 2017

Say hello to our Kids First NYC Marathon team

4 minutes
Au pair stories

Earlier this year, Cultural Care Au Pair chose five sets of au pairs and host parents to run the NYC Marathon on behalf of the Cultural Care Kids First Foundation. In just 26 days—the number of miles in a marathon—our ten runners will be putting all of their training to work by making their way through the boroughs of NYC and eventually crossing the finish line. We are so excited to cheer our team on and to help them raise money and awareness for Kids First, which provides underprivileged children around the world with opportunities for education, culture, and recreation.
We’d like to introduce you to our team so you can do the same. Here are our 10 Kids First NYC Marathon runners!

Host mom Kirsten and Yenin have already run a half marathon together.

Yenin, former au pair from Germany and her host mom Kirsten
Yenin spent two years with her host family in Utah before returning home to Germany this past April. She and her host mom have been training separately but were able to do a long run together last week when Yenin was back visiting the family. “I was with my host family for two years and we have a really good relationship,” says Yenin. “We always talked about doing a girls trip to New York, so running the marathon as well will just be the cherry on top of it!” Kirsten adds: “Yenin was our first au pair, and has been the most amazing addition to our family. We all love her dearly. We think that the New York marathon will be a great opportunity to meet up again.”

Host mom Sherri and Czech au pair Tomas make a great running team!

Tomas, au pair from Czech Republic and his host mom Sherri
Tomas is a few weeks away from finishing two years with his host family in Virginia, who have been part of the Cultural Care Au Pair program for a long time. He says, “The NYC Marathon is a big deal. My host mom and I both love running, and it’s always nice to have something—and someone—to push you to train harder.” Host mom Sherri ran her last marathon over 16 years ago, and Tomas is a marathon newbie. They are so excited to fulfill their dream of completing the NYC Marathon together!

As part of their marathon training program, host mom Candice and German au pair Laura ran a half marathon in Wisconsin.

Laura, au pair from Germany and her host mom Candice
Host mom Candice, who is an avid runner, says she and Laura bonded over their mutual love of running during the interview process. “In fact,” says Candice, “Laura mentioned that running a 26.2 is a bucket list life goal of hers.” Candice, who has run several marathons, and Laura, whose longest official race has been a half marathon, are both very excited for this opportunity. Laura says “Taking part in such a great event together will be a big honor—a dream could come true!”

British au pair Rebecca and host mom Kayla pounded lots of pavement together during their NYC Marathon training.

Rebecca, au pair from Britain and her host mom Kayla
Host mom Kayla grew up in New York and says, “I had many ‘firsts’ in the five boroughs of the city—my first day of school, my first dance, my first plane trip out of JFK, my first Thanksgiving day parade in-person, my first merry-go-round ride in Central Park, my first job and most importantly, my first date with the man who became my husband.” Kayla is excited to share such an exciting NYC experience with her former au pair Rebecca, who spent a year with her family. Kayla says, “Rebecca and I have worked so well together already to raise a two-year-old, so we know that will carry through as we train for and run the marathon course.”

Host dad Alann and Swedish au pair Jenny love having a goal to work toward together—NYC Marathon, here they come!

Jenny, au pair from Sweden and her host dad Alann
Jenny and her host dad Alann share a passion for fitness and have been training together diligently. Jenny shares, “If I can cross the finish line of this marathon, then I know that I will have the feeling that I can do anything. As long as I believe and push myself.” And her host dad Alann agrees: “After I ran my first marathon, I felt like I could accomplish anything. I would love for her to have the opportunity to feel the same sense of accomplishment.” Jenny told us that if she was part of the Kids First Marathon team she would have a smile on her face from the start to the finish line—we’re ready for it!
We hope the Cultural Care community will cheer on our Kids First team as they run 26.2 miles and fulfill their dreams!