Stamford, Conn. (July 10, 2017) — Au Pair in America announces the winners of the 2017 Au Pair Community Service Awards. These annual awards recognize au pairs making a difference in their host communities through volunteer work above and beyond their contributions as child care providers, students and cultural ambassadors in the United States.
Ana María Zerecero Núñez is the first-place Grand Prize Winner of the 2017 Community Service Awards. Núñez is an au pair from Mexico living with a host family in Illinois. She donated time helping at a pediatric clinic for special needs children.
The second-place Grand Prize Winner, Rebecca Cerpentier, is an au pair from the Netherlands living with a host family in Georgia. She served her community volunteering at local schools.
Third-place Grand Prize Winner Grace Naude is an au pair from South Africa living with a host family in Georgia. Naude earned this recognition by serving her host community working with several organizations including her local church and volunteering at a number of events.
In addition to the Grand Prize Winners, Au Pair in America announces the winners of the 2017 Au Pair Community Service Awards at the state level:
- Arizona – Nitzan Lavi, Israel
- California – Mara Ambruoso, Italy
- Connecticut – Charlotte Bourgeais, France
- Hawaii – Miriam Carod Royo, Spain
- Maryland – Bethany Stead & Leigh Johnson, United Kingdom
- Massachusetts – Esther Roth, Germany
- Michigan – Finn Klappert, Germany
- Missouri – Yifan Zhou, China
- Minnesota – Natalie Fritsch, Germany
- North Carolina – Rebekah Turley, United Kingdom
- Pennsylvania – Paula Kaça Guimarães, Brazil
- Texas – Melina Welker, Germany
- Virginia – Maria De La Torre, Mexico
- Washington, D.C. – Tatiana Mayorga, Ecuador
Au Pair in America Sr. Vice President and Director Ruth Ferry shares, “The Au Pair Community Service Awards recognize the incomparable energy and generosity of au pairs making a real difference in our communities. We applaud their efforts to help others.”
Au Pair in America is the nation’s first and largest au pair organization, combining live-in child care and cultural exchange for a mutually rewarding and enriching experience for the entire family. Since 1986, they have placed more than 100,000 au pairs from almost 60 countries. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Au Pair in America maintains offices in five countries with a network of more than 600 employees worldwide.
Visit online to learn more about the recipients of the 2017 Au Pair Community Service Awards, or see our announcement on the Au Pair in America host family blog.
