Celebrating J-Day 2015: Eat. Play. Give.
Posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2015 at 5:56 pm.
For the past few years, a number of sponsors across the country, in partnership with the Alliance, have encouraged their participants to take a whole day – or even a few hours – and participate in something bigger than all of us, giving back while having fun. Called, “J Day”, it has become a tradition, and is a part of the broader emphasis on cultural activities within the Summer Work Travel program. Yesterday, people across the country used the hashtags #CelebrateJDay and #eatplaygive and showed us some of the amazing ways J-1 participants impact U.S. communities.
First, my colleagues Grace Cho and Michael James stopped by J Day activities at the Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The day began with a scavenger hunt organized that encouraged participants to spread throughout the amusement park and to explore the different rides and games.
Caption: Before they said goodbye, the participants dropped off donations of canned goods that will benefit Help4Kids, an organization that provides free meals to low-income children in Horry County, South Carolina.
10,152 meals packaged! Thank you everyone who came to #celebrateJDay and #eatplaygive in #VirginiaBeach tonight! pic.twitter.com/llAwEYJmw7
— IEX Work&Travel USA (@worktravel) August 4, 2015
In Virginia Beach, sponsor InterExchange Work & Travel arranged for participants to help package meals for non-profit Stop Hunger Now. The goal was to package 10,000 meals – and they exceeded it!
Happy J Day! To #CelebrateJDay, our J1 participants cleaned up Riverside Park #EatPlayGive http://t.co/lUWH11KX3y pic.twitter.com/TwbnArJQNd — Cultural Vistas (@CulturalVistas) August 3, 2015
In New York City, J-1 participants came out with sponsor Cultural Vistas to enjoy the day while cleaning up Riverside Park.
Kicked off J Day with @GreenheartCCI & @PremierAquatic participants in Fairfax, VA! How will you #CelebrateJDay? pic.twitter.com/KkR8Q9TbhX
— Michael McCarry (@michaelmccarry) August 3, 2015
One of the highlights for participants in the Washington, DC area is the GreenHeartCCI Lifeguard Olympics, which we wrote about in detail last year.
Spirit is celebrating J Day and making new friends! #JDay #CelebrateJDay #eatplaygive pic.twitter.com/VebQsYp1eo — Spirit (@Spirit_Exchange) August 4, 2015
In Tennessee, J-1 participants brought donated canned goods, then enjoyed a day at the Tennessee Smokies Baseball Stadium with sponsor Spirit Cultural Exchange.
…And there were so many more. From Cape Cod, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California, sponsors and participants across the country made J Day a success. J Day is about celebrating the exchange visitors who enrich our local communities each year. They not only bring the world to our hometowns and boost our local economies – but also give back to our communities in meaningful ways.
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
| About Rebecca Pasini Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange | |
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Rebecca A. Pasini joined the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchanges in July 2023. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister - Counselor, Ms. Pasini has been an American diplomat since 1997.
Ms. Pasini previously served as the Director of Public and Congressional Affairs in the Bureau of Consular Affairs from 2021-2023. Other Washington assignments have included positions in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, the Office of Foreign Missions, and as a liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. She has also completed multiple overseas tours, including as Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in Islamabad, Pakistan, and as the Consular Chief in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Belfast, Northern Ireland. Other tours included Mexico City and Kuwait.
A Maryland native, Ms. Pasini has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University, a master’s degree in National Security and Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School, National Defense University, and an undergraduate degree from Mary Washington College.
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