'Ambassador' offers thanks

Dear editor:

Hello. My name is Kirsten Thompson and I recently returned from my People to People trip to Austria for Bowling.

I left from Boise on July 4 and returned on July 13. I am writing this letter to thank all the people of Mountain Home that helped me raise $5,650 of the needed $7,000.

I would first like to start by thanking Mayor Rist for allowing me the opportunity to speak to the city council; Les Schwab Tires, Home Federal, and Albertsons for allowing me to sell hot dogs, baked goods at their business, and to all of the local businesses that allowed me to place donation cans in their establishments.

Secondly, I would like to thank those people that purchased items from me, let me mow their lawns and pick up waste from their yards.

Thirdly, I would like to thank all those people who just stopped and gave money during my fundraising.

Lastly, I want to give a big thanks to George from News Public Radio in Boise who traveled all the way out to Mountain Home to do a radio interview with me that brought a donation of $500 from a generous person in Meridian.

Because of everyone in this community, you helped make it possible for me to attend. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It allowed me to make friends from not only places like Pennsylvania, Texas, Missouri and Louisiana, but from other countries as well. I made a special friend from Russia during this experience. Her name is Masha and she is 11 years old. She lives in Moscow, and has invited me to attend a bowling tournament that is held every October.

I bowled with and against kids from the US, Austria, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Russia, and Switzerland to name a few countries.

I went to see palaces where dukes and Queen Elizabeth lived. We played at the oldest amusement park in Austria, shopped at a famous Vienna shopping district, and toured the Nazi concentration camp called Mathausen.

I bowled with Jeri Edwards who has won the USBC Women's championship several times. With her training and the assistance of my other coaches, I was able to beat my highest score by bowling a 164.

With all of that fun I did miss my friends and wish to be home. So again, I would like to thank everyone that helped make this possible for me. THANK YOU!

Kirsten Thompson