Get-Away Families

Get-Away Families

UWC-USA is fortunate to have strong community ties with families throughout Northern New Mexico. Get-Away Families provide gracious friendship and connection for our students. The relationships that develop through the Get-Away Family Program are the foundation for intercultural understanding and forge strong ties between our local and global communities.

New and returning Get-Away Families are to fill out the online registration forms by the end of August of each year in order to be promptly matched with a student(s) before our annual Sundae Sunday event in early September. We try to match students and families who have similar interests. The Sundae Sunday ice cream social is a way for approved families and students to meet and become acquainted for the first time. Applications will also be accepted on a rolling basis.

Joyce Litherland

Joyce Litherland: Get-Away for 33 Years

Kelsey Forbes ‘10, Canada, remembers Joyce Litherland as warm and caring, and genuinely interested in Kelsey’s life. “She always had a place for students to get away, and was an important part of the UWC family. She was diligent about keeping in touch with her students after they graduated and will always be missed.” A lifetime resident of Las Vegas, Joyce and her husband, Ray, were UWC-USA Get-Away parents for 33 years – longer than any other get-away family. Regular donors, the Litherlands also gave money for the restoration of the first-floor mailroom during the renovation of the Montezuma Castle in 2001. A lawyer at Family Central Law in Calgary, Kelsey said the Litherlands often invited her to their home and church. “She and Ray enjoyed attending our winter concerts and school events,” Kelsey said. Idinma Ilodibe ’15, Nigeria also was saddened to hear about Joyce’s May 11, 2021, passing three days after her 87th birthday. “We were still in touch via mail and text as recently as late March,” Idinma said.

“By embracing our mission to make education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future, our students also commit to a set of values that guide their actions and interactions, on campus and beyond. They do so in partnership with a staff dedicated to the same ideals, who serve as models and mentors.”