Get connected with a local family

FLC students hanging out in town

Add to your independence some of the comfort of home: airport rides, home-cooked meals, knowledge of the area, and pro tips on the best biking, hiking, and skiing—even just a change of pace from dorm life for an afternoon.

Enroll in FLC Family Connection and connect with a Durango family you can call on like a neighbor. There's no fee, it requires no obligation, and it is open to first-year, transfer, and exchange students.

Read this news article to learn more.  

Submit a request for information to receive an application.

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  • How it works
  • Activities
How it works

Your FLC Family Connection family is there to offer support and friendship, and introduce you to the Durango area. You won’t live with them, and please don’t expect that they’ll put you up over winter or summer break.

FLC Family Connection is free. Some activities you engage in with your family may cost money, but that's up to you and your family.

We match you, based on the information you provide in the application, with your family, based on the information they provide in theirs. Contact us if we get it wrong and you want to be matched with a different family. You'll learn who your family is about one week before the start of the semester.

We are hands-off after that. If you develop a good relationship with your FLC Family Connection family, and you all want to stay connected, then great. Keep that relationship alive as long as you’d like.

Activities

How much or little you do with your family will be up to you and them. We match students with families of similar interests.  That is why telling us what you like to do on your application is essential. The specific activities will depend on the interests of your host family; they might include the following:

  • Outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, biking, fishing, riding, or photography
  • Day trips to places like Silverton and the mountains, Mesa Verde National Park, or shopping
  • Entertainment such as dinners out, concerts, plays, or movies
  • Inclusion in family meals or activities

Your family might also help with transportation to and from the airport, arranging medical help in emergencies, and storing your things over the summer.

Become an FLC Family Connection

Enjoy getting to know one of Fort Lewis College’s best students. You and your student decide the things you do and how much time you spend together.  For many families, this grows into a friendship that lasts well beyond the student’s years at FLC. All adults in the household must pass a background check. Read about the program in the Durango Herald.

Q&A

I’m going to be out of town for a few weeks this semester. Can I still participate in Family Connections?
Do the students live with us?
What are some examples of activities to share with students?
What are the costs associated with Family Connections?
I connected with my student the first week of classes, but after that I didn’t hear back from my calls and texts. What did I do wrong?

Contact

Allison Riggs
FLC Family Connection Liaison
Student Engagement Office

ariggs@fortlewis.edu
970-247-7573