For five residents of Herts, Beds and Bucks, England, Rotary International has been a key to traveling from northwest of London to the Tree City.

This year’s Group Study Exchange brought a group of young professionals to the state of Indiana as part of the annual Rotary tradition of connecting clubs from different parts of the world. Each year, a group of Americans is sent abroad in the name of the long-standing service organization, and an international group comes stateside with the same connection through purpose.

Ranging in age from 27 to 65, the five-member group is made up of team leader Roger Sharp as well as Mark Relf, Charles King, Emma Marie Tucker and Atalie Gaines. They arrived in the United States on April 5 and will return home on May 3. The group first met at a dinner at Sharp’s home in January. Sharp and Relf, they explained, had met through their jobs as well as Rotary. For the others, friendship formed through preparing for their Group Study Exchange.

Thus far during their adventure in the Hoosier state, they have visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, attended an Indianapolis Indians baseball game in addition to meeting Sarah Fisher and a congressman.

In Decatur County, they visited Decatur County Memorial Hospital, REMC and a fertilizer company. They met Greensburg Mayor Gary Herbert and enjoyed a breakfast cooked by Jean Reed, vice-chair of the Decatur County Republican Party. The five visitors stayed in the homes of three Rotarians during their visit to the area.

During a lunch at Stories Restaurant, Relf noted Decatur County has offered a “lovely welcome.” Other members of the group said the area’s hospitality has made them “feel like royalty.” Greensburg Rotarian Lora Reed-Williams noted the group from Great Britain has been inquisitive and enjoyable to host.

After sharing a meal at Stories, the group headed off to see the YMCA before heading toward Rising Sun.

Both the English visitors and their American hosts noted the importance of speaking the same language when making exchange trips. Reed-Williams said a group visited the area two years ago from Japan, and while the interaction was informative, it was difficult to fully communicate without the benefit of a common language. Still, she noted it is interesting to learn the subtle differences in the way phrases are used between the two English-speaking countries.

Rotary, Relf noted, is for all ages. He pointed out that the service organization works internationally on projects relating to clean water and battling polio.

“It’s about giving back to the community and putting service above self,” Relf said.

He pointed out that young professionals interested in participating in the Group Study Exchange or students interested in the International Youth Exchange should contact the Rotary to participate. For Relf and the other members of the group from Herts, Beds and Bucks, England, the experience is proving invaluable.

“We came as strangers,” Sharp said. “And we leave as friends.”