To express why one is grateful for his or her community is an important exercise, no doubt.

Thankfully, Austin has many things to appreciate.

Local leaders of dissimilar background, profession, homeland and race shared their insights Tuesday to visitors from Global Volunteers, who arrived last weekend for a week-long trip aimed at supporting young non-native speakers in English and reading lessons, as well as learn about the City of Austin.

“The intent is that we give as much as we give away,” Global Volunteers team leader Melanie Radkiewicz, of Iowa, said.

Radkiewicz and the group of 15, which came from states including New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Illinois and Michigan, listened as Austinites shared some of the community’s obvious assets, such as the Hormel Foundation and Hormel Institute, and other’s less known.

“We have a lot of people like yourself in town,” said Tony Alanso, a Hormel Foods employee for 33 years, referring Austin’s strong sense of volunteerism.

He’s even morphed the Spam trademark to reinforce his point: Consider it “Special People of Austin, Minn.”

Spam’s manufacturer — Hormel Foods — was also readily mentioned.

Austin’s list spanned long: the cutting-edge Michael E. Siebel Visitation Center set to open next month; the Hormel Institute, a worldwide cancer research hub; the quality of life; the early childhood programming; the arts, cheap housing and green space.

“There is no finer place to raise a family than Austin, Minn.,” local realtor Joe Fuhrman said.

Panel members, which also included former Mayor Bonnie Rietz, Dr. Joshua Liao of the Hormel Institute and Maryanne Law, executive director of the Parenting Resource Center, Inc., also included diversity, and Austin’s changing population.

“In 2000, we were expected to lost population,” Rietz said. “We were expected to kind of fade away. So we’re really fortunate to have the immigrants move into our community.”

It’s a piece close to the heart of these volunteers, who have spent their time working with elementary and middle school students at risk of losing English skills over the summer.

“These are children that live at home in the summer in Spanish immersion,” Law said, adding that 27 percent of the student population in Austin Public Schools are minorities.

Volunteers said they’ve been almost surprised at the language level of most of their students, which vary from second- to eighth-grade.

“We’ve been really impressed with the students we are work with, and we are starting to ask the question, ‘Do they need us?’” Eileen Sligas, of Chicago, said.

The inquiry prompted Rietz and Law, who serves as chairwoman of Apex Austin, to consider how Global Volunteers could adjust its approach to better suit local needs.

“It’s very interesting to hear your input,” Law said.

Rietz pointed out that foreign adults in particular struggle to learn a new language, and said that could be where Global Volunteers ventures next.

“It’s very, very important to know the language in the country where you’re living, but it’s very, very difficult,” she said, noting other community programs, such as English as a Second Language education, Community Education and the Welcome Center, already provide language classes.

This spawned discussion about the misconceptions, even paranoia, that arise when foreigners speak their native tongues, particularly among local Caucasians. The paranoia can be mutual.

“Is there a way to help an immigrant population learn to speak a native language in a way that will help them assimilate more quickly… without taking away the culture of the immigrants?” Ben Howells, of Michigan, asked.

Rietz conceded that it is a struggle, and can stand in the way of helping both the native and foreign residents gain mutual perspective.

“We’re working really hard as a community, because we realize the importance of that,” she said. “It’s a continuous challenge, and your point is well-taken.”

This remains one area where Austin can stand to improve, local leaders agreed: creating more connection and understanding across its many populations.

“It’s going to take a generation,” Fuhrman said. “It’s not going to be for awhile, but we’re working on it.”

Now in its eighth year in Austin, Global Volunteers was designed to support students retain English skills. The organization does work worldwide.