Photo by Terri House
Rotary Youth Exchange Leaders pose with Kristi Redlinger holding her gift from the group. Pictured, left to right, Alicia O’Brien, Nancy Dosdall, Sally Corcoran, John Stroud, Kristi Redlinger, Mari Garland and Lisa Scott. 

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) students from across Rotary District 5470 gathered in Pagosa Springs in early May at the home of Lisa Scott for a memorable year-end celebration filled with adventure, connection, and cultural exchange.

A highlight of the weekend came Friday evening when students shared a potluck dinner with members of the Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs and Youth Exchange leaders. The evening was filled with stories, laughter, and the fellowship that defines Rotary. During the gathering, Rotarians, exchange students, and Youth Exchange volunteers also celebrated and thanked Kristi Redlinger as she stepped down after 18 years of service with the Mountain & Plains Rotary Youth Exchange program.

A longtime member of the Grand Junction Horizon Sunrise Rotary Club, Kristi has worn many hats throughout her Youth Exchange journey, including host parent, outbound coordinator, inbound coordinator, and District Chair. Along the way, she helped guide hundreds of students through one of the most transformative experiences of their lives.

During the celebration, affectionately dubbed "Kristi-Fest," John Stroud, who succeeded Kristi as the District Chair three years ago when she assumed the inbound coordinator position, presented her with a collection of messages from former exchange students around the world. Students from Colombia, Japan, Thailand, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and many other countries shared stories of how Kristi's kindness, guidance, and unwavering support made Colorado feel like a second home.

Many credited their exchange year with changing the course of their lives and thanked Kristi for creating opportunities that foster understanding, friendship, and personal growth across cultures.

Carl Wright, a 2016-17 outbound student to India, wrote: "Kristi enabled the program which reshaped the course of my life. I, along with countless others benefited an immeasurable amount from her efforts to organize and facilitate safe, fun, and ultimately transformative youth exchanges. She is an absolute pillar within the Rotary community."

Lorna Mosquera Rodriguez, a 2022-23 inbound student from Colombia, shared: "For me, even though I never said it, you were like a mother who believed in me from the very first moment, more than I ever thought possible about myself. Thank you for welcoming me at the airport, into your home, treating me like one of your family … I remember my time in Colorado, sometimes with a touch of nostalgia and tears, but always with immense happiness.”

Kristi reflected that one of the greatest rewards of Rotary Youth Exchange extends beyond the students themselves. "One more thing that I personally think is so impactful about the Youth Exchange program is the incredible friendships that blossom with other Rotarian volunteers. In this picture alone we have Rotarians from six different clubs: Alicia O'Brien and Nancy Dosdall, Durango Daybreak; Sally Corcoran, Vail/Edwards; John Stroud, Carbondale; Kristi Redlinger, Grand Junction Horizon Sunrise; Mari Garland, Grand Junction; and Lisa Scott, Pagosa Springs. Committee members have often traveled to annual North American Youth Exchange Network conferences, where we engage with more than 400 international partners who are all passionate about this incredible program that falls under Rotary's Promotion of Peace focus. Through the Youth Exchange program, Rotary makes our world so very small."

Committee member Sally Corcoran presented Kristi with a special engraved clock featuring a globe, recognizing her years of dedication to Rotary Youth Exchange and the countless lives she has touched.

As cake was shared and memories recounted, one theme emerged again and again: in Rotary, one person can make a difference in local clubs, across a district, and around the world. Through her commitment to Youth Exchange, Kristi Redlinger has done exactly that.