2012 Youth Exchange Weekend in Quad Cities

Clubs throughout the District take turns hosting an event for the District’s youth exchange students to provide opportunities for the students, here from all over the world, to get to know one another, support one another, and experience more of our mid-west American culture.

The Moline and Rock Island clubs host the fall event in order to take advantage of our holiday season opening events. Saturday twelve youth exchange students from nine countries participated in the weekend’s activities.  Students watched the Festival of Trees Holiday parade in Davenport, and then experience a taste of American music and food while lunching at the River Music Experience Cafe. They then enjoyed a tour of the Festival of Trees at the River Center where they observed and experienced American holiday music and traditions. Students also viewed award winning artwork on display from local high school students including a great oil painting work by our own YE student from Thailand, Oil Marthong. Students then moved on to the fantastic new bowling facility at the Black Hawk Hotel for bowling and pizza and later partied at the home of our own Moline Rotary host family Craig & Kris (Young) Lennon. All of the girls were hosted overnight at Lennon’s and the guys were hosted overnight with Rock Island Rotarians. The students had a great time with them and Sunday morning were treated to a delicious breakfast and then wrapped up their weekend event, returning home Sunday afternoon.  Special thanks to the Lennons for the extraordinary hospitality extended to our District 6420 youth exchange students.     

Thanks also to Moline Rotarian Angela Moody for chairing this event and to other YE Committee members who helped chaperone and transport students all weekend, including Gretta Knight, Jody Corey-Behrens, and Gary Francque, as well as Rotarians from the Rock Island Club.