Welcome to Episode 46 with Toby Lyles and Carolyn Ritschard, founder of Adopt an Airman.
What if the thing that feels hardest… is actually your calling?
When Carolyn and her husband joined the Air Force, they thought it would be temporary.
Three years. That was the plan.
Instead?
23 years.
11 moves.
8 states.
3 foreign countries.
Three continents in one year.
But the hardest part wasn’t the logistics.
It was the loneliness.
Instead of withdrawing… she leaned in.
Birthday muffins.
Meals for new moms.
Holidays for single airmen.
Driving a neighbor to a hospital in Germany and coaching her through labor without speaking the language.
That became their lifestyle:
“If you’re here, you belong.”
After retiring in 2016 and settling in Cheyenne, she faced a new question:
How do you keep serving… when you’re no longer in uniform?
The answer came through action.
A simple Valentine’s cookie drive for airmen in the dorms.
In 10 days, the local community donated 350 dozen cookies.
That moment revealed something powerful:
People want to help.
They just need a doorway.
Honorable Mentions
These are the people who helped build the program:
Patrick Collins
Major General Stacy Jo Huser
Jennifer Villlela
Michele Bolkovatz
Scott Fox
Merrie Elsberry
Martha Wilson
Suzanne Sauls
Max Carre
Alejandro Castro
Joseph Martini
Special thank you to the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce CEO, Dale Steenbergen and the Board of Directors.
Episode 046
Release Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Toby Lyles
Guest: Carolyn Ritschard/ Adopt an Airman
Get in touch with Carolyn and Adopt an Airman
Email: adoptanairmanWYO.com
Greater Chamber of Commerce: https://www.cheyennechamber.org/mac
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adoptanairmanwyo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptanairmanwyo
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