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ORVILLE LINDQUIST:
FROM THE PRESIDENT
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I recently attended a memorial service for the partner of a YMCA friend. A sad occasion for sure, and the circumstances around this passing were especially difficult. I was glad to support my friend on a hard day. I expected to run into YMCA folks, wondering “how many” and “would they be folks I like?”
At the event, my questions got quick answers - “A lot” and “Yes.” I had a great time at the memorial service. I got a quick moment with my friend but more significantly, I spent time with YMCA friends - some retired, some departed from the Y, some still in service. I saw so many folks, had so many wonderful conversations and relived some great (and not so great) memories.
Strange to think of a memorial as a networking opportunity, but it really was just that.
Better for all of us, we don’t need to wait for funerals to connect with Y folks. We have our YMCA Alumni organization. Through YMCA Alumni, we have service opportunities throughout the year in addition to our Summer Picnic and Christmas Luncheon - all opportunities to see old friends and connect with others who share our common history with the YMCA.
I encourage you to put these events on your calendar as you receive them and make every effort to attend. I always walk away from these sessions feeling as I did when I left the memorial service - fulfilled, cheerful, and thankful for my Y network. Better still, no death or sadness is connected with our Alumni events.
It is said that YMCA workers have deeper connections with each other over longer periods of time than do most folks. I, for one, am glad to be part of that group.
Hope to see you at a YMCA Alumni event in the coming months!
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March 31, 2026
VEAP Volunteer Event @ VEAP
9600 Aldrich Ave. S.
Bloomington, Minnesota
2:15-5:15 p.m.
YMCA Alumni members and friends are invited to volunteer with VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) in Bloomington on Tuesday, March 31 to help in their Food Pantry. Our volunteer shift will run from 2:15-5:15 p.m. VEAP staff and lead volunteers will provide us with training and support during our time there.
We will learn more about the Food Pantry and how it fits in VEAP’s mission to “create pathways to stronger and more hopeful communities.”
Typical volunteer tasks involve keeping shopping areas clean and tidy, sorting through food donations, stocking shelves, loading groceries into vehicles, and helping promote a positive shopping experience for their participants. (Stools will be available for volunteers who need to sit or take needed breaks.)
If you’d like to join us or have questions, please contact Marji.
April 7, 2026
Y World Service Call Day
YMCA Center for Innovation and Development
2525 Wabash Ave.
St. Paul, MN
8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
It's easy to find (just off I-94 & 280 intersection to Franklin Ave West and Curfew St. South). YMCA Alumni and friends are invited. We will make ‘thank you’ calls to YMCA CEOs and Executives. Mary Tikalsky, Y-USA World Service Director, will be with us to share the latest work of World Service. Beverages and lunch will be provided.
Come for any part of the time or the entire day. Please RSVP to John or text 612-751-4150 to help us plan for lunches. It would be great to see you!
June 23, 2026
Upper Midwest YMCA Alumni Summer Picnic
Lone Lake Park in Minnetonka, Minnesota
5624 Shady Oak Road
Watch for an email-flyer with more details closer to the event. We look forward to seeing you on June 23!
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JOIN OUR ALUMNI TEAM
WE HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU
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Do you have some time to spare? Are you looking for meaningful activities right now? Would you like to be part of a fun, growing and positive group of people? We have a place for you.
As Orville mentioned at the Holiday Luncheon, our Upper Midwest YMCA Alumni Chapter is looking for volunteer team members to help with chapter programs and activities. Areas of service include Membership, Caring and Concerns, and World Service.
We especially need a Program Team chair. Marji Miller is continuing to organize programs while also serving as Board Secretary. She’d love to have someone head the Program Team. Other volunteers are needed to assist. Thank you for considering these opportunities.
Interested? Please email Marji.
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REACHING FARTHER OUT:
MINNESOTA, NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA
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The Upper Midwest YMCA Alumni Chapter covers the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. That’s a huge area! We know it’s difficult to attend chapter events when you live hundreds of miles away.
We’re facing that challenge by inviting YMCA Alumni to plan small, local social gatherings. Nothing elaborate: reaching out to YMCA Alumni members in your local area for lunch or coffee would be a fun and easy way to start.
Here’s an example: Alumni from the Southdale YMCA in Edina, Minnesota, have lunch every other month in a local restaurant to stay in touch with old friends, make some new ones, and learn about happenings in the YMCA.
We need people to help organize those gatherings. We also welcome your ideas. If you’re interested in helping or just want to learn more, please contact Marji.
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Mary Felty reports that we began last fall’s Membership Re-connect Campaign with 70 membership units. In mid-February, the national YMCA Alumni Membership Office reported that our chapter has a 70 percent renewal rate (compared to 72 percent nationally). Several renewals have been received since that report; we’re still eager to help all our members to re-connect!
If you haven’t renewed your YMCA Alumni membership yet, please click on the button below. It’s easy, and it's quick. We want to stay connected with you.
Welcome, New Members!
· Bonnie and Matthew Lindberg
· David and Barbara Palmer
· Kathy Roberts
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'JOIN OR DIE'
WE HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION
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“Join or Die!,” an excellent documentary based on the “social capital” work of author Robert Putnam, has a positive and relevant message: connecting is good for people! It makes life better and may even be life-saving. (“Your chance of dying in the next year is cut in half by joining one group,” says Putnam.) That’s something to think about.
What does that have to do with YMCA Alumni? Joining is good for us. Chapter events like holiday luncheons and summer picnics bring us together; so do our service projects. Joining YMCA Alumni Travel Club adventures is another road to connection.
You heard about an opportunity earlier in this newsletter: we’re encouraging YMCA Alumni to gather regularly in small, informal groups. Let’s be —and help others be — “joiners.”
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LET'S CATCH UP WITH...
MARK HENNESSEY
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Mark Hennessy now splits his time between his Minneapolis home and northern Minnesota (where he’s director of the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais). Mark enjoyed a 41-year YMCA career as an executive with the National Alliance of YMCAs, the Y of USA, the Red Wing YMCA, and other service organizations. Let’s catch up…
What experience with the Y had the most impact on your career?
“Our successful completion of a $7.5 million capital campaign in the small town of Red Wing, Minnesota that allowed us to stay debt-free."
If you hadn’t had a Y career what would you have done?
“I had an education degree so probably teach high school. Or perhaps I would have worked for the National Park Service.”
What book would you recommend to fellow Y Alumni?
Endurance, the story of Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica. It showed his incredible leadership ability, and made you wonder, how did one guy do all the things he did?”
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EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND
DO YOU HAVE AN EAF STORY?
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The YMCA’s Emergency Assistance Fund provides financial support (via grants up to $2,500) to current Y staff—and YMCA alumni, too, who are facing emergencies. Do you have a personal YMCA EAF story? We’d love to share it. Pass it along to Steve Harris. Thanks for the support that makes EAF possible.
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WORLD SERVICE REPORT
IT'S TIME TO RE-CONNECT
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John Duntley reports that YMCA World Service met its 2025 fundraising goal of $2 million to support international Y work. A major portion of the Y World Service annual funding comes from YMCA association support from across the USA.
Don't forget: The next World Service Call Event for our chapter will be Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Details in "Mark Your Calendars" section above.
| | We had a big turnout and beautiful early winter weather at our Holiday Luncheon last December in St. Paul. Thanks to all who came, and to those working behind the scenes to make it happen. | | |
ANDREW CORLEY
THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO
| | Front row L-R: Gabe Calhoun, Pam Calhoun, Jeri Glick-Anderson, Kari Simonson, Liz Flynn, and Linda Ramacier. Back row L-R: Rolf Thompson, Don Kerr, Mark Hennessy, John Duntley, Mike Bussey, and Andrew Corley. | | |
A warm “thank you” reception was held last November at the home of Jeri Glick-Anderson for Andrew Corley, Executive Director of the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires on the Cheyene River Reservation. Jeri, an Upper Midwest Chapter YMCA Alumni member, also serves as a Trustee member of the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires.
Many of you already are donors to the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires. We are so grateful. Click HERE if you have not yet donated. There's still time. Every gift, every size, and every supporter advances the work of the Y. The impact of your gifts on the lives of the youth and families is immeasurable.
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YMCA ALUMNI REUNION SITE CHOSEN
CENTRAL CHAPTERS WILL HOST EVENT
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Kansas City has been chosen as the site for the 2027 Y Alumni Reunion. It will take place in June 2027. More info will be coming. The Central Region chapters will host the event. Watch The Connection, our YMCA Alumni website, Facebook, and our chapter newsletter as details are developed.
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YMCA ALUMNI TRAVEL CLUB
2026-2027 AVAILABLE ADVENTURES
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Be sure to book official YMCA Alumni Travel Club Adventures and your own individual, family ,and referred friends' travel through Go Travel's expert agents. YMCA Alumni's national budget receives a percentage of all sales, and you get the best prices, advice, and a smooth booking experience.
2026 will bring a C.I.E. luxury motor coach visit to Spain's amazing cities; cruise Classic Canada from Quebec City to Boston in the fall color season, and sail into Alaska before the crowds. 2027 includes a Danube River cruise, a round-trip cruise to the Hawaiian Islands, and an Atlantic Crossing with stops in the Canary Islands and Morocco.
Visit the Travel Club webpage for direct access to all trips, including details and booking. Click the button below.
Visit us on Facebook each Travel Tuesday.
Contact the Travel Club by email or phone.
(407) 774-2229
ymcaalumni@gotravel.com
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YMCA Alumni Mission:
"...to enable members to promote a nurturing worldwide Christian Fellowship that provides educational, social, service and charitable opportunities."
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