MARCH 2026

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PHILL MORGAN

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Membership is the lifeblood of YMCA Alumni. Without members, there would not be a reason for the organization to exist. The Re-Connect (our new name for “Renewal”) effort for current YMCA Alumni Members began on October 1 and closed on December 31, with a two-month grace period ending on March 1.

Yikes! That was yesterday. What does that mean?

IT SPECIFICALLY MEANS THIS IS THE LAST EDITION OF THE CONNECTION AND ANY OTHER YMCA ALUMNI COMMUNICATION YOU WILL RECEIVE UNTIL AND IF YOU TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO RE-CONNECT.

It’s easy to do. Click the button below this paragraph. It will take you to the RE-CONNECT page on our website. Simply follow the instructions and hit submit. Then, you’re all done and back in good standing. You may also print out a “pay-by-check” form if you wish.

Please don’t delay. Membership Director Dave Patterson will begin the process this week of moving all who have not yet renewed to inactive status.

We understand that many of you “non-re-connectors,” so to speak, simply overlooked the re-connecting process or forgot.

All chapter presidents have been provided a list of non-renewals and are responsible for contacting you to ensure you understand that it is simple to get your name off the “inactive list.”

But, please don’t wait. JUST RE-CONNECT TODAY.

As of February 15, YMCA Alumni has 1,046 membership units.

Of that number, 255 units had not yet Re-Connected for 2026.

Thank you to those who have already done so and to those of you who will do so right now.

NEW CHAPTER PRESIDENTS JOIN

'ONBOARDING' SESSION WITH LEADERS

New chapter presidents and/or president-elects are: Top row L-R -- Laura Kampermann (Weatherford); Bob McDowell (Central Atlantic); Lee Muckey (McCoy); Lisa Drouin (New England), and Jim Heiman (Schreiner). Bottom row L-R -- Nels Bagnardi (Greater Ozark); Teresa HIll (Grand Canyon); Dave Phelps (Messer-Brandenburg); Rich Wallis (Allen-Stone), and Dave Snow (Mott).

More than half of our YMCA Alumni chapters either have new presidents in place in 2026 or have named presidents-elect for 2027. Most of them attended a special "onboarding" Zoom session last month to have some of their important questions answered by YMCA Alumni leaders before the full "48 Hours" training event in St. Louis, June 3-5.

YMCA ALUMNI REUNION '27

WE'VE GOT A DATE IN KANSAS CITY

This is the first of a series of short videos all about Kansas City, Missouri, where we have a date in June 2027. Be sure to enjoy a new video each month and watch this space and the front page of our website for details as they are developed by the committee. We'll have the exact dates and hotel locked in soon.

MEMORY LANE

WITH BILL MOSS

REMEMBER THE Y WIVES?

How many of you remember an organization called "Y Wives”?

Back in the day -- '40s and '50s -- when most of the YMCA professional staff were male, there was an organization called Y Wives for their spouses. 

This organization met monthly and was charged with planning a social calendar for the Y's professional staff families.

We had recently arrived in San Diego when Charlotte received a call from one of the Y Wives’ members inviting her to attend their next meeting. Charlotte accepted this invitation and joined the group. She began attending the meetings regularly.

It wasn't long before one of the professional staff members was hired by a different Association. It was a Y Wives tradition to plan a going-away party for departing staff members. 

Charlotte drew the short straw to select a going-away gift for the departing family. This responsibility also included collecting a donation from each remaining member to purchase the gift.

Charlotte recruited a couple of the other wives to serve on her gift committee, calling the other wives to ask for donations for the going-away gift and to purchase it.

It was getting close to the night of the party, and the committee had not received much cash. They decided they would purchase a gift with the funds they had collected to date. 

Obviously, it was going to be a modest gift, but the committee did the best they could with the funds they had received.

The going-away party was well attended. All evening, people came up to Charlotte and handed her envelopes with money for the gift. The committee ended up with a pile of cash... much more than the cost of the modest gift. Just too late to matter.

Our most outspoken staff member, who shall remain nameless, took Charlotte aside and chewed her out royally for buying "such a cheap gift." She tried to explain that it was a committee decision and why, but he would hear none of it. It was her fault and hers alone.

That was the end of Charlotte's involvement with the Y Wives.

Photo: That's not Charlotte in the AI-generated image of a '40s-'50s-era Y Wives member. Please spare us the outrage. It's just meant in fun, based on an AI description of the group as "supportive homemakers." -Editor

Bill Moss is a member of the Grand Canyon Chapter, serves on the National Service Project Standing Committee and was editor of this newsletter when it was known as "The Old Guard News." Bill was a nominee for the 2025 F. William Stahl Award.

CHAPTER CHECK-IN

A NEW YEAR'S LUNCH; A SNOWY SKI DAY

Most YMCA Alumni Chapters celebrate the holidays with Christmas luncheons or Zoom get-togethers. But the Marston Chapter in San Diego celebrates the New Year with a lunch at the home of President Judy and Past President Sam Wurtzbacher.

Making it extra special, the lunch was catered by Urban Life Ministries, a local organization that provides on-the-job training. They manage the café at the Copley YMCA.

New England Chapter's annual ski day at Mt. Sunapee, NH couldn't have been better with five inches of snow falling overnight, creating the season's best conditions. As Nancy Bonell put it: "We had an amazing day!"

Photo, L-R: Laurie Garbacz, Jim Doremus, Nancy LaRue Bonell, Steve Russell, and Mike Norklun.

GO SEE. GO DO. GO TRAVEL.

2026-2027 TRIPS AVAILABLE

Madrid is one of the iconic cities we'll visit on our 2026 C.I.E. luxury motor coach tour of Spain.

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

TWO FOR THE SHOW

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE EVERY WEEK FOR TRAVEL TUESDAY AND SERVICE WEDNESDAY.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

YMCA ALUMNI

Top Row L-R: President: Phill Morgan; VP/East: Larry Garvin;

VP/Central: Dave Rogers; VP/West: Carmelita Gallo.

Second Row L-R: Secretary: Margaret Fogarty; Membership Director: Dave Patterson; Past President: Jean Carmichael.

Bottom Row L-R: Treasurer: Dianne Clark; Assistant Treasurer: Lowell Nees; Assistant Treasurer: Cindy Koenig; Assistant Treasurer: Kurt Kaboth.

THE CONNECTION is written, edited and produced by craig altschul + associates (ca+a). It is published 12 times yearly. Next issue: April 2, 2026.

OUR MISSION: To provide opportunities for members to Connect, Travel, and Serve while nurturing worldwide Christian fellowship. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please think twice when unsubscribing to any unsolicited email. If it has been sent to you by Constant Contact, they are not allowed, by law, to send any more emails to you, including from YMCA Alumni. Just flick away emails you don't want -- but please don't "unsubscribe." We can get you re-subscribed ONLY ONCE. Send us an email if you are not receiving our newsletters or you have accidentally unsubscribed and we will try to reinstate you. --editor

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