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PHILL MORGAN
FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Greetings!
Have you ever taken on a leadership role with YMCA Alumni, and do you remember that first time you were asked to do so? Perhaps it was a face-to-face conversation or via phone call. Was your reaction, “Why me?” “Do I have the time to take this on?” "What does the job entail?” “The person currently in this role did a great job. Can I do as well?”
These conversations have been ongoing in the YMCA Alumni world for the past few months, and many leadership decisions have been made. Some remain.
When someone recognizes the qualities that make you a strong candidate for a leadership role, it is both a compliment and an honor to be asked. It is also important to recognize that those asked have lives beyond YMCA Alumni.
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You were asked because the person has confidence in you to learn, accomplish, and thrive in this role. We all have institutional knowledge and gifts from our work experiences. Serving YMCA
Alumni in a leadership role is an extension of your sharing and continuing your life experiences, enriching the lives of others.
Follow your thought process and instincts, and the answer will be the right one for you. If you have already committed to a leadership role, then use your gifts to do your best.
To those who have served in a leadership role and stepped down on December 31, thank you for your passion for service, which has positively impacted YMCA Alumni at the chapter, national, or both levels. We all appreciate you!
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COMPUTERS FOR KIDS
ISC SENDS GIFT TO DOMINICAN Y SCHOOL
BY LAURA KAMPERMAN
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YMCA Alumni members make many community connections through their careers. Those connections remain valuable, as evidenced by a recent significant gift to the YMCA of the Dominican Republic.
Hurricane Melissa severely damaged three of the YMCA’s facilities in the Dominican Republic in October. Several days of rain resulted in flooding the student computer lab, where 12 antiquated, but operating, computers were destroyed.
Past International Service Corps (ISC) Chair Wayne Uhrig of the Chambers Chapter had been in contact with the Dominican YMCA while seeking to recruit U.S. YMCA ISC volunteers to assist with aquatic programs. When he heard about the destruction of the computer lab, he made a call to the Google Ariel Corporation in Mount Vernon, Ohio where he has a personal connection.
The company promptly donated 10 of their used Lenovo laptops, reset them, and loaded the newest version of Windows 365 onto them. ISC then used donated funds to ship them to the YMCA in the Dominican Republic.
“Your donations became like a miracle for us,” says Andres Fortunato, National General Director of the Dominican Republic ACJ (YMCA). “We were using very obsolete computers in our lab, and the new laptops arrived at just the right time. The kids are now very happy with this equipment, which is working perfectly.”
Wayne is not done making connections. He has acquired 11 additional laptops through individual donations. While the primary purpose of ISC is to provide volunteer administrative and programmatic consultation and support, other needs can sometimes be met at little to no cost.
(Photo: Wayne Uhrig)
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MEMORY LANE
with BILL MOSS
'A doctor in the house?'
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Back in the 1980s, our Phoenix YMCA Executive Staff members were attending a weekend meeting at the Tucson Y. We decided to stop off at a cowboy bar for a cool one on our way back to our hotel.
The place had a western band and a dance floor. As we were enjoying the cool ones, the band started up, and people began to dance.
Across the room, we noticed a particularly attractive young lady who appeared to be unescorted. Bill Starmer, with a wink and a grin, said, “I’m going to ask her to dance.” (Photo: That's Bill in his AI-assisted doctor mode.)
When the dance ended and Bill had returned to our table, he said, smiling, “I told her I was in town for a medical convention.” We all had a good laugh about that one.
When the band began to play a new song, that same young lady was back on the dance floor with a rather heavy-set cowboy. In the middle of the dance, the cowboy fell to the floor, having twisted his ankle and was unable to get back up.
Someone in the crowd around him called out, “Is there a doctor in the house?” His dance partner said, “Yes, there is. He’s right over there!" pointing at Bill. What could Bill do but respond? He went out onto the floor and acted as if he knew what he was doing.
When our small group arrived on the scene behind him, Gene Bauer saved Bill from too much embarrassment by saying, “Bill, as your attorney, I should warn you that Arizona doesn’t have a ‘Good Samaritan Law’ and you could be putting your medical license in jeopardy.”
Bill, with a sigh of relief, said, “Oh, that’s right. We’d better call the paramedics!”
We still rib "Dr." Bill about that one all these years later.
| | 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. | | |
IT WAS PARTY TIME
CHRISTMAS IN YMCA ALUMNI LAND
| | Check out the party pics -- you're bound to know people. Just too many to ID. | | |
DON ANDERSON HONORED
NEW NU'UANU Y GYM NAMED FOR HIM
| | (Click the arrow on the video above for the story of two long time friends and how the new Nu'uanu YMCA gym came to be named for Don.) | | |
Allen-Stone Chapter’s Don Anderson, retired CEO of the Honolulu YMCA, was honored Dec. 11 with the announcement that the planned $40 million rebuild of the Nu’uanu YMCA will feature the Don Anderson Gymnasium.
Don, who established a long-lasting YMCA partnership with the Honolulu Rotary Club more than 20 years ago to build homes, schools, health clinics, and more throughout the Pacific, became a close friend of Nan Shin, founder and owner of Nan Inc. Construction.
The pair worked side by side on nearly countless volunteer building projects. Nan Inc.’s $1 million gift to advance the Nu'uanu campaign in December included the request that the new gym be named after Don.
The Nu’uanu YMCA, the flagship branch of the Y, was established in 1918 in the heart of the city. The current campus buildings date to the early 1960s. The rebuilt facilities will include two affordable housing towers, a new gymnasium for its myriad wellness and healthcare programs, senior services, and pre-school. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2029.
Don and his wife, Susan, live in Honolulu, where he continues to organize new projects, having recently returned from one in the Philippines.
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GO SEE. GO DO. GO TRAVEL.
2026-2027 TRIPS AVAILABLE
| | Book now for an unforgettable YMCA Alumni guided luxury motor coach tour Oct. 4-13, 2026 through Spain's marvelous cities of Madrid, Seville, Granada, Valencia, and Barcelona, all while enjoying the benefit of the “All-In-Inclusive” advantage of C.I.E. tours. | |
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 an upscale train adventure on the Rocky Mountaineer; 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 arrive. We're starting to add trips for 2027, including a terrific Danube River Cruise. Two trips for 2026 are already sold out (Scenic Switzerland by Rail and America's 250th in NY Harbor and Beyond on Cunard's Queen Mary 2). The lesson: Don't delay.
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.
Watch for Going Places Jan. 15
Contact the Travel Club by email or phone.
(407) 774-2229
ymcaalumni@gotravel.com
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Membership Director Dave Patterson and his wife, Jen, took a break to Margaritaville Resort in the Great Smoky Mountains as our membership re-connect campaign hit the closing date of Dec. 31.
But, if you haven’t re-connected yet, Dave reminds you that you are now in the grace period to do so as your membership will lapse soon. Take care of it now, and you can join the Pattersons in Margaritaville.
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YMCA of the Seven Council Fires CEO Andrew Corley reports that an anonymous donor has committed to funding an additional tiny home (the fifth) in Morning Star Village. The donor will also cover the installation costs of solar panels for each of the four homes built by YMCA Alumni volunteers.
Corley said the final phase of the YMCA Alumni service project, building a “twig” (small Y branch) in outlying LaPlant, SD, in 2026, will be “clearly distinct" from the new home construction.
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VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE EVERY WEEK FOR TRAVEL TUESDAY AND SERVICE WEDNESDAY.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
YMCA ALUMNI
| | THE CONNECTION is written, edited and produced by craig altschul + associates (ca+a). It is published 12 times yearly. Next issue: February 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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