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ORVILLE LINDQUIST:
FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Hello YMCA Alumni Friends:
Happy Summer!
It seems that summer has just started and is now suddenly headed toward its end. Summer means lots of things to people. For some, it’s a time to relax. For others, it means doing a lot and squeezing every drop of fun out of the season.
Our theme for this newsletter is “Keep Playing!” We’re shaped by weather in the Upper Midwest; our most “play” is easiest in summer. But there are many opportunities to play — indoors or outdoors —all year round.
One of the biggest “play” occasions of the summer is going to the State Fair. The Fair occurs at the end of July in South Dakota, and in Minnesota, the Fair is coming up. I know so many of you who are passionate about the Fair - food, entertainment, people, animals, and so much more. A great chance to “play.”
In Minnesota, the Fair's tagline is “The Great Minnesota Get Together.” While more than 1.9 million folks attend each year and the chance of inadvertently meeting up with friends in the huge crowds is small, the
Fair is a great way to come together and celebrate the glories of the state and its culture. (Food on a stick is culture, right?)
That “get together” is also a central element of YMCA Alumni. Though our numbers are much smaller than any State Fair, our connections are just as significant. We all come together through our shared YMCA histories.
By being together, we continuously celebrate the important work we have all done throughout our YMCA careers. That togetherness is so important. I hope you will spread the word to your YMCA friends and encourage them to join. This fall will see our annual reconnect campaign, so I hope you will renew early on, as well. Watch your inbox for more information.
Here’s hoping you get a chance to play a bit in what remains of the summer. Take some time and do things that bring you joy.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
LOTS COMING UP
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Tuesday, September 15, 2026
A Gathering for Fall Fun at the home of Sandy Stooke
We will get together for grilling with all the fixings for a fun fall afternoon luncheon, enjoying Sandy’s beautiful backyard and hospitality.
2815 Overlook Drive
Bloomington, MN 55431
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sandy’s phone: (952) 412-5143
Cost: $15 per person (please bring cash or a check the day of the event)
Register by September 5 to Yvonne Anderson (612-309-7997)
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Minnesota State Capitol Tour
Wednesday, October 21, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Watch for additional information in early September.
Annual YMCA Alumni Midwest Chapter Holiday Luncheon
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Town & Country Club
300 Mississippi River Blvd. N.
St. Paul, MN 55104
It's never too early to plan for holiday fun! Mark your calendar now for our annual Holiday Luncheon. Registration information is coming in early September.
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JOIN US IN OUR ZOOM ROOMS
SEPT. 23; OCT. 6; OCT. 27
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Enjoy connecting with YMCA Alumni and learning in the comfort of your home via Zoom. These sessions are free, but registration is required.
Wednesday, September 23, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“The Holy Land Today: Understanding and Respecting Both Sides of the Israeli/ Palestinian Conflict”
Presenter: Mike Bussey, Former Executive Director, Jerusalem International YMCA.
This session includes a brief historical overview of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, highlighting key events of the past century, as well as current demographics and political issues. It will also touch on the unique and historic role that the Jerusalem International YMCA has played and continues to play in the region.
Register by September 17 with Yvonne Anderson
Tuesday, October 6, 10 a.m to 11 a.m.
“Aging Resources: Preparing Well for Days Ahead”
Presenter: Brandi Campbell (St. Croix Hospice)
Learn about topics relevant to seniors and their loved ones, including housing options, insurance, advance care planning, and support services.
Register by October 1 with Yvonne Anderson
Tuesday, October 27:
Mary Tikalsky, Director, YMCA World Service.
More information coming in early September.
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Help Make Our YMCA Alumni Chapter Even Better!
Volunteer opportunities are available within our Chapter, including: Membership, Program, and Care & Concerns. Interested? Please let one of our board members know. (Contact information below.)
Program Committee Starting
We’re forming a Program Committee that will meet (virtually) every other month beginning this November. Are you interested in joining? Please contact Yvonne. Thank you.
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27 Chapter members, spouses, and friends enjoyed good weather and a great time at our June picnic! (Photo by Sue Harris) | |
OUR SUMMER PICNIC IN JUNE
FRIENDSHIP AND FUN TOGETHER
| Our annual Chapter Summer Picnic June 23 was great fun at Lone Lake Park in Minnetonka. Thank you to all who came, helped organize, cooked hot dogs and brats, and contributed to a delicious potluck. The best part? Catching up with special Y friends. You’ll want to add this to your calendar for next June. | | |
Special picnic guest Glen Gunderson, President and CEO of the YMCA of the North, shared greetings and a great word of encouragement: “The mission of the YMCA is as important as the mission of any organization on earth,” Glen said. (Photo by Marji Miller)
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Long-time YMCA staff member Brian Hubbard, shown here at the picnic with Alumni members Mary Felty, Jenice Schroetke, and Deanna Sande, was the guest speaker. Brian, now Chief of Police in Crystal, Minnesota, told how the Y helped shape his life and career. (He is also the current president of LEMA, the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association.) (Photo by Marji Miller)
| | Deanne Sande (left) and Marge Meffert. A good trivia question: how many years of Y Human Resource experience are represented in this picture? (Photo by Steve Harris); Gary Lewis, griller extraordinaire; Marji Miller with her very appropriate Y-shirt. (Photos by Sue Harris) | | OUR MEMBERSHIP IS GROWING | | |
Mary Felty, our Membership Secretary, reports that membership in the YMCA Alumni Upper Midwest Chapter is growing and our retention rate is a strong 84%! Thanks for your membership! Watch your mailbox/emails for Y Alumni renewal information in September-October.
Do you know other YMCA alumni who would enjoy and benefit from being a member, too? How might you reach out to them in coming weeks? Thanks for thinking of that!
Did you know?
· YMCA Alumni are part of a national organization.
· Members comprise 17 chapters based on where they live.
· The first year of membership is free!
| | Click on the image above to connect directly to the Travel Club page on our website for current trip listings. | | |
(NOT) THE LAST WORD
KEEP PLAYING, HELP OTHERS, TOO
BY STEVE HARRIS
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Don Kerr, a YMCA Alumni member and past president of our Chapter, knows how to play, most often with a fishing pole in hand! “I recently caught this largemouth bass—4.5 pounds!—off the dock in front of my house on Lake Minnetonka,” Don says. “I always release what I catch—this one will get even bigger!” (Photo submitted by Don Kerr, the guy holding the fish…AI is not suspected.)
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“Go play!” my mom would tell us when we were little kids, especially in the summer. Play is “engaging in activity for enjoyment and recreation,” and we all need to keep doing it—at whatever age. How are YOU “playing” these days? Golfing, biking, walking, hiking, pickleball, fishing? As we get older, “mental play” works, too: puzzles, word games, card games, reading, whatever you find fun and relaxing. Yes, keep playing!
That fits so well with our YMCA backgrounds. Years ago I heard about a Y Association that hired a “Vice-President of Play.” Cool! We worked for an organization that valued play and healthy activities. At the Y we helped other people “play.” We should feel good about that.
Don Nelson, the Hall of Fame basketball player and coach who passed away recently, told of how he first got to play the game at the Rock Island (Illinois) YMCA. “They gave me a free youth membership,” he remembers. “In the summer I was at the Y morning ‘til night.” Playing at the Y helped set the course of his successful life.
I hope stories like these are still happening today—and that each of us keeps playing.
Happy summer!
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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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