March 2025

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ORVILLE LINDQUIST:

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello Craig,

I am excited to write to you as the newly-minted President of our Upper Midwest YMCA Alumni Chapter. I am honored to serve and grateful for your support. I am especially grateful to our Past President, Don Kerr, whose serving attitude and hard work has set me up for success. We wish Don the best as he moves on to serve our chapter in new ways.

YMCA Alumni has a mission to “Connect, Travel, Serve.” All of these are important, but “Connect” speaks most loudly to me. I greatly value our friendships, our shared YMCA heritage, and our collective service to communities throughout our region. With those years of daily, direct service behind most of us, our connections to each other remain. That connectedness, friendship, and shared history are especially important in an increasingly tumultuous world.

Our chapter board has worked hard to develop a strategic plan for the new year to strengthen our work together and build even more connections. See the story below for details.

Onward to the new year and much more connectedness to come!

Orville Lindquist, President

Upper Midwest YMCA Alumni Chapter

MAKING PLANS

OUR CHAPTER STRATEGIC PLAN

Here are the key areas for planning and goal-setting for our chapter:

Membership:

Emphasize membership in Greater Minnesota and the Dakotas
Establish a membership Task Force
Build a solid “case” for the value of YMCA Alumni membership

Programs:

Send survey to members to determine interests and help develop programs
Explore regional gatherings outside the Twin Cities
Continue with summer picnic and holiday gatherings
Expand service projects, seminars and outings

Communications:

Publish four newsletters each year
Develop an editorial calendar for newsletters and member communications

Caring and Concerns:

Reach out to 90+-year-old Lifetime Members
Engage members to connect with Lifetime Members
Connect with members experiencing difficult life situations

Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF):

Publicize EAF as a resource for members needing support
Support EAF annual campaign
Highlight local and national EAF stories

World Service:

Encourage giving from members for World Service
Conduct education sessions about World Service programs

INVITE OTHERS

TO JOIN OUR YMCA ALUMNI CHAPTER

There are many benefits to becoming a YMCA Alumni member. Thank you for being a YMCA Alumni member. Invite others to join us and let them know their first year's membership is free.

Do you have any questions? Email Mary Felty, chapter membership chair.

It's easy to join. Just click the button below.

JOIN YMCA ALUMNI

Kathy Cheng (Woodbury, Minnesota)

Jean Christenson (Springbrook, Wisconsin)

Rob Coulliard (Bloomington, Minnesota)

Mary Lokowich (Richfield, Minnesota)

Judd and Terese Turner (Waconia, Minnesota)

Kathleen Westphal (Waukesha, Wisconsin)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

IT'S ALMOST SUMMER PICNIC TIME

Summer Picnic

Tuesday June 24, 2025

11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Burnes Park East Shelter

301 2nd Street North

Hopkins, MN 55343

(Parking is available in the church parking lot on the west side of the Burnes Park and on the east side of the Park by the covered shelter.)

The YMCA Alumni Annual Christmas Luncheon

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saint Paul Town and Country Club

Photo: Cathy Cheng (left), Sandy Stooke (right) and Bob Gagner at last year's luncheon.

CATCHING UP WITH OUR MEMBERS

MARGE MEFFERT

Marge Meffert enjoyed a remarkable career with the Minneapolis YMCA, serving in five different decades in a variety of roles, culminating with her directing Association Human Resources when—incredibly—that was a one-person operation.

What years did you work at the YMCA?

From 1959 to 1998, 39 years. Over half of my life!

As you look back on your Y career, what are you most grateful for?

No question about it—the opportunity I had to get to know everybody in all the branches. Everyone getting hired had to come through me for orientations, even part-time staff and volunteers.

What have been the highlights of your life after the Y?

While I was still working I made a list of what I should do in retirement. At the top of that list was volunteering at the YMCA Archives at the University of Minnesota. I did that one day a week for 12 years. I was also able to travel to South America and Europe.

What are you doing now that you most enjoy?

I love to read, especially about history. I finally have time to do that!

DO YOU HAVE IDEAS FOR PROGRAMS?

PASS THEM ON TO MARJI

If you have suggestions for other YMCA Alumni chapter activities, programs, seminars, etc., please pass them along to our Program Chair, Marji Miller.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

The YMCA Emergency Assistance Fund provides financial support to Y staff and YMCA Alumni in need across the country. In 2024, a dozen of our Midwest Chapter members contributed to the YMCA Emergency Assistance Fund Annual Campaign; another dozen Y retirees (not currently chapter members) from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota also gave gifts. Those gifts totaled $3,925. Thank you, everyone!

Active YMCA Alumni are eligible to apply for and receive grants from the Emergency Assistance Fund.

YMCA ALUMNI TRAVEL CLUB

2025-2026 AVAILABLE ADVENTURES

June 17-July 3, 2025:

Norway: Land of the Midnight Sun and Summer Solstice ocean cruise on Emerald Princess. Hosts: Schreiner Chapters' Jan and Patrick Murphy.

Oct. 14-22, 2025:

South America Getaway motor coach and air with Globus Tours. Host: Go Travel's Bob Cook.

Oct. 20-Nov. 3, 2025:

Ancient Adriatic Treasures cruise on Viking Ocean's newest ship. Hosts: YMCA Alumni Communications Team Peggi Simmons and Craig Altschul.

June 5-12, 2026:

Alaska: The Last Frontier ocean cruise on Celebrity Edge. Hosts: Weatherford Chapter's Jean and Bert Bock.

Visit our YMCA Alumni Facebook page every Travel Tuesday.

YMCA Alumni members, family and referred friends are always welcome on our Travel Club Adventures. Be sure to call our Go Travel partners at (407) 774-2229) for all your individual and family travel planning and booking. Be sure to ID yourself as a YMCA Alumni member.

Click to Travel Club