Hello Craig,

Mark Hennessey and I got together over Labor Day at the Chik-Wauk Gunflint Trail Museum and Nature Center on Lake Saganaga.

Lake Saganaga was known as the Voyager Highway hundreds of years ago. This was the museum’s annual fall homemade pie and ice cream social gathering of all property owners along the Gunflint Trail. 

YMCA Camp Menogyn is represented well in the history of the Gunflint Trail museum. Mark, a recent YMCA retiree, accepted the part-time position as executive director of this Chik-Wauk museum sharing the fantastic history of the Gunflint Trail. 

This historical treasure would be a nice addition to your bucket list. It is located near the end of the Gunflint Trail. 

Visit online at www.gunflinthistory.org

We are returning to the remodeled Town and Country Club in St. Paul, Wednesday December 7, 2022 for the Upper Midwest Chapter YMCA Alumni Annual Christmas luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The registration form will be sent to you in late October.

(Photo: Christmas Luncheon 2021 -- did you join us?)

A $10 million electronic deposit was added to the the Fargo-Moorhead YMCA bank account with no strings attached. 

Steve Smith, Executive Director of the Cass and Clay County Fargo-Moorhead YMCA, can only guess why they were among about 40 YMCAs around the USA receiving gifts from McKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Scott reportedly gave away $12 billion to 1,200 charities with $4.2 billion going to YMCAs. 

YMCA staff members have been working on proposals that will be vetted by a screening committee including former board members. The YMCA will be building a new YMCA Childcare Center behind the Scheels Arena in Fargo, YMCA Camp Cormorant will have scholarships available for children attending summer camp plus capital improvements at the camp. 

$1 million will be set aside for an innovation fund to develop new YMCA programs. $1.5 million will be held for mission-based programing. 

Congratuations to the Fargo-Moorhead YMCA. Paul Finstad and Dick Sisler spent many years of their YMCA careers at the Fargo-Moorhead YMCA as executive directors, establishing a great foundation for good things to happen for the YMCA.

There's still time to register for Reunion '22 Nov. 2-4, 2022 in New Orleans.

Join us in "The Big Easy" and let the good times roll. Click the button for details and to register.