November 2024 * View as Webpage

PAM POWER

PRESIDENT'S PONDERINGS

Our chapter had a grand time together in Wichita Falls last month, thanks to Jim and Emilee Heiman. Those of you who were unable to come, we missed you. We toured the Heritage Museum on Sheppard AFB, and thoroughly enjoyed our personally guided tour. Our guide was quite knowledgeable and informative.

We were hosted for lunch at the Wichita Falls YMCA. We were guided to their new indoor-mega sports complex, fabulous daycare facility, Isaiah 40:3 Gymnasium, and Bill Bartley YMCA. Thank you to the Wichita Falls YMCA staff for being such super hosts. We stayed at a lovely hotel in Wichita Falls and had some great fellowship together.

Our next gathering will be April 8-10 in Round Rock, Texas, a central location so many of you can attend. Please save the date. Details will be coming closer to the event. Perhaps a AAA baseball game with the Round Rock Express would make for a great time together.

We heard reports about our National Service Project, and we can all be so proud of this project. Visit the service project website and see the fabulous progress we have made. Elizabeth Seth is our chapter representative on the Standing Committee, and she gave an awesome report saying the YMCA Alumni have raised close to $1 million and our collection rate on pledges is phenomenally high. We all can be proud that we are part of this project. Waves of volunteers are being recruited to help for 2025 as work on the Morning Star (Tiny Home) Community wraps up. If you want to be present in Dupree, SD, next year, sign up for a rewarding experience on the website.

Our auction during our chapter business meeting raised $1,595, split equally between our National Service Project, YMCA World Service, and YMCA Alumni International Service Corp (ISC).

Our chapter sends a warm welcome to David and Anne Heard from Buda, Texas, our newest members.

The YMCA’s core values are respect, honesty, caring, responsibility, and faith. These core values we all learned to follow in our professional careers, and now, as YMCA Alumni, these values still apply to our organization and in our daily lives. May God bless each of you this holiday season.

We hope to see you on our Reunion Cruise in January and in Round Rock at our next gathering. About 13 members of our chapter signed up to go on this seven-day cruise, leaving from Galveston, TX. Our own Carmelita Gallo, reunion chair, has done an excellent job putting this reunion together. Our chapter will serve as one of the host chapters from the West Region, welcoming YMCA Alumni on board.

Blessings,

RECAP:

FALL IN THE FALLS

Photos -- Top row: Debra Phillips and Gail Grady; Kathleen Owen, Emilee Heiman, Karen Anderson, Kim Phillips. Bottom row: Karen Anderson and Chuck Dandridge at the dominoes table; Chuck Dandridge, Durwood Owen and Patrick Murphy at the Heritage Museum.

Our Sam Schreiner Chapter Fall Gathering was a great success. Jim and Emilie Heiman put together an excellent program for the attendees. We started the gathering on Tuesday with a Wichita Falls trivia game by Chuck and Johnie Mae Dandridge. Later that night, we went to Casa Manana Mexican Restaurant for dinner, followed by a game of Mexican Train at the Delta Hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Sheppard Air Force Base for a tour of the Heritage Museum. There, we learned about the first planes made from wood and canvas and the history of Air Force uniforms over the years. After the museum, we went to the Wichita Falls YMCA for lunch and a facility tour. The day ended with a barbeque dinner at the Lucy Park Log Cabin. It was a great day of fun and fellowship, and it ended with a game of Mexican Train.

We held our business meeting, a live auction of many unique items, and the passing on of the “Wild Bill Hickock Belt Buckle” on Thursday morning. Carmelita Gallo won the buckle last Spring, but she could not make it to the Fall Gathering, so it was not present for the bidding. When it was all said and done, $800 was raised from the belt buckle auction and $1,595 overall.

We discussed holding the Spring 2025 gathering at the business meeting in various locations but settled on the Georgetown/Round Rock area from April 8 through April 10, 2025.

Photos -- Top: Pam Power (right) thanks hosts Jim and Emilee Heiman. Bottom: A photo stop in front of the Heritage Museum; our group in the YMCA's 40:3 gym.

Our Chapter Executive Committee decided to keep dues at $35 for individuals and $50 for households. National retains $25 of the dues received and sends the remainder to our chapter. Chuck Dandridge reported that our chapter has an 81 percent renewal rate with 71 people and 51 households.

There are two ways to pay. You may return the paper renewal form with a check in the envelope provided in the recent mailing or click on our YMCA Alumni website and pay by credit card. You can make an optional donation to the Schreiner Chapter or to National. (New members are free the first year. Members 90 years and older do not pay dues.)

RENEW ONLINE

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

OUR TRAVELING SCHREINERS

Photos -- Sue Murchison and Sharon Sawallisch took a trip to Greece in October; Craig and Ellen Schaffer celebrated their 49th Wedding Anniversary on our YMCA Alumni Travel Club Scottish Dream motor coach tour in August; Chuck and Johnie Mae Dandridge took in the sights in Rome after hosting the Travel's Club's Atlantic Crossing cruise from Florida to Italy. Last spring Jan Murphy, Lynne Vaughan, Carmelita Gallo and Patrick Murphy enjoyed a fall European River cruise together.