Inspired by aspiring health professionals
Volunteer spotlight: The University Retirees Volunteer Center recruited 55 mentors for the 2019–20 1Health Community Teacher Program, including UMRA member Jeanne Markell, who describes the experience as both satisfying and inspiring.— Randi Lundell, volunteer officer manager, URVC
For the past five years I’ve had the rewarding experience of volunteering as a community teacher through the U of M’s 1Health Community Teacher Program. This educational program pairs medical, pharmacy, occupational therapy, social work, and nursing students with volunteers who share stories of their personal health challenges. Teams of three to four students and volunteers meet three times during the academic year.
Fortunately, my health issue, primary biliary cholangitis or PBC, is managed with meds and I continue to be asymptomatic and healthy. But it’s my decade-long experience of accessing medical and pharmaceutical care that makes me a good participant in this program.
Health professional students and their community teachers get to know each other by engaging in meaningful conversations. Together they explore ways interprofessional teams can collaborate to better understand a client’s strengths, needs, and opportunities for well-being. Students experience the value of looking across the silos of their majors for more holistic care. For community teachers, it's the satisfaction of contributing a real-life story to augment what’s happening in the classroom.
This is not a burdensome volunteer commitment. Time invested is minimal, involving online communication with the student team for scheduling meetings plus three 90-minute meetings. It’s been so inspiring every year to meet a new team of bright, dedicated, diverse students and help them understand their future challenges from beyond an academic or clinical setting. I applaud this program, support its objectives, and plan to continue for as long as I can.
If you’re someone with an acute or chronic health condition, I urge you to consider becoming a volunteer, too. I’m open to your conversations and questions.
—Jeanne Markell, [email protected]
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: