A time and place to serve
Six UMRA members recently joined more than 20 other volunteers to pack hundreds of bags of groceries as part of the Wellstone Neighborhood House Emergency Food Delivery program, providing food and other necessary items to families worried about their safety during the “ICE surge” in the Twin Cities.
Once packed, the bags were sorted into predesigned delivery routes, and volunteer drivers had their cars filled with provisions to provide families with a week’s worth of nutrition. “We all want to help stressed communities during this difficult time in Minnesota, and Neighborhood House provides a place for us to serve,” said Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers, the key liaison with Neighborhood House for the University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC),
Strong need for volunteers
This difficult community environment has created a strong need for volunteers to help many organizations with food sorting, packing, and delivery. Every Meal [everymeal.org] has developed an emergency program that delivers food directly to schools, most in the Twin Cities metro area, where families can safely access needed supplies. Drivers are asked to make one trip per shift, two shifts per month, to deliver these provisions for children and families.
Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation’s largest hunger relief agencies, provides healthy, nutritious food to people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In addition to sourcing and distributing food efficiently, Second Harvest Heartland also advocates for effective policies and programs, and invests in new ways to end hunger.
Welcome future Gophers
UMRA Silver Gopher Service Corps volunteers welcome newly admitted students to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The volunteers greet future Gophers and their supporters, help them navigate the campus, and direct them to their programs—all, of course, while singing the praises of the U. Everyone agrees that seeing welcoming and older faces makes the future Gophers feel connected. Future Gopher Admit Days are scheduled for February 27, March 28, and April 11.
Academic Integrity Matters
Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) is a U of M program seeking volunteers to participate in discussions using principles of restorative justice to help students understand implications of their academic misconduct.
Volunteers, acting as community members, represent the interests of the University in AIM Community Meetings. At these meetings, students explain what they have done and how they are impacted by their actions. Community members then share their account of how they are impacted, and also offer examples of how scholastic dishonesty impacts the broader community. At the end of each meeting, community members propose an educational plan that a student can complete in order to learn from the incident, demonstrate understanding of academic integrity, and repair harm to the University.
Please go to urvc.umn.edu for more information on these and other opportunities to volunteer.
—Peggy Mann Rinehart
News
The election of UMRA officers and board members for 2026-27 will be held online from Monday, May 11, through Sunday, May 17, with the results to be announced at UMRA’s 2026 Annual Meeting and Luncheon Forum on Tuesday, May 19. Nanette Hanks, nominated to become UMRA's next president-elect, tops the slate of candidates approved by the current Board of Directors during its meeting on Monday, March 23.
Proposed changes to the UMRA Bylaws will be on this year’s election ballot along with the nominees for officers and directors. The updates to the bylaws were drafted in response to changes proposed by the Nominating Committee and Membership and Communication Committee, and were approved by UMRA’s Board of Directors in November 2025.
Meet UMRA member Mike Amidon, whose career in computers and information technology spans the years when the Gopher system was developed at the U of M and then quickly eclipsed by the World Wide Web. Remember the days before the internet?
In partnership with Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Beth Lewis, UMRA has been helping current University faculty members to decide whether and when to retire. It’s an experience only actual retirees can truly share.
If getting to know more retiree colleagues and serving the University community were among your goals in joining UMRA, sign up for one of the Silver Gopher Service Corps volunteer projects and come for the fun—and teamwork!
Northrop Organist Greg Zelek will team up with the University Singers, led by U of M professor and director of choral activities Matthew Mehaffey, for a can’t-miss concert blending choral and organ works at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29. Northrop is offering UMRA members a 20% discount on tickets.
The SparkPath Young Authors Conference (YAC) program gives 4th- to 8th-grade students the opportunity to learn from professionals with actual writing experience. The University Retirees Volunteer Center is seeking volunteers to assist with several conferences to be held at Bethel University in St. Paul in May.
Plans are well underway for UMRA to host the 2026 Big Ten Retirees Association Conference this July on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. There are a few, limited volunteer opportunities that may be of interest to you.
Do you remember when “Driven to Discover” was new? Do you know what is taking its place? For the answers to these and similar questions you may have, join UMRA’s Campus Conversation with Chris Gade, U of M vice president for marketing communications, on Tuesday, April 7.