Interest groups bring learning and joy of belonging
UMRA members who have started and convened some of our interest groups gave us a taste of what happens in their group and what they get out of exploring this interest with others.
UMRA interest groups offer joy in belonging
Tue, September 20 2022, 11am
Members of UMRA interest groups, including the Hiking Club, will speak.
Event to be held via Zoom.
If you’re new to an organization like UMRA, have been a member for a while but haven’t been involved much lately, or have recently lost a spouse or partner, attending a large event can feel overwhelming. You may think, “What if I don’t know anyone?” “Who will I sit with for have lunch?” “What if I don’t have anything in common with the people I meet?” If that rings a bell for you, UMRA’s interest groups, social activities, and University Retirees Volunteer Center offer a range of opportunities for trying something new, continuing to learn, and meeting others who share your interests.
Our September 20 Living Well Workshop via Zoom will feature UMRA members who have started and convened some of our interest groups. They’ll give us a taste of what happens in their group and what they get out of exploring this interest with others.
Shared interests
UMRA members have found ways to get together around many shared interests: reading and reflecting on books together, hiking, taking photographs, armchair travel, researching family history, becoming better informed and more skilled at managing personal finance, volunteering in the community, traveling abroad with other U of M retirees, visiting local and regional points of interest.
These interest groups, social activities, and volunteer opportunities are open to all UMRA members and are free in the best sense of the word. You can participate in as few or as many as you like, with no long-term obligation. It’s a great, low-key way to get acquainted with others and share the joy of new experiences.
Might you have an idea for an interest group you’d like to propose or organize? The workshop will also be an opportunity to learn how to start a new UMRA interest group and get tips from the leaders who’ve done it. The ideas are limited only by the enormous diversity of interests of UMRA’s members.
Please register for this Zoom webinar and join us from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20.
—Jan Morlock, UMRA past president
Upcoming Events
We will meet at the Mel-O-Glaze bakery on 28th and Minnehaha Parkway and walk to Minnehaha Falls and then back again.
Some of the most valuable and rare maps in the world are held in UMN's own James Ford Bell Library, housed in Andersen Library See https://www.lib.umn.edu/collections/special/bell .
The first meeting of UMRA’s Family History Interest Group for 2023–24 will feature a presentation by Marilyn DeLong about sharing family stories and learning surprising family connections.
UMRA has a special opportunity to engage with the four newest members of the U of M Board of Regents on Wednesday, October 4, via Zoom. The purpose of the event is to share our perspectives as former University employees.
All UMRA members with an interest in photography are welcome to attend the meeting of the UMRA Photo Club on Tuesday, October 10. We welcome photographers of all abilities. Most of us are struggling amateurs. We laugh a lot and learn from sharing and talking about our pictures.
The walk along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is always changing, with many attractions being added along both sides of the river and, now, the beautiful fall colors.
UMRA’s workshop on Open Enrollment for U of M retiree health plans for 2024 will include a briefing on the choice between Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plans, by Jeff Snegosky of BCBS of Minnesota, followed by an overview of the U of M’s retiree health insurance plans, by Katie Kolodge from the Office of Human Resources.
Mary Jane Towle will lead the discussion of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.
To help us understand the growing movement in the U.S. to ban books, especially children’s literature, and the critical role of libraries to protect intellectual freedom, UMRA will welcome U of M Librarian Lisa Von Drasek (pictured) and Rochester Public Librarian Kimberly Edson as the guest speakers for our October luncheon forum at Midland Hills.
The Fourth Friday Book Club will meet from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on October 27 to discuss the life and narrative of Frederick Douglass.
Join us for a 5 mile moderately paced hike around Pleasant Lake located in the heart of North Oaks. It takes us past some of James J. Hill’s original farm buildings as well as beautiful homes built along the lakeshore. The trail is wide, generally flat and consists of packed dirt and crushed rock.
The documents noted for this event specify your managers and can minimize income taxes now, and estate taxes.
The material world we live in is shaped by design. While popular discussions of design typically focus on fashion and furniture, design is fundamental in art, architecture, and indeed nearly all aspects of the everyday world around us. Goldstein Museum of Design curator Jean McElvain will demonstrate and discuss some of the fascinating and often unexpected holdings before we walk through the current gallery exhibit.
Get an insider's perspective on Santa Fe and Taos alongside local artists, exploring the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, enjoying traditional music and learning about native cultures. The deadline for reserving a space is June 2, 2023.
Please join us for an invigorating hike from The Monument located at the intersection of Mississippi RIver Blvd and Summit Avenue in St. Paul to Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis and back. This hike is on paved trails, approximately 5.5 miles in length, and will be at a pace suitable to the weather.
Topics include tax changes; tax reducing moves required now and tax management in 2024 & 2025.