URVC makes volunteering easy
Are you curious about how you can give back by volunteering? The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) is dedicated to connecting University retirees to opportunities for volunteering. Learn about these projects through the URVC’s volunteer management system, Better Impact.
To get connected, click on the Get Started tab at the top of the URVC website homepage. That will take you to the Get Started page, where you will find instructions and a link to the Better Impact Application Form, where you'll enter a username and password of your own choosing. After your application is processed, you'll be able to log in to a directory of volunteer opportunities and sign up online for those that appeal to you.
As new volunteer opportunities become available, URVC will email you information about projects that are most likely to appeal to you. Matching of projects with your interests depends on your informing URVC what kind of volunteering you would like to do.
To provide this information, click on the Better Impact Link [look for the link in the Better Impact Quick Guide], log in to MyVolunteerPage, and use the pulldown menu under the My Profile tab at the top of the page to record your contact information, qualifications, interests, and more.
URVC encourages you to explore a variety of volunteer opportunities and trusts you will find something that matches your interest—or stimulates a new one!
—John Anderson, chair, and Eric Hockert, vice chair, URVC Board of Directors
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: