Variety and flexibility suit him
UMRA member Scott Elton caught the volunteering bug back in 2008 when he joined a Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity crew through Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. “It doesn’t matter what your skills are. Habitat always finds something for volunteers to do,” Elton recalled.
So, when UMRA announced that the University Retirees Volunteer Center was recruiting retirees to join the Silver Gopher Service Corps, Elton was among the first to volunteer to greet future Gophers participating in the Office of Admission’s Newly Admitted Students Welcome Day at the University.
“I really enjoyed snapping photos of families alongside a snow-covered Goldy outside Coffman,” he said.
Elton also joined other Silver Gophers to work with admissions staff during last summer’s Campus Preview days and, most recently, to pack food for underserved youth through the Every Meal agency in Roseville.
He likes the variety and flexibility that volunteering provides. This veteran of the University’s central, collegiate, and departmental administrations finds retirement suits him, too—especially, he says, “the ability to take a nap after lunch.”
—Peggy Mann Rinehart
News
UMRA hosted delegates from 14 of the 18 schools in the Big Ten for the 2026 Big Ten Retirees Association conference in July. It was described as “the perfect collaboration” by two delegates we invited to share a few of their key takeaways from the conference.
Developing communication skills is the focus of two programs needing volunteers this fall: the “Reader/Writer Program,” assisting students in Minneapolis Public Schools grades 7-12 to develop literacy skills; and “Partners in English,” engaging in conversation with adults for whom English is not their first language.
After being unexpectedly sidelined at the outset of her retirement, Pam Snopl now enjoys doing many of the things retirees get to do, including reconnecting in person with family and friends, going to museums and weekday Minnesota Twins games, reading, and writing.
UMRA member George Swan retired in 2021 after 30+ years at University Libraries, but still returns to campus to visit one or another of the libraries at least twice a week in his current role as a student/retiree.
UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program is an annual competition for grants to support projects related to retirees’ research, instructional history, new scholarly or creative interests.
UMRA needs everyone to renew their membership for the coming year. Thank you if you’ve already renewed! If you haven’t, please renew right away.