Service and Outreach

Volunteer to Assist a Professional Chef

Make your contribution as a kitchen volunteer under the guidance of professional chefs? Or, would you deliver meals to clients? Or, how about taking the role of a farmer and work the urban gardens?

2017-2018 PDGR Abstracts

A committee of retirees appointed by Frances Lawrenz, Associate Vice President for Research, reviewed and recommended 14 of the 21 application for Professional Development Grants for Retirees in February, 2017. Allen Levine, Interim Vice President for Research, recently announced the grant recipients.

UMRA Remembers Robert Kane

Dr. Robert Kane first spoke to the UMRA luncheon audience in April 2015 and therafter presided over several workshops on aging and long-term care. When he died suddenly on March 6, Dr. Kane left his UMRA partners, as well as so many other colleagues, stunned. Here are words from a few of our Care Guides, UMRA members who had the privilege of working with and learning from him.

From the Cares Committee bookshelf: The Good Caregiver

The Good Caregiver: A One-of-a-Kind Compassionate Resource for Anyone Caring for an Aged Loved One

Thank you to UMRA members and Care Guides Ron Anderson and Helen Carlson for this review of The Good Caregiver by Dr. Robert Kane, 2011, Pelican. 

Help your community through the U Retirees Volunteer Center

We retirees have many skills, many of which are becoming a much-needed benefit for organizations seeking volunteers for specific needs. The University Retirees Volunteer Center is working to provide better service in this regard to provide  you, the volunteer, with projects for which a specialist is needed. Consider the following current and near future needs.

2017-2018 PDGR Awards

A committee of retirees, appointed by Frances Lawrenz, Associate Vice President for Research, reviewed and recommended 14 of the 21 application for Professional Development Grants for Retirees in February, 2017.  Allen Levine, Interim Vice President for Research, recently announced the grant recipients. 

Volunteer Ushering at Rarig Theater in the Stoll Thrust Stage, Shakespeare in April

Rejoicing is due with the return of spring and the Shakespeare Repertory in April! A University Retirees Volunteer Center “Favorite,” we offer you the reward of satisfying your desire for theater enjoyment at no cost (and with free parking). We are asked to provide volunteer ushers and you can serve that role. The University Theater Department will perform two of Shakespeare’s plays in the Stoll Thrust Theater in the Rarig Center: Cymbeline and Winter’s Tale. Four performances of each will be presented in a six-day period from April 4th through 11th. This is a fine opportunity to experience the excellence of the University’s theater students and become more familiar with these lesser performed works.

Volunteer for MRI Study of Brain

Male volunteers are being sought to serve as controls in an MRI study of antioxidants in the brain.  Contact the URVC at [email protected] if you are interested in participating.

March 2017 URVC seeks ushers

The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) invites you to serve as a volunteer usher for two Shakespeare plays—Cymbeline and The Winter’s Tale—in the Stoll Thrust Theater in the Rarig Center. Each will be performed four times from April 4 through 10. 

URVC seeks volunteer judges for school debate and academic competitions

We are in the season of judging, a veritable vortex of opportunities to find gratification in the intellectual pursuits of a youthful generation and to use our well-crafted skills for evaluating their endeavors. Consider volunteering to act as judges for the following projects. Contact the University Retirees Volunteer Center, [email protected], to register your choice.

March 2017 Cares Committee Bookshelf: The Song Poet

The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father, by Kao Kalia Yang. 2016, Metropolitan books. Thank you to UMRA member Linda Lindeke for this review.

Twin Cities Regional Science Fair needs Volunteer Science Judges!

Friday Feb. 24 – Project Judging & Feb. 3 – 19 for Research Paper Judging

Volunteer Science Judges are needed for both the Science Fair and the Research Paper judging. You will be extremely valuable to evaluate and encourage Twin Cities’ students. As in the past, some will advance to state, national, and international competitions, winning awards and scholarships! Contact [email protected] for registration details.

Triple match? Time to give? Expiring soon?

Consider a 2017 New Year’s Resolution! Give a little of your valuable time for the good deed of volunteering for a project to help the less fortunate. The University Retirees Volunteer Center does not ask for your money, but instead seeks generous patrons who will contribute time. 

Be a URVC “Phone Companion” for Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly

Too many isolated elders stare at the phone this holiday season, hoping it will ring!

Will you commit yourself to relieving loneliness among elders who have little, if any, family or friendship support in their lives? With just a little time and caring, Phone Companion Volunteers make a big difference in the lives of isolated elderly. Contact the University Retirees Volunteer Center to get started: [email protected]  or 612-625-8016

Tutors needed at Murray Middle School

Murray Middle School provides an intentional intervention program called the “Pilot One-on-One Program” for at-risk students who are academically challenged. The program, now in its ninth year, focuses on students that typically do not have strong home support and are often living in crisis.