YMCA Leaders Committed to Long-Lasting Success
A Y story is a personal testimony that links thousands of people together through shared experiences. Here at the YMCA of the North, our Y leaders are committed to sustaining their cherished camps, programs, and locations for future generations to write their own stories. Glen Gunderson, YMCA President and legacy donor, highlighted, "Over 100 current and former employees have invested in the Y's mission through legacy giving. We are deeply grateful to have a team that is dedicated to the future of our community." We are pleased to showcase some of these visionary team members.
At her core, Pam Dyer wants to help kids grow strong through youth programming. An early look at this passion began in 1991, when she joined the West Saint Paul YMCA team working in Kids Stuff, a free childcare program for members. She warmly remembers that her 4 children were raised at the Y and enjoyed its opportunities from swimming to childcare. During her nearly 30-year career, Pam had no idea that she would have the opportunity to see her Y kids grow into young adults and start their own families, which made her a proud care provider. Although Pam has moved since her retirement and her new home Y is Emma B. Howe, she still attends reunions and stays connected with her YMCA colleagues and members. As a way to honor her years of love and dedication to the Y, Pam updated her will to support the Emma B. Howe endowment fund. With Pam's gift and others, this location will continue to empower today and tomorrow's young people.
Rolf Thompson and CJ Jacobson both served as Y staff from the late 1970s through the '90s. Rolf started his career at Day Camp Christmas Tree and soon used his skills to become the Executive Director for Camp Menogyn and later Widjiwagan. CJ led numerous advanced wilderness trips at Menogyn, including the 1980 "Femmes du Nord" canoe trip to Hudson Bay. She initiated a Junior Staff Leadership Training program also at Menogyn. Rolf and CJ shared, "YMCA wilderness adventures at Menogyn and Widji offer unparalleled opportunities for teens to shape their character, form lifelong friendships, and discover their strengths and identities." These experiences and their deep love for the outdoors, led the Thompson-Jacobson family to leave a gift in their estate to support Camps Menogyn and Widjiwagan. Their future gift ensures that these camps have the resources they need to continue transforming lives through wilderness exploration.
Some Y stories are multi-layered and grow through experiences. For Jeri Glick-Anderson, she first came to the Y in the 1980s, as a YMCA of Greater Saint Paul communication and marketing team member until 2001. Her YMCA volunteerism began as a Camp Widjiwagan community board member, and Jeri's love for Widji deepened as a camper parent. She saw first-hand how the Y transforms the lives of kids through the outdoors. Nearly two decades later, Jeri returned to revive the Y's planned giving strategy. She used her love for future planning to engage with donors and help bridge their values to the mission through legacy giving. Jeri holds a profound passion for all aspects of the YMCA, thus why at the start of her planned giving role she added the Y as a future beneficiary of her estate. Jeri retired in 2022 and today, she and her husband, Charles, love sharing the joys of adventure by volunteering for YMCA Adventure Lab's family events. Jeri has expanded her Y story to the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.
Since joining the organization 20 years ago, Carolyn Caswell has become a subject matter expert and donor steward for the Y's philanthropy program. However, her Y story began with a trip to Camp du Nord with her 5-year-old son, Ben, in the early 2000s. As a new single parent, camping was never top of mind for Carolyn even though she had a love for the outdoors—but she registered anyway. She fondly recalls that the du Nord camp families and staff welcomed them with open arms. Camp du Nord has an active Family Resource Program, which not only serves as a welcoming group, but also as a problem-solving network if any camper experiences challenges throughout their stay. During their first camping week, Carolyn realized the temperature in their platform tent had plummeted to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which was rare for August. Thankfully, a resource family invited them to sleep in their partially heated yurt that night. Since that inaugural trip, the Caswells have visited du Nord nearly every year, and have even promoted the experience to families and friends. During these camping stays, their mother and son bond grew, as Carolyn watched Ben flourish in the outdoors. These treasured memories led Carolyn to add Camp du Nord in her will, supporting future generations of families to start building their own camping stories together.
Mark Ihrke knows that the heart of the Y's mission is to serve and support people throughout the community. When a friend encouraged him to apply for a job, he had no idea that 15 years later, he would be leading four branches as an Associate Vice President. Mark deeply values family and community. During the pandemic, programs dedicated to youth were paused across Minnesota leaving young people and families isolated. Mark saw a need and utilized the Ridgedale endowment to re-open the Teen Center once it was safe to return to the branch. He often reflects to others that the endowment dollars were the reason why the Ridgedale Y could provide its community with meals, childcare for frontline workers, and classroom space—something Mark is most proud of. Mark and Diane Ihrke added the Ridgedale YMCA as a beneficiary of their retirement account, which will support the greatest needs of the branch. In celebration of Mark's incredible impact, a named fund was established in 2023 to honor his dedicated service and leadership to the community. These two legacy gifts enable the YMCA of the North to continue serving as a cornerstone resource for its community.
At the YMCA, we are proud to have a team of devoted changemakers who are committed to the long-term success of their communities. Our Y stories link us together and donors like Pam Dyer, the Thompson Jacobson family, Jeri Glick-Anderson, Carolyn Caswell, and Mark Ihrke, who dedicated their talents to the Y, are now providing future generations the resources to create their own.