Connect. Travel. Serve.

Jimmie Lee and Donna Slater, Forney, TX

Jerry and Kathleen Vincent, Center Point, TX Judith Quintero, Houston, TX

Founded 1972

Sam Schreiner Chapter

Serving Texas; Oklahoma; SE New Mexico; S. Arkansas;

W. Louisiana

August 2024

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Hello Craig,

I do hope everyone’s summer is going well, as the summer of 2024 is quickly flying by. I hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy family, friends, trips, grandchildren, and some relaxation this summer and has tried to stay cool.

I know some of our members were affected by Hurricane Beryl. I hope that power outages have been restored and that downed trees and limbs have been cleared without too much damage. God bless you all.

President Pam (right) participates in discussion at YMCA Alumni's

"48 Hours in May" leadership event in St. Louis sitting with Margaret Fogarty, YMCA Alumni National Secretary.

I attended the “48 Hours” training for newly elected chapter presidents in St. Louis in May. It was a great time to share ideas about our organization with other chapter leaders and learn what they do for membership recruitment, gatherings, and chapter leadership.

Hopefully, the Sam Schreiner chapter will continue to thrive. Our chapter has great fun when we are together, and we wish to share that fellowship and connection of the YMCA spirit with our newer members and ones we don’t see too often.

Our next gathering will be organized by our chapter treasurer, Jim Heiman, and will be held in Wichita Falls, TX, October 8-10. Jim is getting the details together for this event, and they will be forthcoming, but mark your calendars now for October 8-10. We will begin the afternoon of the 8^th with fun and fellowship at 4 p.m. followed by a dinner together.

We will end on Thursday morning with a business meeting and a “live auction,” so please bring an auction-worthy item to donate and help us raise dollars for our National Service Project, YMCA World Service, and our International Service Corps. We also will have our fun-filled traditional “Wild Bill Hickock Belt Buckle Auction,” which features stories of this infamous artifact our chapter owns from Western U.S. history. Be part of the action. I hope to see you soon.

My best wishes to all.

Pam Power, President Sam Schreiner YMCA Alumni Chapter

We remember... Mary Blalock

Sam Schreiner Chapter member Mary Holly Blalock of Austin, Texas passed away Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at the age of 61. She was born in Westerly, Rhode Island where she grew up in the neighboring town of Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Mary is survived by her husband, Michael, and son Charles.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Springfield College in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.

Mary served the YMCA for 38 years in Manchester, NH; Atlanta, GA; Plainville, CT and Austin, TX. She traveled on YMCA Alumni service projects to the Dominican Republic and the Sioux Reservation to help build homes.

October 8-10

It's Fall in the Falls for

Sam Schreiner Chapter members

How familiar are you with Wichita Falls? Whether you grew up near here or have just seen it on a sign while driving through North Texas, there is something special about this town. Maybe you even have family or friends in the Air Force who went through training at Sheppard Air Force Base or attended MSU Texas.

Luckily, Wichita Falls has some amazing local activities and attractions that will satisfy your sense of adventure. There is always something new to discover, from hiking and biking trails to historic museums and art galleries. And who knows, you might fall in love with this hidden gem of a town.

Some of the tentative activities we are planning are:

A visit to the Museum of North Texas History.

A visit to the Ripleys, believe it or not, the World's littlest skyscraper and the history and myths behind it.

A visit to Midwestern State University, voted as the most scenic college campus in the U.S.

A visit to the Sheppard Heritage Center on Sheppard Air Force Base covering the rich, proud history of Sheppard Air Force Base.

Some other attractions in Wichita Falls include The Sunwatcher, The Gates of Hercules, the Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Kemp Center for the Arts, The Juanita Harvey Art Gallery, Jenny to Jet Exhibit, Kell House Museum, and Riverbend Nature Center.

Hotel plans have not been finalized, but the estimated price will range from $100 to $139 a night.

Be sure to make plans to join your old friends and make some new ones in the Falls.

P.S. Did you miss our spring gathering in Oklahoma City (see photos below)? Well, don't make that mistake again. Join us for Fall in the Falls.

One of the projects we support is the YMCA Alumni National Service Project, which is a building project of four tiny homes on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.

Spring volunteers in waves 1 and 2 this year were able to raise the walls of Tiny Home 3, install the roof and windows, deck and porch roof, and get the whole thing wrapped in Tyvek. Fall volunteer waves 3, 4, and 5 are scheduled for September 2024. They will be erecting the shell of Tiny Home 4. Building two "twigs" (small YMCA branches in outlying communities on the Reservation) will commence next year.

You can follow the project's progress in The Connection and on the YMCA Alumni Facebook page, where an update on the project is posted every Wednesday. The May and September 2025 volunteer dates have been posted. Click HERE to visit the National Service Project website.

YMCA Alumni Reunion-at-Sea

January 26-February 2, 2025. Join us.

Our seven-night cruise will depart from the brand new Royal Caribbean port in Galveston, Texas and includes relaxing days at sea and delightful port stops in Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

Our West Region of YMCA Alumni is serving as hosts with Carmelita Gallo in her role as Vice President/West of YMCA Alumni, as the Chair of the Planning Committee. It would be great to have a good number of our chapter members on this cruise to share in the good times, parties and shipboard special events on one of the most famous ships at sea.

We need to support her and it’s a great way to show some Texas hospitality in early 2025 to all the YMCA Alumni participants. Click the button below for details and to register.

Reunion Details