United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN)’s United for Veterans Retreat will be held January 17-19, 2025, at Grand Ely Lodge. Organizers and veterans alike are looking forward to the event.
“There was something really special about the last retreat that I hope is recaptured this year and continues each year,” said UWNEMN Community Impact Coordinator Michelle Lampton.
Lampton attributes the “something special” in part to its inclusivity. Veterans and servicemembers can attend this retreat individually, bring a significant other, or bring their family members.
“We used to alternate between family retreats and women’s retreats but identified that by doing so, we were missing a population of local veterans that didn’t fit within either of those retreats,” said Lampton. “Shifting the focus from specific audiences to all veterans changed the group dynamic and made the retreat programming more comprehensive.”
The upcoming retreat agenda was created with input from UWNEMN’s United for Veterans committee, comprised of local veterans and servicemembers. It includes outdoor activities like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, indoor activities like felt hat making and visits to the International Wolf Center and/or Ely Historic State Theatre, and presentations from local Veterans Service Officers and veteran and motivational speaker John Kriesel.
A recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, Kriesel survived a roadside bomb attack in Iraq that took both of his legs and two of his friends. He now advocates for fellow veterans and speaks about the lessons he learned from his remarkable journey.
“Feedback shows that these retreats are making a profound and lifechanging impact on those in attendance,” Lampton. “We aren’t just hoping but are expecting the same in 2025.”
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Local U. S. Navy veteran Steve Biondich walked by the 2023 United for Veterans Retreat flyer on the bulletin board at his workplace, Cleveland-Cliffs Minorca Mine, several times before he stopped and decided to register to attend with his family.
“For whatever reason, I decided to give it a try – the price was right,” he said.
Biondich is no stranger to veterans’ programs or services. He joined his local American Legion just one month after returning to the Iron Range from serving as a U.S. Navy quartermaster on a carrier ship and has been involved with a myriad of veteran and community groups ever since. He was familiar with UWNEMN’s United for Veterans initiative - but this was the first time he signed up to participate in one of its programs.
“I’m used to being the organizer, but it felt good to participate,” he said. “And now that I see what United for Veterans does…it opened a whole new door for me to get more involved at the community level.”
Attending the retreat was moving and somewhat unexpected for Biondich.
“I’ve been to a million workshops and conferences, but nothing like this purely veteran focused,” he said. “There was no pressure to participate, but the difference was everyone was there because they wanted to participate.”
Biondich said he reconnected with old friends and made new lifelong friends at the retreat. He was surprised by the range of participation – “from people fresh out of the military all the way to a World War II veteran,” he said.
“To talk to someone who was in the Air Force before it was the Air Force was pretty cool,” he added.
The option to invite family members also made a difference for Biondich. He recalled a day he and his son snow shoed while his wife worked on crafts – each partaking in activities that matched their interests and still connecting with other veterans and their family members in the process.
“It was just done absolutely perfectly,” Biondich recalled. “You could tell there was thought put into each element.”
Perhaps the longest lasting impact the retreat had on Biondich was the retreat speaker’s presentation on PTSD.
“It opened my eyes to what PTSD is like for others, and I’m so thankful,” Biondich said. “I’m able to use what I learned when talking to other veterans. It was a very valuable learning experience.”
Since attending the retreat, Biondich has become more involved with UWNEMN and United for Veterans, most recently assisting with Minorca Mine’s workplace giving campaign, packing Buddy Backpacks, and spreading the word about the upcoming United for Veterans retreat. This winter, he will also volunteer to deliver United for Veterans holiday meal kits to homebound veterans across the region.
“Thank you to whoever hung that flyer,” he said, reflecting on what started it all.
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United for Veterans Retreat registration is open now at www.unitedwaynemn.org/ufv-retreat.
Priority will be given to veterans and servicemembers in UWNEMN’s service area (Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County). A wait list is available to veterans and servicemembers outside of UWNEMN’s service area; those on the wait list will be contacted if the event does not fill with local individuals.
Registration is $25 for veterans and servicemembers, $50 for non-veteran adults, and $20 for children ages 6-17 (children 5 and under are free) and includes two nights' lodging, meals (dinner Friday, breakfast/lunch/dinner Saturday, and breakfast Sunday), speakers, and indoor and outdoor activities.
UWNEMN has been fundraising for the retreat to keep costs as low as possible for attendees. The organization is accepting donations from individuals to support the retreat in honor of Minnesota’s statewide “day of giving,” Give to the Max Day (November 21) and Giving Tuesday (December 3), the philanthropic counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“The way our community rallies behind our local veterans is really moving, especially the way veterans show up for each other,” Lampton said. “Some have even paid it forward by adding additional retreat registrations and asking us to gift them to someone who wants to attend but can’t afford it.”
That kind of support is critical to veterans, Biondich opined.
“Any donation to support local veterans in the community and make things like this retreat possible greatly benefits our local veterans and is very impactful to people’s lives,” he said.
To date, donations have been contributed by the Veterans Community Thrift Store and two anonymous individuals to support the United for Veterans retreat. To learn more about UWNEMN and United for veterans, visit www.unitedwaynemn.org/united-veterans, email michelle@unitedwaynemn.org, or call 218-215-2424.