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During visits in hundreds of cities while traveling
with UWP, I'd call home to my parents in Massachusetts and
say, "I could live here." But in all my UWP travels, there
was only one freezing cold place where I called my parents
and said, "I can't live here." That place was Minnesota. I
have now lived in Lakeville, Minnesota for 12 years. My wife,
Anne, and two lovely children, Nicole and Daniel, love the
Minnesota environment. (Anne should, she is from here.) Anne
works out of our home running her own Production Company,
Sweet Music Productions. She has sung on many commercials
in the Twin Cities and is starting to write her own music.
Nicole and Daniel are great children. We could
not have asked for better (well, maybe we could have asked).
Nicole is 9 years old and in 3rd grade. She loves school and
thankfully got her mother's brains and looks. She also has
inherited the musical talent of Anne. Daniel is 7 years old
and is in 1st grade. He likes school a lot, but likes sports
and dancing much more. He loves to be the center of attention
and has ambitions of being a professional sports figure in
at least 3 to 4 sports.
I have worked with The YMCA of Metropolitan
Minneapolis for the last six years. It is a great career for
me. I first managed the University Branch which worked with
college students and helped them do service projects in the
inner city, and learn from their experiences. (Sound familiar?)
There were other learning opportunities through trips, internships
and group experiences. It reminded me very much of UWP. After
two years at the University Branch I moved to the Northwest
Branch. Unlike the University Branch, the Northwest YMCA is
your typical Y in that it has a pool, gym, and fitness facility.
What intrigued me more was that there is a childcare center;
1,200 acres of camp property 45 minutes away; and programming
that serves some of the most at-risk youth in the area. The
YMCA's tag line is "we build strong kids, strong families
and strong communities." It is a joy to work for the Y because
they believe that building strong families starts with their
staff.
Our family goes back east usually once a year
to visit my parents and sisters. Up until the Y job, my work
involved a lot of travel. I am fortunate to now be home at
night and on weekends and spend a lot of time with my children
and wife. I was also fortunate (I think) to be elected to
the School Board this past November. It has truly been an
educational experience. But that is a whole other conversation.
I think fondly of the year we had together. It truly shaped
the path of life I chose. I thank you all for helping with
that. I hope if you are ever in Minnesota that you come and
visit the McKinney Family.
Tom
McKinney
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