REGIONAL – United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN)’s United for Veterans Retreat will be held  Jan. 17-19, 2025, at Grand Ely Lodge. Organizers and veterans alike are looking forward to the event. Registration for the event for veterans and their family members 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). 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. 
The retreat
“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. 
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.” 
Retreat experience
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. 
Donations
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. 
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.