My Week that Was - February 26

Room with a view of Milwaukee.
2/22/22 dwm photo

 This week is my 10th ALDE Conference.  ALDE is an organization for Christian development (fundraising) professionals and those working for Christian organizations that engage in raising gifts.

 I went to my first in St. Louis in 2004 during my first year building donor relationships with the North Wisconsin District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  

 Since St. Louis, I've conferenced in Columbus, Ohio; Baltimore; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis; Chicago; Minneapolis; and North Texas (Dallas-Ft Worth).

 There are usually 300 to 400 fundraisers, presenters, and vendors at the conference which offers a lot of training opportunities while not being too big to connect with people you met in prior years.

 Last year's conference was postponed due to Covid-19, moved ahead 12 months at the Hilton Milwaukee Center.  While Milwaukee County has a mask mandate in place for indoor public spaces through March 1, it is wonderful to get back to another part of my "normal."

Before I even arrived there was a challenge as the first storm of the winter barreled into south Wisconsin with freezing rain.  I was able to leave earlier than expected and beat the weather to Beer City.  

Left to right: Bernie Brewer, Italian
Sausage, me, Polish Sausage and
Bango. 2/22/2022 

 Opening night, after an opening worship service, the informal meal served what you might usually see at a tailgate.  As a perfect additional touch, organizers were successful in getting local celebrities to make an appearance.

 A number of the out-of-state guests for the conference didn't know what to make of the large sausages walking around, posing for selfies, and playing cornhole ('bags' to the locals).  For those of us from Wisconsin, we lined to get our picture with them.

 Wednesday was a heavy day of continuing education with three 90-minute classes wrapped around a keynote.  The speech, by Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service,

 Hers is a remarkable story, which you can read by following the above link, and a perfect person to lead an organization dedicated to helping people seeking a better life in the United States.  She was a terrific and inspiring speaker.

Wednesday and Thursday included three keynote speakers and three 90-minute classes, so it took a lot of concentration.

Home of the Bucks. 2/23/2022 (dwm photo)

After the final session Wednesday I took advantage of the fairly nice day (sun, 15 degrees) to walk a
few blocks up to the Fiserve Forum where the Milwaukee Bucks play.

The Pro Shop on the lower level was open, while the team had a few days off surrounding the All-Star break.  

I found a nice polo shirt at a decent price, made more decent when it was discounted an additional $15, which prompted me to add a hit to the swag.  On the way back to the hotel, I enjoyed a slice of pizza at Brick's.  It wasn't a "Chamber of Commerce" night, but for February in Wisconsin, it wasn't bad.

The Hilton Milwaukee Center.
2/23/2022 dwm photo

 The conference wrapped up Friday morning.  It was good to be back in a setting like it, sharing and learning from acquaintances and new friends.  I was blessed to make a new friend who serves in a similar role at a senior health center in another state and it was energizing to share ideas and thoughts about ways to reach the goals before us.

 Through the years, the conference has been proven to be a good place to share and learn.

 Friday was my third morning using the Hilton's fitness center and second day using their treadmill.  Like many treadmills it has a built-in TV, but since I wasn't able to call up any of the cable channels I watched the video that was intended to make me feel like I was running on a path through the forest, along a river, or up a hill.

 It wasn't easy to figure where the videos were shot, but it didn't seem to be the United States.  The lay of the land and the look of the cities appeared European.  On my last day I saw a flag which appeared to be Australian, so that might be it.

The funniest part to me as I ran at 5.5 miles an hour, was when the video projecting me "running," had me twice pass a guy on a bike, that is definitely fiction! 

Good News - we're about to enter March... spring and snow can happen during the same month... enjoy!