The 91亚色 Retirees' Association is a voluntary group which represents retired employees from all employee groups -- faculty, staff and managers -- who wish to maintain contact with the University and each other.
Members of the 2025 YURA Executive Committee
JOINING THE RANKS OF YORK RETIREES?
If you are a 91亚色 retiree or planning to retire and you would like to receive an "info page" about the Retirees鈥 Association (without having to surf this website), please e-mail yura@yorku.ca
WELCOME.... DIANE BEELEN WOODY & STEVE DRANITSARIS, YURA CO-PRESIDENTS
As YURA co-presidents we welcome you to the YURA website; here you will find information about our organization and its events and activities, and a wealth of information about social outings as well as learning and volunteer opportunities. We aim to provide relevant information about wellness and well-being during retirement. We all strive for the goal of 鈥渢hriving in retirement鈥, while simultaneously learning to navigate the inevitable challenges. We are proud to have one of the most active university retirees鈥 associations in Canada, with over 450 retired staff and faculty/librarian members.
The coming year is a very special one for YURA as we celebrate our 40th anniversary with a reception and sit-down lunch to take place on Wednesday May 13th, 2026 in the Second Student Centre on the Keele campus. The theme of our celebration will be 鈥淐elebrating our past and inspiring our future鈥. We envision a very enjoyable mix of....
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YURA is Turning 40!!!
Celebrating our Past and Present and Inspiring Our Future
May 13, 2026 is the date of a Reception and Luncheon to celebrate our 40th聽anniversary with the theme 鈥淐elebrating our Past and Present and Inspiring our Future鈥.聽 As of May 1st, this event is SOLD OUT!
We look forward to this gala event, with many of our members assembling at the Keele campus to reminisce, to reconnect with one another in fun and friendship, to remember and honour those who have contributed to our association, and to celebrate the notable contributions of retirees to the University community, including mentoring, ongoing scholarship and research, and support of students through our endowed awards and fund-raising accomplishments.
Details have been sent by e-mail to all YURA members and are also available on the event information page.
YURA Office Closures
The YURA Office will be closed on Wednesday, May 13th for the 40th Anniversary reception and luncheon and again on Tuesday, June 2nd for the Markham Campus Tour. These closures allow our office volunteers to take part in these Association events.
The YURA Office will close for the summer break on Wednesday, June 17th and will re-open in the fall on Tuesday, September 15th. During the office closures, messages can be sent by e-mail to yura@yorku.ca or left on the office voicemail at 416.736.2100 extn. 70664. Messages will be answered at the earliest possible time.
YURA 2025 Annual General Meeting
The 2025 Annual General Meeting of the 91亚色 Retirees鈥 Association was held on Friday, November 21st as a virtual meeting, via Zoom.
Our guest speaker was Dr. Christine O鈥橩elly of Dublin City University in Ireland, Co-ordinator of the Age Friendly University Global Network, who spoke on the topic of 鈥淧ositive Ageing, Intergenerational Solidarity, and the Role of Higher Education.鈥 [Full biographical notes about Christine. O'Kelly are available by clicking here.]
The business meeting portion of the AGM was held following Dr. O'Kelly's talk. Documents pertaining to the business meeting can be viewed by clicking here. All reports were accepted, financials approved and the 2025-26 Executive Committee membership affirmed unanimously.
Reception recognized 91亚色's 2024 Retirees
YURA recently collaborated with the Vice-President, Equity, People & Culture (VP-EPC) and the President鈥檚 Institutional Events team, to host a reception for retirees. The November 4th event in the Second Student Centre was an opportunity for YURA members to visit with one another socially and to celebrate those members of faculty and staff who retired in 2024. Co-hosting for the University were Lisa Philipps, Vice-President Academic & Provost and Laina Bay-Cheng VP-EPC. Following the recognition of the new retirees, YURA staged a brief and light discussion about retirement moderated by co-president Diane Woody and featuring panelists Sheila Forshaw, Ian Greene and Cathy Boyd-Withers. A social time for mingling, re-connecting and reminiscing followed. Click here for more photos from the event.
The 2025 YURA Challenge
Retirees' Fundraising Walk a Success
The 91亚色 Retirees鈥 Association held its annual 5 km fundraising walk on October 9th -- this year to support student academic success by raising money to acquire 鈥渟tudy pods鈥 for the 91亚色 Libraries. These self-contained soundproof booths offer students privacy, comfort, and power outlets and they can make a real and lasting difference in their success. The pods are also ideal for virtual classes, online or oral exams, job interviews, mentorship calls and for students with sensory stimulation concerns.
Through its collaboration with the University鈥檚 Libraries, YURA is hopeful that 91亚色 students can enjoy the same advantages as their peers at U of T and McGill, where study pods have already been introduced and are in high demand. By supporting this innovative initiative in the Libraries, YURA can continue its tradition of supporting student success.
YURA members were recruited to take part in the walk and to canvass for team sponsors. This year, donations have been handled directly by the University: for fundraising participants, there was no complicated registration process and no registration fee; and for donors, there have been no administrative fees. To date, more than $17,000 has been raised, through contributions from YURA members, former 91亚色 colleagues and co-workers, and family and friends. in support of YURA鈥檚 fundraiser can still be made until December 31st. We encourage all YURA members to help with this worthy cause.
For more information and to donate, please visit our YURA Challenge page by clicking here.
Members of The YURA Challenge team preparing for their 5 km walk through the Keele Campus on October 9th. For more photos from the 2025 walk, please click here.
Memberships for 2025-2026
YURA membership renewal forms for the 2025-2026 year (October 1 through September 30) are now available by clicking here.
YURA members receive quarterly issues of the YURA Newsletter and ongoing bulletins and e-mail communications with information about YURA and activities available to our members. This website includes links to key websites for retirees (鈥Retiring at 91亚色鈥) as well as information about member privileges, events, and YURA鈥檚 role in representing retirees' interests with 91亚色.
Retired 91亚色 employees who wish to join YURA are most welcome to do so. For more information, instructions and the membership application form, please click here.
Join in the Conversation at the YURA Caf茅
From September through April, the YURA Caf茅 takes place the second Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m.聽 Review the Events Calendar for upcoming dates.聽 An announcement about each month鈥檚 Caf茅, including the Zoom link, is circulated by e-mail to YURA members several days before the session.
Read overviews and highlights of past sessions of the YURA Caf茅 by clicking here.
College and University Retiree Associations of Canada (CURAC)
CURAC is the national organization of the postsecondary retirees' associations across Canada. It speaks for the collective on a variety of public policy issues. It provides a number of important services to its members, including an annual conference that highlights best practices among its member associations and promotes collaboration. YURA was among the founders of CURAC.
All YURA members should check out the to learn about the initiatives in which it is involved and the services and activities it offers to all retiree association members, including members of YURA. Also on the website are links to health bulletins and discussion papers on issues relating to seniors.
Of particular interest to YURA members may well be the videos of the key presentations at the annual CURAC Conference. Sessions from the 2024 conference held at the University of Waterloo are now available to view by . Sessions from the 2025 conference held at McGill University in Montreal in May will be available in the near future.
CURAC's affinity partners belairdirect and Johnson Travel Insurance offer contests from time to time open to members of all CURAC member associations, including YURA. belairdirect also initiated a scholarship program this year for which progeny of YURA members may be eligible. More info...
"Bringing Experience to Shape the Future of Postsecondary Education" -- University Affairs
We are pleased to see that Dr. Fred Fletcher, has had another article published in CURAC鈥檚 鈥淎cademic for Life鈥 column in University Affairs, which is distributed to all universities in Canada. Fred is University Professor Emeritus (Political Science and Communication Studies) and a long-standing member of the Executive Committees of both YURA and ARFL, the Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians, as well as a long-time member of CURAC鈥檚 Later Life Learning Committee. Please to read the article
Membership Survey Results Summarized
More than 60% of YURA members participated in a survey conducted in 2022 by the Association's Executive Committee to learn about what members thought about current activities and how YURA could better support its members in the future. A summary of survey results, prepared by professor emeritus and former YURA co-president Ian Greene, can be found by clicking here.
Donations for 2026
YURA members are encouraged to consider a tax-deductible donation to one or more of the YURA sponsored student awards or other worthwhile YURA-sponsored projects at the University. Among these are the YURA Graduate Student Award, the William Small Award, the YURA Mature Student Bursaries, "study pods" at the University's libraries, the Food Insecurity Fund for Students or the 91亚色 Camps Subsidy Fund (for local kids from disadvantaged families). Charitable tax receipts for such donations are provided by 91亚色.
To make an on-line donation or to arrange monthly contributions, please click
Retirees Sought for Research Studies at 91亚色
One of the most important contributions retirees can make to the University is through participation as research subjects in projects that focus on older adults. This is especially meaningful for 91亚色, which has a Faculty of Health as well as the Centre for Aging Research and Education (YU-CARE). Participation of YURA members is crucial for the doctoral students who are undertaking studies that will contribute to discovery and new knowledge.
YURA members are encouraged to take part in the studies described below for which University ethics approval has been obtained. Participation in these studies is not limited to retired employees. Spouses, other family members and friends who meet the participant criteria are also welcome to contact the doctoral students leading these studies, which are continuing through the spring and summer of 2025.
For a complete list of studies seeking participants please click here.