My City January 2023

MYCOMMUNITY

“The RMFGF provides and expands a social network that changes when a person retires. We offer mutual support, friendship and a sense of purpose through community engagement.” Rob Coheen, Member

ROB COHEEN (LEFT) AND TOM CERNY ARE PROUD TO CELEBRATE RMFGF’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY.

W hen Rob Coheen accompanied his friend, Charlie Sheridan, as a guest to a meeting of the Retired Men’s Fellowship of Greater Flint (RMFGF), he was intrigued. After his next couple of visits, he was hooked. “For me, it was the fellowship aspect of the group,” he says, “then afterward, meeting for lunch at the Masonic Temple or the White Horse. Lunch is always a highpoint of my day; there is something about breaking bread with folks.” Five years after his first meet ing, Coheen is an active member of the group, taking the role of monthly program chair this January and working as a kind of group historian looking into its past while at the same time, contemplating its future. Initially called the “Older Person’s Group,” the RM FGF was founded in 1963 by James Mayfield as a way

to promote the Flint YMCA to older men of the com munity. It soon became a way for men to expand their horizons with other fellows of like mind and humor. The preamble to the group’s constitution states: “Believing that life is a great adventure, [and] to live it happily and usefully a broad culture is necessary. We, therefore, unite ourselves into a club for mental improvement, physical well-being and good use of leisure time.” The first ever meeting took place on January 7, 1963 and the group became an instant success, charting members from all walks of life, backgrounds, interests and experiences. Many years (and many name changes) later, the RMFGF is approaching over 2,100 meetings for fellowship, education and adventure. The RMFGF also provides additional benefits not initially planned.

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