Apollo Class of 1975 — 50-Year Reunion!

Good news! The 9-member Apollo Class of 1975 Reunion Committee has locked in the following dates for our 50-year reunion in July 2025:

• Friday, July 25: Informal night at the appropriately named Eagles Club in St. Cloud (7:00pm to 11:00pm)

• Saturday, July 26: Sit-down dinner and program at The Park Event Center in Waite Park (5:00pm to 10:00pm)

• Sunday, July 27: Family picnic at Wilson Park in St. Cloud (11:00am to 3:00pm)

At the start of this process, we had two cost-related concerns:

1) Due to rising costs, and depending on how many classmates attend the Saturday night dinner, the per-person cost may be as high as $40-$50 ($80-$100 for a couple).

2) We feared that a significant number of classmates may not attend the Saturday dinner solely because of the cost.

We’ve come up with a bold solution to both concerns: If we can raise $15,000 through this GoFundMe page, then EVERY CLASSMATE can attend the Saturday dinner for FREE.

A 50-year reunion is extra-special, so we want to be welcoming and inclusive and do all we can to ensure that as many classmates as possible can attend.

Here’s how it works: If you were planning to attend, please consider donating at least $50/person. However, smaller contributions will also be helpful and appreciated. So far, two classmates have donated $1,000 or more, and two others have contributed at least $500.

Why did they do this? Because they recognize all the hard work that goes into making an event like this happen, they want this weekend to be as special as it should be, and they don’t want any classmates to feel left out.

We’ve reached the age where many of us have the desire to be of service to others. This is a wonderful opportunity to do just that — all while simply contributing now what you would be contributing later anyway. The sooner we raise the funds, the further the money will go.

To be clear, this is not a case of you paying more so someone else can pay less. The idea for a GoFundMe page came up when we learned that the fixed cost to reserve the space at The Park Event Center for our Saturday dinner would include dinner and dessert for up to approximately 300 people. In other words, the cost would be the same even if we had just 150 people. Therefore, if we could raise the money upfront, we could make sure to really get our money’s worth by ensuring that as many people as possible could attend.

To recap, if we reach our $15,000 goal:

• All classmates can attend the sit-down dinner on Saturday night, July 26, 2025, for FREE.

• We’ll earn enough interest on the funds to also pay for pizzas and other food on Friday night at the Eagles Club, and an assortment of picnic food on Sunday afternoon at Wilson Park.

• Any leftover funds will continue to earn interest and pay for food and other expenses at future, more informal reunions, which we plan on having every five years.

What happens if the $15,000 goal isn’t reached?

Let’s say we raise $10,000, which would lower the per-person cost from around $50 to around $15. However, that would still require us to put in many hours receiving and tracking payments, following up with emails and calls, and all the other assorted responsibilities that arise when you’re dealing with the logistics of requiring hundreds of people to pay for an event. It can be a real headache, and we’d like to avoid that.

Whatever you donate to the GoFundMe page is separate from the significantly reduced per-person fee we will have to charge if we do not meet the $15,000 goal. For example, if we raise just $10,000, everyone will need to pay the approximately $15 per-person fee regardless of how much they did or did not contribute already. That said, we’re confident we can raise the money.

Once the goal is realized, all we will need from you is your choice of dinner. And no one will have to pay a penny for the whole weekend (except for the cash bar at the Eagles Club Friday night and at The Park Event Center on Saturday night).

If you don’t wish to donate through the GoFundMe Page, you can send your contribution to Phil via:

• PayPal (select philbolsta at mac dot com and “Send to a Friend” to avoid fees)

• Zelle (select philbolsta at mac dot com)

(GoFundMe won't let me include my email address but you can figure it out!)

If you’re not comfortable donating money online, you can send a check to:

Phil Bolsta

454 Requeza Street, #227C

Encinitas, CA 92024

The bottom line is this: If you plan on attending, you would expect to pay around $100 for a couple. So we’re simply asking you to contribute at least that amount now. You not only will be paying what you’d expect to be paying, you’ll be ensuring that all our classmates can participate and enjoy a wonderful and memorable 50-year reunion weekend.

Frankly, this reunion wouldn’t happen at all if the committee members listed below didn’t step up and volunteer their time and efforts. I heard that the Class of 1973 didn’t have a 50-year reunion because nobody stepped up to make it happen. This is a huge undertaking, and reaching this fundraising goal will greatly simplify the whole process and save countless hours (and headaches!) for all of us.

On behalf of the Reunion Committee and all the classmates who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend, thank you!

In gratitude,

Phil Bolsta

Jon Long

Mike Raden

Ron Kiffmeyer

Kolleen Dickinson

Lynda Legg (Peschl)

Michelle Borresch (Gohl)

Linda Poepping (Rassier)

Sherry Determan (Olmscheid)