An elderly woman once fell at the Fremont Family YMCA.

She wouldn’t let the staff call a rescue team. So rather than let her go on her own, Rinne, longtime Y leader, drove her to the hospital.

During his 33 years at the Y, Rinne started cars and changed flat tires for patrons in the parking lot. He shoveled snow, spilled melted ice, and helped pull out snow-covered cars. He brought the clients home.

Many people know Rinne for the friendly smiles he offers to members and guests – from small children to older people.

Now, Rinne will retire from what has become the nation’s largest YMCA. His last day is December 17th and he walks away with a myriad of accomplishments.

Since 2003, Rinne has served as President and CEO of the Y and has overseen $ 32.1 million in fundraising for its construction projects. He oversees a team of approximately 28 full-time employees and 450 to 500 part-time workers.

Rinne has been through rough seasons, like when a tornado damaged the Y in 2011 and the most recent COVID-19 pandemic. At 57, he can’t wait to spend more time with his wife, Jodi, and 7-month-old son, Rhett.

Originally from Beatrice, Rinne went to what is now known as the University of Midland to become a teacher and coach. There he did a month-long internship at the Y. He helped with youth sports, reception duties, swimming lessons and building supervision.

“It was awesome,” he said. “You must be with children.”

After Dan Carmen was appointed CEO of the Y, a few positions became available.

“He knew I was doing a good job as an intern so he hired me as the youth athletic director,” Rinne said.

Rinne was responsible for the youth sports staff and volunteers as well as several programs, from flag football to summer camps.

And that was before the Y had computers, which involved typing or writing down information. Rinne spent a lot of time calling volunteers and staff before the email.

He worked a lot of hours, but loved the job.

“I liked the atmosphere,” he says. “People were thrilled to come to the Y. If you buy a membership, you come to the Y because you want to be here.

Rinne later became the senior director of the program, overseeing directors and full-time staff.

He became Chairman and CEO in 2003.

During his tenure as CEO, Rinne held the position of Director of Construction, overseeing construction and raising funds for projects. The projects include:

2004 – Sidner Ice Arena, $ 7 million with endowments.

2006 – Hazel Keene Wellness Center, $ 4 million.

2007 – Owned by Christensen Family YMCA Camp, $ 3 million; and Katie Humphrey funds a fitness studio, $ 250,000.

2015 – Keene Lodge, $ 1.5 million.

2018 – Dillon Family Aquatic Center, $ 14.7 million.

2020 – Endowment, $ 1.8 million.

Today, the YMCA spans approximately 260,000 square feet under one roof.

It features the Sidner Ice Rink, Dillon Family Aquatic Center, Sidner indoor tennis courts, gymnastics area, four full-size gyms, Keene Wellness Center, daycare, indoor walking track, locker rooms and corridors.

An old swimming pool has been converted into a new turf room for activities such as baseball, soccer, fitness testing, and birthday parties. Another swimming pool was filled with concrete and transformed into a cross-training room.

In addition, the Y includes the separate 120-acre Christensen Family YMCA Camp approximately 1.5 miles west of Fremont off Military Avenue.

As the size of the Y has increased, so has its programming.

The Y offers over 300 different classes and over 60 different fitness classes over a week.

It welcomes between 70 and 80 children full time in its nursery. It offers before and after school programming in local elementary schools and at the Y.

Besides sports activities, it offers cooking classes for young people, swimming lessons, gymnastics lessons and a competitive gymnastics and weight training team for young people. It offers clubs and personal trainers. The Y has a Special Olympics swim team and basketball program.

“The great thing about the Y is that it brings people of all ages together,” Rinne added.

The youngest person coming to Y is 6 months old. The oldest member is around 97 years old.

Rinne said the Y is a great place for seniors, whose spouses have passed away and whose children can live far away. They can participate in classes such as water aerobics, fitness, Tai Chi and dancing.

“It gives them the ability to stay fit and have the social interaction that they also need,” he said.

For the past two years, the Y has offered a Master Swim program for people 50 and over with an upcoming swim competition.

Throughout her time at the Y, Rinne enjoyed interacting with Y members, staff and volunteers.

“Every day is a different day and you can learn from people every day – from a 5 year old to a very successful businessman in the community and anyone in between,” Rinne said. .

Rinne enjoys the unique atmosphere of the Y.

“We can have the poorest person in Fremont walking the same halls as the richest person in Fremont and nobody cares. That’s what makes the Y special, ”he said.

People told Rinne how her “salvation” encouraged them during times when their family life was not going well.

Engaging the children in programs where a mentor / instructor could teach them something new was also important.

“If you can give children hope, you give them purpose,” he said.

Rinne appreciates times in this career, when kids hugged him in a grocery store and said something like:

“Mom, this is the person who gave me swimming lessons at Y” or “This is the person who taught me to throw a soccer ball. “

He knows the Y can impact lives.

“You don’t realize how many thousands of people you’ve seen, taught or hired as a staff,” he said.

Rinne has been successful with local nonprofits, which each have their own niche, and Midland. In 2006, the Y and the MU each planned to build a wellness center.

Rather than having two centers six blocks apart and calling on the same donors, Rinne and Midland developed a partnership. This way MU students would use the Y center.

“Our membership has grown from 6,000 members to over 10,500 members,” he said.

He appreciated the good relations developed with the donors.

“We have had very good donors,” he said.

Rinne notes that donor relationships can take three or four years to develop.

“You have to build trust with them,” he said. “You have to get them here at the Y so they can actually see the lineup for themselves. “

Currently, the largest program is SwimMates, funded by RTG Medical, where every Fremont freshman receives swimming and water safety lessons.

“We provide swimsuits and towels for the kids who can’t afford them,” Rinne said. “RTG is also providing volunteers for the courses.”

Donors have seen children who were afraid to enter the water reach the point where they no longer want to get out.

During his tenure, Rinne went through rough times like in 2011 when tornado winds hit without warning. They ripped off part of the roof of the Sidner Gymnasium and threw air conditioning equipment into the parking lot, resulting in million dollar repairs.

In 2020, the Y had the first case of COVID-19 in the state and was one of the first Ys in the country to shut down. The Y worked with the public health department of Three Rivers, MU, Methodist Fremont Health and local school systems to develop safety protocols.

The Y had to put staff on leave and shut down the building for a while. The Y received some government funding as struggling families abandoned their membership.

Due to COVID, the Y has lost between 35% and 45% of its membership. It now has about 7,500 members, but that number grows with programming.

Staff, who were not on leave, made phone calls to the elderly and other members. Staff members also delivered care packages.

The Y checked the equipment and asked instructors to teach through Zoom.

“We continue to do this today,” Rinne said.

Rinne enjoyed her stay at the Y.

“It was fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better job, ”he said.

The Rinnes plan to stay in Fremont and take their son to Y daycare. He will look for another type of job later.

In the meantime, he expresses his deep gratitude to the Y and its hardworking staff.

“You can always have a great day at the Y,” Rinne said. “You go there for a reason, to improve yourself, get back in shape, meet new people, develop new friendships and learn a skill. “