THE OLLI FORUM 717-7634 “ The desire of knowledge increases ever with the acquisition of it.” Laurence Sterne A Publication of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Vol. 4, Issue 4, September 2010 Let’s Start New SIGs! At the 2008 annual lunch, we surveyed the OLLI membership with respect to their interest levels outside an OLLI classroom. Over 100 activities were identified by you. WOW! Subsequently, Special Interest Groups (SIGS) were formed to satisfy the needs of the OLLI membership. Several of the SIGs continue to flourish (see related SIG testimony below) and others existed for a limited time period. We would like to offer some new SIGs during the 2010/2011 year. The purpose of this article is to refresh your memory on activities that were identified by OLLI members. If you are interested in any of the following groups listed on page 2, please contact a member of the SIG Force. New ideas are welcome too. Submitted by Matt Lukaszewski International Dinners Special Interest Group The group met together in July at Manzanita Village Clubhouse and enjoyed greeting members and sharing a wonderful variety of vegetarian dishes from all over the world. A planning session was also held, and Thailand, Netherlands, Ireland, and Chile were voted on to “visit” in the coming months. Recipes are easy to find on the internet or in cookbooks. We meet monthly in members’ homes with 6-8 people per home. Some of the benefits are meeting new OLLI members, greeting old friends, interesting conversations, and trying delicious new foods. Coordinating this SIG involves scheduling the dinners, being the contact person for the group, and holding a business meeting several times a year to plan for the upcoming months. We welcome all OLLI members, single or couples, to join the group. Call Sharon Walsh at 237-9354 or e-mail at [email protected]. Submitted by Sharon Walsh Current OLLI SIG’s: International Dining - Coordinator: Sharon Walsh, [email protected] or 237-9354. Monthly, rotating International Dinners Group, sharing costs and hosting. Book Club - Coordinator: Ginger Carlson, [email protected] or 445-1226. We will be meeting the second Monday of every month 2:30-4:00pm in building 3 room 269 (upstairs from the cafeteria). Mah Jong - Coordinator: Nikki Krause, [email protected] or 708-9295. Join us Mondays when the campus is open from 9:00am - noon in the cafeteria.
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TH
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717-7634
“ The desire of knowledge increases
ever with the acquisition of it.”
Laurence Sterne
A Publication of the Osher Lifelong Learning InstituteVol. 4, Issue 4, September 2010
Let’s Start New SIGs!At the 2008 annual lunch, we surveyed the OLLI membership with respect to their interest levels outside an OLLI classroom. Over 100 activities were identified by you. WOW! Subsequently, Special Interest Groups (SIGS) were formed to satisfy the needs of the OLLI membership. Several of the SIGs continue to flourish (see related SIG testimony below) and others existed for a limited time period.
We would like to offer some new SIGs during the 2010/2011 year. The purpose of this article is to refresh your memory on activities that were identified by OLLI members. If you are interested in any of the following groups listed on page 2, please contact a member of the SIG Force. New ideas are welcome too.
Submitted by Matt Lukaszewski
International Dinners Special Interest GroupThe group met together in July at Manzanita Village Clubhouse and enjoyed greeting members and sharing a wonderful variety of vegetarian dishes from all over the world. A planning session was also held, and Thailand, Netherlands, Ireland, and Chile were voted on to “visit” in the coming months. Recipes are easy to find on the internet or in cookbooks. We meet monthly in members’ homes with 6-8 people per home. Some of the benefits are meeting new OLLI members, greeting old friends, interesting conversations, and trying delicious new foods. Coordinating this SIG involves scheduling the dinners, being the contact person for the group, and holding a business meeting several times a year to plan for the upcoming months. We welcome all OLLI members, single or couples, to join the group. Call Sharon Walsh at 237-9354 or e-mail at [email protected].
Submitted by Sharon Walsh
Current OLLI SIG’s:International Dining - Coordinator: Sharon Walsh, [email protected] or237-9354. Monthly, rotating International Dinners Group, sharing costsand hosting.
Book Club - Coordinator: Ginger Carlson, [email protected] or445-1226. We will be meeting the second Monday of every month 2:30-4:00pmin building 3 room 269 (upstairs from the cafeteria).
Mah Jong - Coordinator: Nikki Krause, [email protected] or 708-9295.Join us Mondays when the campus is open from 9:00am - noon in the cafeteria.
6. Outings and Travel, local a. art films and movies b. attend local plays c. produce our own play d. attend music events as a group e. local sports events f. Friday night art walks as a group g. garden tours h. house tours i. comedy night j. local cultural events/concerts on the square
k. local history tours l. scavenger hunt event
7. Games a. general game night b. cards, bridge, pinochle, canasta, poker c. board games, Scrabble,Dominoes, Bunco d. Ping-pong
Submitted by Matt Lukaszewski
1. Hobbies and Personal Interest Groups a. activities involving pets, walking, pet care, b. a gardening group c. a sewing, needle work and/or knitting group d. arts and/or crafts groups (in general or specific) i.e. ceramics, wood carving, painting, quilting, etc. e. a women’s group f. an automotive group g. a singles and/or a married group h. antiques i. birding j. photography group with outings k. bowling l. an investment group m. poetry group
2. Sports/Activities Groups a. bowling group b. fishing c. social hiking d. low impact exercise groups e. kayaking f. horseback riding g. golf league
3. Food and Drink a. Explore restaurants (breakfast,lunch, dinner) b. Coffee before class c. potlucks d. social hour somewhere e. wine tasting f. ice cream social g. special event parties (election night, etc.) h. recipe exchange i. pizza on Fridays as a gathering (in a reserved area) j. chocolate party k. monthly birthday parties l. picnics m. progressive dinners
4. Music and Dance a. Singing b. 50s and 60s dances c. dances and dance lessons d. plaza concert e. talent sharing, show f. mini concerts by local groups/jam sessions, form an OLLI band
5. Outings and Travel beyond Prescott a. shopping trip to Phoenix b. overnight trips to Flag or Phoenix or Sedona or Tucson for an event c. camping trips d. more plays and cultural events beyond Prescott e. cruise together f. Phoenix baseball game outings, other sporting events
Interest/Socialization Areas Identified by the OLLI Membership
For more information about forming a SIG in your interest area contact:
Projector! Speakers! Action!That may not be exactly how it goes, but
it does describe the makeover coming soon to Room 105, the OLLI classroom. Yavapai College is providing us with a brand new and improved projection system! And to complement it, OLLI is buying new speakers which will be placed in the ceiling around the room. Soon we will have sharper, clearer pictures on the screen, and be listening in surround-sound! These are welcome additions, all.
Submitted by Ron Woerner
Governing Council Election of OfficersAn election was held at the August meeting to select a new OLLI Governing Council Chair person and a new Vice-Chair for the 2010-2011 operating year. Hal Freedman was elected to continue as chair of the council and Leslie Parsons will continue as vice-chair.The decision to elect these two members to lead the Governing Council during the coming year was an easy choice. Hal Freedman took over as chair of the Governing Council in mid-year and proved to be an able leader during the 2009-2010 year and was a unanimous choice to continue as chairperson. Leslie Parsons also proved to be a valuable backup with her wealth of experience on the Governing Council over several previous years and rightly deserved to be re-elected vice-chair for the coming year. With a healthy mix of newly elected members and a number of experienced members, the OLLI Governing Council is indeed in good hands for 2010-2011.Submitted by Jerry Jones
FALL KICKOFF PICNICWhat is the similarity between a group of OLLI members and an army?
Both travel on their stomachs!! If you missed our gathering at Willow Lake, let me explain. We had three picnic tables laden with a vast assortment of foods; enough to feed an army or our OLLI family. The food kept pouring in and my picnic elves were busy arranging and rearranging just to fit everything on the tables. The choices were wonderful, from appetizers to desserts. Nobody left hungry.
We set a record of more than 90 attendees, all ready to eat and enjoy a beautiful Prescott day. The weather couldn’t have been nicer. There were some hardy game players along with background music provided by Dick Bridgeman on keyboard. The primary goal of the day was to meet and greet old and new friends, not to mention serious eating. I do believe these goals were well met and then some. So, where were you? Maybe next year you’ll be part of an even larger number in attendance. I certainly hope so.Submitted by Marge Rubin
Governing Council Schedules First Membership ForumFRIDAY, OCTOBER 1 8:30AM ~ BUILDING 4 ~ ROOM 102
In response to member feedback following the June annual meeting, the Governing Council will be holding a series of forums to discuss member issues and concerns. The first of these meetings will be held on Friday October 1 at 8:30am in building 4 room 102 (located across from the cafeteria).
The meeting will be unscripted, with questions from the membership. Council members attending will include Council Chair Hal Freedman, Council Vice-chair Leslie Parsons, and Council members Emil Borgers, Herman Schloss and Matt Lukasewski. Light refreshments will be served. Submitted by Hal Freedman
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FLAGSTAFF TRIP (covering millions of miles) It was 8 am on June the 25th that 24 OLLI members left the campus on an all day trip to cool Flagstaff. Our first visit, after making sure we stopped to pick up our lunches, was the Arboretum. There we were greeted by two docents, who led us on a one-hour walking tour. We were educated on the various trees, plants, flowers and wild life that are either native or moved to this site, as well as the history of the Arboretum. When this guided tour ended we were led to the picnic area where our lunches were waiting for us. The next item on the agenda was to see the “Birds of Prey” demonstrations. Some of the birds flew by within inches of our head! Then it was a short visit to the gift shop
and off to the Riordan Mansion. The first part of the visit to the Mansion was to see an area that was not included on the guided tour. Those who desired to do so walked around that area. Prior to our visit I was told that they had an elevator so that those who needed it could take it to the second floor. As it turned out they had no elevator and in lieu of going up the steps an option given was to watch a video covering that floor. Included on this tour were the history of the house and the family who built it, and some history of the area. We left fifteen minutes prior to our appointment at the Lowell Observatory. We made it with a whole two minutes to spare! This stop became the highlight of the day for most of us. We were treated to two seminars by lecturer Ben, who was full of the 4 E’s: energy, enthusiasm, excitement and education. He woke us up and provided us with a second wind and kept us involved and interested. The first talk was titled “The History of the Telescope” (past, present and future). It covered from the first telescope built in 1896 by Percival Lowell to the Discovery Telescope currently under construction. This project is being 50% funded by the Discovery Channel. He then led us to the world famous telescope, and Ben began moving around the telescope like a rabbit as he explained how it operated in the past and how it now operates. A very technical part of it is a frying pan! Then he explained the construction of the building including all the tires that are used to rotate the upper portion of the building. Only 1954 Ford pickup truck tires are used, so if you have any of them hanging around your house, they may take them off your hands. Then it was back to Prescott. But wait a minute! It was 4:30 in the afternoon and we had some hungry people. A stop was made at the “Golden Arches” in Williams. We arrived back on the campus at 7 pm, eleven hours after we left. It was a long enjoyable day. John, our Master’s Touch COACH driver did an excellent job and was the key person by keeping us on time and making sure that all the members were on the coach because there were many stops (a lot of head counting). Fortunately, the wild fires had no affect on our day. As you can realize we covered millions of miles on this day. We learned about many things, from the soil that we walk on to the stars, comets and planets many million miles away.Submitted by Joe Rafti
OLLI Earns Top Billing!
In the upcoming edition of Money Magazine, Prescott was named #4 on the list of the “25 Best Places to Retire”…and our OLLI is prominently featured as one of the major reasons why. ABC Channel 15 News recently covered this story and interviewed OLLI members, Roseann and Matt Lukaszewski and Dean of the Division of Lifelong Learning, Dennis Garvey. Please check out these interviews and the news story by going to the Yavapai College website @ www.yc.edu and clicking on the link “Prescott and Yavapai College featured in Money Magazine”. Thanks for all of the support from our members and community for making Prescott’s OLLI so successful!
Toni Tennille visits OLLIOLLI’s “Magical Musical Tour Class” this past summer,
facilitated by John Mazella, was graced with the appearance of recording and television star Toni Tennille, famous for many songs including the Grammy award winning “Love Will Keep Us Together”. The class covered 60’s and 70’s rock music, and Toni accepted John’s invitation to come to class to talk about the 70’s. She signed autographs, and told stories about her career with her husband, Daryl Dragon, forming the duet Captain and Tennille.
Toni took the time to speak with each student,
going around the room and having a dialog with everyone. She is an important part of the 70’s music scene, and we were thrilled to have her. She is performing at Yavapai Performance Hall on Sept. 25 to a sold-out audience.
Submitted by John Mazella
BEAUTY AND THE BEASTASU Gammage
The smash hit Broadway musical is coming to Tempe! Experience the romance and enchantment!
We still have great seats available-1st balcony, front and center!
Saturday, October 23Bus leaves 11am return by 8pm$115.00 per person - members$125.00 per person - non-members
Includes dinner at PF Chang’s
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IMPORTANT DATES
September 27 Fall 2 session registration begins
October 1 Governing Council Membership Forum 8:30am ~ 4-102
October 4 Curriculum committee meeting 31-105
October 18 End of Fall 1 session (Fall 1 started on a Tuesday-due to Labor Day, so the final day of classes is Monday Oct 18)
Governing Council meeting 31-105
October 25 Fall 2 session begins
November 1 Deadline for submission of proposals for Spring 1 learning groups
Curriculum committee meeting 31-105
November 15 Governing Council meeting 31-105
November 24-26 Thanksgiving Holiday (office closed)
~No OLLI learning groups this week ~
December 6 Curriculum committee meeting 31-105
December 10 End of Fall 2 session
December 13 Holiday Party! SAVE THE DATE!
December 20 Governing Council meeting 31-105
January 3 Spring 1 registration begins
Deadline for submission of proposals for Spring 2 learning groups
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Online RegistrationWe are now ready to offer online self-service registration for your OLLI learning groups. We will ALWAYS offer in-person, phone and mail-in registration as options as well. In order to use our online registration system your will need to: 1) Have access to the internet and an email address 2) Contact the OLLI office to get your user name and password 3) Review your schedule and pick out your learning groups 4) Go to www.yc.edu/olli and click on “Register for Learning Groups Online” 5) Sign in with your user name and password 6) Select your learning groups using the “add to cart” buttons 7) Check out – you are all set!Questions? Having trouble with the website? Call the office @717-7634.We are happy to help!
Submitted by Patricia Berlowe
OLLI Scholarships -Donations Welcome!
Your OLLI Governing Council is committed to keeping fees as low as possible. However, we know that even with our low fees there are times and circumstances that could lead to some of our members being unable to afford our fees. We have maintained a small partial scholarship fund through the donations of vouchers from facilitators. Facilitators receive one free learning group voucher for each learning group they offer. Beyond all the time they volunteer in service to OLLI, many of them even donate these vouchers back to OLLI for use as partial scholarships for other OLLI members! Unfortunately these donations are not keeping up with the requests the office is receiving for scholarships. We have added an additional line on the registration form providing an opportunity for those who are able to add a donation towards scholarships. Any amount is welcome. Tax-deductible donations can be made through the Yavapai College Foundation, to benefit OLLI - see the office for more information. Thanks in advance!
Submitted by Patricia Berlowe
Your Ride Awaits!The OLLI Ride-Share Task Force is continuing its work to get the word out to OLLI members and people in the community who would like to take classes but no longer drive. August and September saw Task Force members involved in a number of different initiatives.
#1. Marketing Expanded: With the Governing Council’s approval, the Task Force expanded its marketing efforts contacting several Prescott and Prescott Valley volunteer organizations, libraries, and places of worship asking them to display posters and include OLLI Ride-Share announcements in their newsletters or bulletins.
In September letters are being sent to People Who Care “neighbors” introducing them to OLLI and the Ride-Share Program. These are people who might be interested in “Lifelong Learning” and want to participate in OLLI classes. A sample of class offerings was provided to whet their interest.
#2. Driver List Updated: Fall 1 Learning Group Facilitators distributed sheets in their classes to update the list of drivers who can possibly provide a ride. We match drivers who are taking a class at the same time and who live in close proximity with OLLI riders who are seeking a ride. If you did not fill out the driver sheet in your OLLI class and would be able to possibly provide a ride, please contact Diane or Sharon.
#3. New Ride Matchers: Several OLLI members have agreed to make calls to match riders with drivers. We would welcome anyone who is interested in helping make calls. Diane or Sharon will give you a list of possible drivers with phone numbers. Matching occurs the week before classes start and may take as little as 10 minutes.
If you know of someone who would like to attend classes but can no longer drive, please urge them to contact the OLLI office to register for a class and then contact Diane McIntyre at 443-8547, [email protected]; or Sharon Walsh at 237-9354, [email protected].
Submitted by Diane McIntyre
Something New Is In The Works!!The Curriculum Committee has started a new sub-committee, the Mentor Committee. This committee will find mentors for a new facilitator, or a “seasoned” one who would like to have help or just some encouragement. Some of the “old hands” have graciously volunteered to be mentors to make the facilitator’s job easier and run more smoothly. If you would like more information, please contact the OLLI office or someone on the committee. We’re here for you.
