January 2023 {Having trouble viewing this page? Click here to open as a Webpage.}

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WELCOME TO SPRING

OLLI Spring 2023 catalog cover

We hope you're looking forward to the Spring term as much as we are, with over 90 classes to choose from in the classroom, outdoors, and online. You can learn what it means to serve on a nonprofit board, discuss gardening amidst climate change on the West Coast, and tour the Chico State University Farm – and much, much more.


Registration opens: January 19, 9am

Classes start: February 6


Missed our class previews? Catch up with the recording of our Live-Online Spring Class Preview and hear about just some of our exciting classes for Spring.

ARMCHAIR TRAVELER: HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Brightly colored collage of postcards photo by Anonymous Traveller on Pixabay

An OLLI favorite returns to the schedule this Spring! Sue Monroe is taking up the mantle of leading OLLI members in "Armchair Traveler: Here We Go Again!" – and it's a hybrid class, so you can take it in person with friends at The Social or online in your own armchair at home.


The words "travel" and "vacation" are often used interchangeably, but careful examination indicates subtle differences between the two. Vacation implies an escape, while travel may offer the opportunity for total immersion in a different culture. Both are relevant and explored in depth by OLLI members whose pictures, stories, and information will leave you aching to go – and return with your own adventure to tell.


Sign up to join Sue and other OLLI members in person or online when registration opens on January 19.

MEMBER BENEFIT: CHICO STATE LIBRARY CARD

Meriam Library interior courtyard showing windows and the lattice overhead

Classes may not be in session, but we're still committed to helping you learn. As an OLLI member, you're eligible to receive a courtesy card for the Chico State Meriam Library. A courtesy card allows you to check out books and nonprint media.

 

How to get a card:

  1. Email the OLLI office at olli@csuchico.edu or call us at 530-898-6679.
  2. We will confirm that we have received your request and let you know when you can visit the Meriam Library to get a card. Requests will be processed within two business days.
  3. At the Meriam Library, show a valid California driver’s license or DMV identification card, provide your social security number, fill out the courtesy card application form, and have your picture taken for your card.


View Meriam Library on the Campus Map.

CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION OVERSEAS WITH OLLI

Shades of Ireland – A fully-guided, in-person tour, Fall '23

Belfast City Hall

OLLI is expanding its programming to include more day trips, as well as our first overseas adventure!


Experience the "Emerald Isle" with seasoned tour guides from Collette, a favorite touring company of other OLLIs in the national Osher network. From breathtaking nature and stunning coasts to a captivating culture and friendly locals, this OLLI-exclusive experience promises a memorable journey in the company of friends.


View the Shades of Ireland full itinerary (pdf) and book now for discounted rates.

OLLI Winter Get-Together and Travel Information Session


Spring classes start soon, but we can't wait to see you! Join us for an OLLI Winter Get-Together. We'll socialize, have a little snack, and learn more about the Shades of Ireland fully guided, in-person tour.


January 24, 1pm

A hybrid event – join us in Bradley 2 at The Social Chico or on Zoom.

RSVP Now!

Proof of vaccination is required for all in-person events. Click here for instructions.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY IS JANUARY 16

MLK event flyer

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first proposed as a federal holiday by US Representative John Conyers on April 8, 1968, four days after King's death. After 15 years of work, including Stevie Wonder's single Happy Birthday, Conyers' annual reintroduction of his bill to make the day a federal holiday, and a petition to Congress with six million signatures, the bill passed the House in 1983. In the Senate, Jesse Helms's attempt to dismiss the legislation with a 300-page document was met with Daniel Patrick Moynihan literally stomping on the document he called a "packet of filth." The bill passed the Senate. Ronald Regan reluctantly signed it into law on November 2, 1983.

 

The holiday has been observed at the federal level since January 20, 1986; however, it was only in 2000 that all 50 states observed it at the state level. And even now, several states combine it with other holidays such as "Civil Rights Day" (Arizona, New Hampshire) and "Robert E. Lee's Birthday" (Alabama, Mississippi).


Join locals in celebrating Dr. King's legacy and today's youth at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, Scholarship and Technology Program. A donation breakfast will be followed by a program including keynote speaker Matt Thomas from Oroville High School, dancers, musical selections, and a raffle. All are welcome!


Monday, January 16

Breakfast: 8-10am

Main Program: 10am

Southside Oroville Community Center

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

    Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail

TRAVEL CLOSER TO HOME WITH DAY TRIPS

In partnership with Chico Area Recreation & Park District (CARD) and Capay Rancho Women's Club, OLLI is offering a series of day trips! Visit the Trips and Tours page on our website to see all upcoming trips.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story poster

The Simon & Garfunkel Story – Redding

The Simon & Garfunkel Story is told through a full band and state-of-the-art video projection and lighting at The Cascade Theater. Join us for an evening of good music and fun. Appetizers will be served on the ride to Redding; you bring your own beverages.


Tuesday, January 17, 5 - 11pm

Members and Non-members welcome!

Register Now

The cast of Hairspray

Hairspray – A Broadway Sacramento Musical

You Can't Stop the Beat! Hairspray, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960's Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV's most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Trip includes ticket to the matinee performance and transportation. No host lunch in Old Sac before the performance.


Tuesday, March 16, 8am-6pm

Members and Non-members welcome!

Register Now

PLAY FESTIVAL AUDITIONS JANUARY 30-31

An OLLI Spring 22 Play Festival play projected on a screen at the screening

Four new plays, written by OLLI members, have been selected for the 2023 Online Play Festival. The plays will show in March.


Zoom Auditions:

January 30-31


No acting experience is required. For electronic copies of the plays, email Rachel Jablon at rjablon@ucsc.edu.

Come join the fun!


Pictured: A screening of Space Travel 2030, Spring '22.

COMMUNITY SPEAKER SERIES

Only Hope book cover

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 3-4:30pm, Irv Lubliner, professor emeritus at Southern Oregon University (SOU), will share excerpts from Only Hope: A Survivor's Stories of the Holocaust.


Before she passed away in 1974, Felicia Bornstein Lubliner wrote about her internment in Polish ghettos and two Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Gross-Rosen. Her son, who also leads classes for the OLLI at SOU, sheds light on his mother's experiences and indomitable spirit, as well as his experience as a child of Holocaust survivors and his process in bringing the book to fruition. This is followed by a Q & A session.


Irv Lubliner teaches math, music, and literature classes for the OLLI program at Southern Oregon University, where he has also served on the Council of Directors. Specializing in mathematics education, he taught for 40 years and led seminars for math teachers in 39 states. In 2019, he created Felabra Press and published his mother's writing about her experiences during the Holocaust, the book that will serve as the theme for this presentation.


Free and open to the public! Check the OLLI website the day of the event for the Zoom link.

OLLI GALLERY RECEPTION JANUARY 29

A Chinese folk art painting showing a woman sewing

Join us later this month for a first viewing of OLLI member Ed Hoiland's private collection of Chinese folk art paintings at the OLLI Art Gallery opening reception. Hear Ed's tale of adventure from purchase of his first "Color of Life" painting (in Richmond, California) to building a collection of folk-art style paintings from every province in China while on tour there – with a tour bus waiting!


Sometimes referred to as farmer or peasant work, Chinese folk art expresses the rich flavor of life with a great variety of subjects. "They need no translation," Ed said, referring to their universal themes. "The vibrant colors and scenes portray a simple, yet beautiful life."


Ed has generously offered these prints for sale as an OLLI fundraiser. Be among the first to see the collection at the January 29 event, where you can claim your favorite print, available to take home at the end of the spring term. Special thanks to the Gallery Committee (Debbie Vermette, Jerry and Carla Dunham, Myron Flindt, and Margaret Rader) for their commitment to keeping the late Jim Kirks' vision of showcasing OLLI artists at this designated classroom and gallery space alive.


Sunday, January 29, 2-4pm

OLLI Art Gallery, Bradley 2 at The Social Chico

OVERHEARD AT OLLI

Lorraine and Vickie two white women practicing how to wrap an ankle

Last month, OLLI instructors and longtime hike leaders Lorraine Smith and Vickie Stoll, pictured, traveled to Sacramento to participate in a two-day Wilderness First Aid training through the National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS) and REI. "It was an intense experience, with two full days of non-stop learning and skills practice," said Lorraine. "As a result, Vickie and I feel better able to contribute to our OLLI participants enjoying a safe and safety-informed outdoor experience."


The pair joined other trainees in learning about patient assessment and treating common outdoor incidents, like sprained ankles and dehydration, as well as dealing with emergency and evacuation plans. "During introductions, we had a chance to mention we were sponsored by OLLI at Chico State," Vickie explained. "Most were not familiar with OLLI (our classmates were all quite a bit younger), but they were impressed after we described the organization." Hands-on experience, new techniques, and step-by-step methodologies for dealing with a wilderness first aid situation helped make this experience relevant and beneficial, with hopes for expanding OLLI outdoor experiences in the future.

LEGACY FILM FESTIVAL ON AGING

Legacy Film Festival on Aging logo

The 11th Legacy Film Festival on Aging which will show many films spotlighting older adults. The festival, which runs January 6-15, is fully virtual, so you can watch from wherever you are.


Learn more and purchase individual program tickets or an all-fest pass at the festival website.

CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR JANUARY 22 IN OROVILLE

Chinese New Year event flyer

Join the Friends of Parks and the City of Oroville to celebrate Chinese New Year at the Oroville Chinese Temple.


Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of a new year on the Chinese calendar. Each year corresponds to a specific animal. The year beginning January 22 on the Gregorian calendar is the Year of the Rabbit.


The celebration at the Oroville Chinese Temple will feature good fortune gifts, traditional cookies, calligraphy, and a Lion Dance performance by Leung's White Crane Dancers from San Francisco.


Sunday, January 22, 1-4pm

Oroville Chinese Temple

OLLI USA: WINTER ONLINE LECTURE SERIES

OLLI at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) invites OLLI members from across the country to attend their weekly Pfaudler Lecture Series.


From BPA to Phthalates to PFAS: How Environmental Chemicals Are Harming Our Health and What We Can Do About It

Laura N. Vandenberg

In this talk Dr. Vandenberg will discuss some environmental chemicals that have received a lot of attention in recent years including BPA, phthalates, PFAS (forever chemicals), and others.

January 19, 9:15-10:30am

Register to receive Zoom information.

An older white man using an imaging device on a historical document

Multispectral Imaging Uncovers Long-Lost Historical Texts and Artifacts' Hidden Features

David Messinger

By collecting images using visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light, and by using advanced image processing techniques, (sometimes) we can bring text and other features back to visibility, allowing scholars the chance to study these long-lost texts.

January 26, 9:15-10:30am

Register to receive Zoom information.


The lecture series continues weekly through March 23. View the full schedule (pdf) and register for one or more lectures.

JANUARY IS NATIONAL POVERTY IN AMERICA AWARENESS MONTH

US Census Bureau map showing poverty rate for people 65 and older by metropolitan area 2021

The US Census Bureau found that the national poverty rate was 12.8% in 2021. The poverty rate for people under age 18 is higher (16.9%) and the poverty rate for people 65 and older is lower (10.3%). National Poverty in America Awareness Month draws attention to these rates.

 

Locally the Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data shows a 16.6% poverty rate for Butte County. That's just under 34,000 people who are below the Census Bureau's poverty thresholds.


A few resources for people experiencing poverty in Butte County and beyond:

IN REMEMBRANCE

Headshot of Susan Proctor

Susan Proctor

We are sad to report the passing of former OLLI member Susan Proctor, who died on December 15. Susan was an active member and co-facilitator for OLLI classes at the Janet Turner Print Museum. Her work was featured in the first OLLI Gallery Exhibit at The Social Chico, following Jim Kirks' dedication of the space in 2018. She is remembered by OLLI friends for her creative spirit and love for bringing people together.

OLLI CALENDAR

January 16

January 19

January 24

January 27

February 6

March 13-17

March 31

April 20

April 21

May 29

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (OLLI Closed)

Spring Class Registration Opens

OLLI Winter Get-Together

Community Speaker Series

First Day of Spring Classes

Spring Break (No Classes)

Cesar Chavez Day (OLLI Closed, No Classes)

Community Speaker Series

Last Day of Spring Classes

Memorial Day (OLLI Closed)

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