For the final time, before adopting a new term structure, OLLI will follow the Chico State calendar and observe spring break, March 13-17. OLLI staff and volunteers will use this break to complete the new summer schedule and catalog and build a 2023-24 budget.

Starting in the fall, OLLI will no longer have mid-term breaks. We'll tell you all about it in the next few weeks.

Keep up with holidays and other important dates on the OLLI Calendar or at the end of this email.

Photo credit: Frank Schulenburg, used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Spring may not officially be here yet, but it's already time to start thinking about what you want to teach this fall!

OLLI is looking for volunteers to lead a class for the Fall '23 term! Fall '23 will be the first term in our new schedule of three ten-week terms each year. You can teach in one, two, or all three terms in a year, and your class can meet just once, every one of the ten weeks, or anything in between.

We are accepting class proposals now through April 10. Join us!

Want to teach online but don’t have a Zoom account or a teaching space? No problem! We can start your Zoom meetings for you, get you a Zoom account at no cost, or provide you with space and a computer in the OLLI office to teach your class.

Submit a Fall '23 Class Proposal now or contact us for more information at [email protected] or 530-898-6679.

Pictured: OLLI Instructor Debbie Vermette talks about collage, Summer '22. Photo by Chico State photographer Jason Halley.

Last month, OLLI received a generous bequest from the estate of lifelong learner Donna Murrill (1939-2022). The trustees of Donna's estate made special note of Donna's love for OLLI as a place of lasting friendships as well as intellectual stimulation.

Great Decisions co-instructor William Tefteller remembers Donna's active participation in class. "A few years before COVID, Donna gave a talk on public health policies in California and the US. It was a grim prediction of the coming COVID pandemic, although at the time, she was worried about another bird flu."

Program Director Ann Nikolai recalls hearing from Donna Murrill and Roxanne Ferry days after the Camp Fire. "The sky was still dark and ash-filled and Donna and Roxanne wanted to brainstorm ways OLLI could help those displaced by the fire." The three met at a downtown coffee shop, where the idea for a giving tree was hatched, ultimately raising more than $3,000 in gift cards for displaced members.

"Donna believed OLLI was much, much more than an educational program," Ann said. "She saw it as a community builder for adults wanting to stay actively engaged in the world and with each other. Her compassion for others was inspiring."

Legacy gifts, or planned gifts, like Donna's are donations made through a will or other formal designation. Legacy gifts ensure donors will be remembered for their generosity and commitment to a nonprofit like OLLI long after their passing. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about making a bequest to OLLI, please contact Ann Nikolai at 530-898-6679 or [email protected] to arrange a meeting.

Help support your OLLI program with a bit of your time. And meet some new friends! Paul Coots is recruiting members for the Annex Office. The Annex is located next to the Bradley 2 classroom at The Social Chico, where the majority of our in-person classes are held.

Volunteers help answer members' questions, typically related to class dates, times, and locations, as well as where to park. If you are already attending classes at The Social Chico, please consider extending your day there by another hour or two. We could really use your support. We have many returning volunteers, but we are looking for more.

Three time slots are open:

Please contact Paul at [email protected] with "OLLI Office" in the subject line if you're interested. Include days/times of your availability. Thank you!

"Who would send me a pink envelope?" wonders a character in a play-within-a-play currently in rehearsals for the upcoming OLLI Play Festival.

The play, The Perils of the Pink Envelope, is a product of Festival Director Pam Loyd’s class on writing short plays. "I suggested the basic idea and then we each wrote different scenes, which the class then discussed, made suggestions or changes and additions, then I organized and edited," Pam said. "This was a two-month process of more discussions, changes, and rewrites to eventually become the finished play it is now."

The play spoofs the behind-the-scenes chaos of a final rehearsal by amateur actors. Naturally, everything goes wrong – forgotten lines, missed entrances, inappropriate ad libbing – driving the poor harried director to drastic actions. You don’t have to be an actor to enjoy watching these greatly exaggerated screw-ups and wondering if the play-within-a-play will eventually see the light of day.

Watch for the Zoom links for the online plays in the OLLI Play Festival coming soon!

Pictured: Actors rehearsing for The Perils of the Pink Envelope.

Remember when garden resiliency used to relate to how to keep the aphids off our roses or the gophers away from our favorite bulbs?

Well, garden resiliency has had to redefine itself in the past decade – actually in the past five years or so – to mean how in the world do we navigate gardening in a climate that is in such upheaval?

Join OLLI Instructors Lori Murphy Cole and Leanne Ulvang as they explore answers to these questions and journey through a real-life transformation of a Chico backyard. Gardening In The Real World begins on March 21.

OLLI at UC Davis invites OLLI members, and members of the public, to join them for this timely and informative lecture.

Just two weeks before the February 20 earthquake in Turkey, Dr. Ken Verosub was there, looking at, among other things, the seismic resistance of structures in the region. He’ll share observations and material in a 90-minute lecture on the extraordinary February 20th quake and recent aftershocks in southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria.

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

Ray Dorsey

Parkinson's disease (PD) is now the world’s fastest growing brain disease. Join us to find out how we can prevent and end Parkinson's disease.

Pépin Accilien

When the 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti, claiming 300,000 lives, Pépin Accilien left his engineering practice in Rochester, NY, to work in Haiti rebuilding schools, fire stations, housing, and disaster shelters, and as a volunteer for the US Agency for International Development.

In the last month, our local community has seen the distribution of antisemitic flyers in Chico, racist flyers hidden in unsuspecting publications in Paradise, and racist and misogynistic vandalism and online class disruptions at Chico State.

OLLI absolutely condemns these acts of hatred. We believe in the basic dignity and human rights of every single person. In practice, we are deeply committed to making OLLI as welcoming and accessible as possible for as many people as possible. OLLI does not tolerate harassment. If you experience any kind of harassment at OLLI, we encourage you to let the OLLI office know at [email protected] or 530-898-6679 so we can follow up on the issue.

You can read our entire statement on our commitment to inclusivity on our website, and we always welcome suggestions for improvement.

Good news! The deadline to receive discounted pricing has been extended to April 5!

Collette Representative Jay Fehan visited us in January to talk about the upcoming fully-guided tour to Ireland in Fall 2023. He provided more details about this OLLI-exclusive adventure, with captivating slides of the areas we'll be visiting.

Laura Taylor, MSPAS, PA-C, will bring her experience with older adults to our Community Speaker Series on Thursday, April 6, 3-4pm, for a talk about the most common skin related complaints that come with the aging process. Laura will tell us about what she sees in her office on a regular basis with patients over 50. She’ll review the most common conditions and concerns along with treatment options and when to worry. She hopes to bring better awareness and education to the community to help aid people in being more proactive with their health care.

Laura Taylor is a physician assistant-certified with experience in family medicine and skin care. After earning a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Missouri State University, she was commissioned as a captain in the United States Air Force and continued her work and training at Pearl Harbor-Hickam AFB, Hawaii. She later transferred to David Grant Medical Group at Travis Air Force Base, where she continued to hone her skills in skin care before relocating to Chico following the end of her service commitment.

Free and open to the public! This hybrid event will take place in Bradley 2 at The Social Chico and over Zoom. Check the OLLI website the day of the event for the Zoom link. Proof of vaccination is required for all in-person events. Click here for instructions.

Women's History Month grew out of celebrations that started with International Women's Day, grew into Women's History Week, and finally became Women's History Month in 1987. The celebration is a chance for us to see a fuller picture of our history by considering what part women have played in our pasts. Given that women make up roughly half of humanity, all of history includes women's history; this month is just one chance of many to study it.

This year, the National Women’s History Alliance, formerly the National Women’s History Project, has set the Women’s History Month theme of Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. They say, "From the earliest storytellers through pioneering journalists, our experiences have been captured by a wide variety of artists and teachers. These include authors, songwriters, scholars, playwrights, performers, and grandmothers throughout time. Women have long been instrumental in passing on our heritage in word and in print to communicate the lessons of those who came before us. Women’s stories, and the larger human story, expand our understanding and strengthen our connections with each other."

To join in their celebration, consider reading work by your favorite woman author, watching movies made by women writers and directors, or retelling the stories of your grandmothers to keep them alive.

Pictured: 2023 Women's History Month theme logo featuring, top to bottom, left to right, Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jovita Idar, Maya Angelou, Gerda Lerner, Gloria Steinem, Winona La Duke, Lillian Hellman, Betty Soskin, Willa Cather, Gertrude Stein, Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month has been celebrated since 1987. Developmental disabilities, as defined under federal law, are lifelong conditions that emerge before the age of 22 and involve some level of functional limitation in a variety of areas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately one in six children have developmental disabilities or other developmental delays.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have historically been excluded from public and social life. With increased supports, respect, and medical care, millions of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are now aging along with the rest of the population.

The Arc's position statement on aging says, in part, "People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who are 55 years of age or older have a right to the same opportunities to enjoy full lives as other older people. They are entitled to full access to community supports, including support from those agencies that serve all older people."

If you're not familiar with developmental disabilities groups and The Arc sounds familiar to you, you may be thinking of The Arc of Butte County's Arc Thrift Store & Donation Center. In addition to using any money brought in to support Arc's programs, the thrift store also provides work experience for adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

Pictured: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month image featuring artwork by Jamila Rahimi.

Spring Break (No Classes)

Cesar Chavez Day (OLLI Closed, No Classes)

Last Day of Spring Classes

Summer Kickoff Picnic

Summer Class Registration Opens

Memorial Day (OLLI Closed)

First Day of Summer Classes

Juneteenth (OLLI Office Closed)

Last Day of Summer Classes

If you have something to say, a photo to share, or a question to pose to the editor, you can submit information using our OLLI Newsletter Submission form.