March	April
Mar. 15, 12pm: Spring 2017 Kickoff Luncheon in Michel Student Center Ballrooms	Apr. 5, 12, 19, 26: OLLI Spring Classes

OLLI Spring Classes offer a wide variety of topics, including this featured class on community gardening.  

Community Garden: Enriching Neighborhoods as They Grow Together (class #12)

People have an ever increasing hunger to grow their own food in sustainable ways that are healthy and cost- and time-effective.  Community gardens meet these needs by bringing people together to grow food and enrich neighborhoods.  Rhonda Ferree, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, will discuss various types of community gardens, and participants will learn what is needed to start, organize, and manage a successful community garden.  Local examples will be highlighted.

For $95, you can choose four different classes that will each be held on the following Wednesdays: April 5, 12, 19, and 26.  To see a complete list of class offerings, click here.  

Register for classes today by calling Bonnie at 309-677-3900!

Don't Shoot Peoria Call In (Activity Level 1)

Thursday, March 30

4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Peoria Public Library Main Branch 

Don't Shoot Peoria is hosting a Call In for the Most Violent Offender (MVO) Initiative.  This initiative utilizes a focused deterrent strategy to deliver a clear message to individuals that have committed weapon and/or violent offenses.  Those participating in this Call In will receive a clear message that their violence will no longer be tolerated by law enforcement and the community.  We will also offer assistance and resources for those who request help.  By sitting in the audience, which surrounds those individuals most likely to commit violent crimes, you have the opportunity to show that their own community disapproves of the violence and that it has to stop. 

$25 - includes round-trip shuttle transportation, dinner, gratuities.  Participants will park at CampusTown and walk over to meet at Avanti's at 4:00 p.m. for an early dinner, and then will be dropped off at CampusTown by 8:00 p.m. after the presentation.

Join this discussion-based study group featuring short stories by African-American authors.

African-American Short Stories 

Mondays, April 10 - May 8

10:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Peoria Public Library Lakeview Branch

Minimum 8 participants, register by March 27

In collaboration with the Peoria Reads Committee and its 2017 selection of Silver Sparrow, OLLI members will talk about the contributions of African-American writers in the short story genre.   Jane Hense, Andrea Wallace, Mary McDade, Roberta Koscielski, Wayne Cannon, and Beverly Jones will lead discussions of stories by authors such as Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, Charles Chestnut, and Zora Neale Hurston.  The titles of selected works will be forwarded to participants' email addresses.  Enrollees should obtain a copy of Great Short Stories by African-American Writers edited by Christine Rudisel and Bob Blaisdell, available at local or online retailers and libraries.

$45 - facilitated by the volunteers as noted above.

To register, call Bonnie at 309-677-3900.

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Join this discussion-based study group that will focus on America's entry into World War I, as we remember the event on its centennial this spring. 

America and the Great War: Centennial Remembrances and Reflections

Tuesdays, March 28 - April 18

9:30 - 11:45 a.m.

Washington District Library

Minimum 8 participants, register by March 14

In April 1917, the United States declared war against Germany in order "to make the world safe for democracy."  The long-term effects and implications of this sacrifice reverberate even today, and the centennial of American entry into that momentous conflict provides a timely occasion to review and reassess its cause, course, and consequences.  Participants will also discuss the war's impact on the American homefront and military and diplomatic events in Europe and around the world.  Participants should read Michael Howard's The First World War: A Very Short Introduction, available at local or online retailers and libraries.

$45 - facilitated by David Thompson, Professor of History, Illinois Central College and OLLI class instructor.

To register, call Bonnie at 309-677-3900.

The Student Scholarship Exposition at Bradley University is an annual celebration of the research, scholarship, and creative production of Bradley undergraduate and graduate students.  Students showcase and present their work to a judging team comprised of both Bradley faculty members and representatives from the surrounding community in hopes of receiving an EXPO Award for the best presentation of their work to  generalist audience.

In this 25th year, we expect to receive more student submissions than ever before.  Your contributions as an EXPO Judge will include listening to and assessing 3-5 brief student presentations as an informed generalist audience-- someone who has interest and a working knowledge of the students' topics, without necessarily being an expert in the field-- with a focus on the presentation and dissemination skills of the students.  

Your judging period would consist of a two-hour block on April 12th, between 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., in the Renaissance Coliseum at Bradley.

For more information, please check out the following links:

EXPO Home Page

Judge Frequently Asked Questions

Online Judge Registration Form

A public viewing session will be held on April 13th, from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m.; all are invited to attend and support our students' work.

If you have any further questions, please email one of the following representatives from the Office of Sponsored Programs:

Sandra Shumaker, Executive Director of Research and Sponsored Programs

Email: [email protected]

Luke Burton, Graduate Assistant, Office of Sponsored Programs

Email: [email protected]

The Journey to Mollie's War: The Women's  Army Corps and World War II

Saturday, March 11

1:00 p.m.

Chillicothe Public Library, 430 N Bradley Avenue, Chillicothe

Cost: FREE!

Members of the Women's Army Corps - WACs -

 were the first women other than nurses to serve overseas in World War II.  Cyndee Schaffer's mother, Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, was one of them.  Drawing upon excerpts from Mollie's letters written home during the war, Cyndee presents a vivid glimpse into the life of a woman in uniform during this crucial time in history and invites contemplation of the vital and varied roles that women have fulfilled in the American military.

This presentation details Mollie's experiences from basic training in Florida in October 1943 to the dramatic moment when the Statue of Liberty came into view upon her return in November 1945.  It traces the footsteps of the women who served in Europe, following Mollie and her fellow WACs stations in London before D-Day and during the post-D-Day German buzz bomb attacks.  The WACs were transferred to Normandy two months after D-Day and then to Paris after its liberation by the Allies.  Finally, they traveled to Frankfurt as a part of the Army of Occupation, and witness first-hand the devastation of that country before returning to the United States. 

This event is being produced in part by Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, a program that provides organizations statewide with affordable, entertaining, and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities.

Dollar-a-Day Boys: A Tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps

Wednesday, March 15

2:00 p.m.

Chillicothe Public Library, 430 N Bradley Avenue, Chillicothe

Cost: FREE!

Bill Jamerson presents a multi-media program about the Cilivian Consevation Corps.  Dressed in uniform, he tells stories, sings songs with his guitar, reads from his book, and shows a video clip from the PBS film he made.  The program is nostalgic, with humorous and heartfelt stories picked up from former CCC boys.  

In Illinois, over 165,000 men enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps, FDR's work program during the Great Depression.  They built a dozen state parks, worked on farms, built roads, and much more.  Camps in Elmwood, Galva, Ottawa, and Henry housed men who came into towns on weekends to patronize stores, bowling alleys, and billiard halls, go to the movies, and attend church.

Refreshments will be served, and Jamerson will sign books after his talk.  Attendees are encouraged to bring photo albums and CCC memorabilia.

This program is made possible by the generous support of Evergreen Senior Living.

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