OLLI Observer
March 4, 2018   
 
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In This Issue
 
Peg Downes 

"I love volunteering at OLLI because it is a pleasure to learn along with such excellent, well-informed, curious and polite students."
 
Peg has taught "Where Does English Come From? And Where's It Going."
 


Are you a prospective, new or experienced College for Senior instructor?
 
Then SkillTalks is for you!

SkillTalks is a day of networking and workshops (with lunch included)
Thursday,  March 8, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Come join us - To register click
HERE

Questions?  Contact Herb Gunn, hgunn@unca.edu
The Confident Caregiver Series
Friday, March 9, 2 p.m.
Manheimer Room 

"Mid Stages III -Day Services, 
In-Home Care Services, Senior Living Options and 
Caregiver Needs " 

Offered through the Alzheimer's Association Western Carolina Chapter, the Confident Caregiver is a series of three presentations that provide  answers to the questions that arise in the middle stages of the disease. Hear from those directly affected and learn what you need to know, what you need to plan and what you can do at each point along the way to maintain quality of life for both the caregiver and the person with the disease. 

Free and open to everyone. 
Alicia Jo Rabins
The Complicated Lives of Biblical Women: An Intimate Evening of Performance
Tuesday, March 6, 7 p.m.
Humanities Lecture Hall, 
UNC Asheville Campus 

In this event Alicia Jo Rabins will weave together art-pop songs, poetry, and feminist Torah scholarship.
Rabins, whose voice has been described as "gorgeous" by The New York Times, also employs violin and electronic loop pedal. As a composer and performer, her works include "Girls in Trouble," an indie-folk song cycle, and "A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff," a chamber-rock opera about the intersection of finance and spirituality.
A writer, composer and performer, Rabins' career began with her fiddling and her first album, "Sugar Shack," featured original compositions and irreverent renditions of traditional fiddle tunes from Appalachia to Eastern Europe. She also toured for eight years with the klezmer-punk band Golem and represented the U.S. as a cultural ambassador for the State Department, performing in concert halls and orphanages in Central America and the Middle East.
Rabins' performance is presented by UNC Asheville's Center for Jewish Studies and is free and open to everyone.
OLLI Craft Swap Meet
Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. , Reuter Center Manheimer Room

This is a new endeavor designed for OLLI members ONLY.  A free craft swap meet where you can swap/sell/buy craft supplies and "stuff" from other OLLI members.  It is recommended you register for a table by emailing olli@unca.edu. Tables will be assigned in order of registration - first come, first served.

Suggested items to bring to swap/sell/buy include paint supplies, beads & jewelry making supplies, buttons, polymar sculpy clay, fiber arts & yarn, weaving supplies, paper goods, colored pencils, pastels, photography, marbles, mosiac items, fabric, ribbon and sewing notions....almost any craft and art supplies!

This is a closed event for OLLI members ONLY - - to have tables of craft supplies to swap/buy/sell and other OLLI members to attend and see what's on offer.  There is no cost to participate, and we suggest you pack a lunch!  It will be a fun time for all, and you may need a bite to eat before it's all said and done.

For more information or if you have questions, email olli@unca.edu
OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Veteran Restoration Quarters Gardening Opportunities
Restoring the lives of homeless veterans

Homeward Bound's Welcome Home Center
The key to ending homelessness
Click here for details

ROOTS Foundation
The garden is the classroom
Click here for details 

 
VOLUNTEER NOW ... You can make a difference!
NC Stage Presents

March 14 - April 8, 2018
Wed - Sat at 7:30 p.m. & Sun at 2 p.m.
Additional Saturday Matinees on 
March 31 and April 7, 2018
 
Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs to visit her parents after a six-year absence. A once-promising novelist, she announces to her family the imminent publication of a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family's history - a wound that her parents don't want reopened. Brooke has come home to draw a line in the sand and is daring her family to cross it. Her brother won't play her game; her aunt knows way too much, and her parents fall into all their old routines as they plead with her to keep their story quiet. In this family, secrets are currency and everyone is rich.

"...Mr. Baitz makes sure our sympathies keep shifting among the members of the wounded family portrayed here. Every one of them emerges as selfish, loving, cruel, compassionate, irritating, charming and just possibly heroic. . . . leaves you feeling both moved and gratifyingly sated." -Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Recommended for ages 16+, strong language, simulated drug use and mature content.
Seeking Instructors for Religion and Philosophy
 The Religion & Philosophy Committee is seeking instructors who are passionate about religion, spirituality and philosophy who would enjoy teaching
a class.
Anyone interested, or someone with a suggestion, is invited to contact the committee's chair, Susan Trammell, 404.376.9852 or susanttrammell@gmail.com  

OLLI Book Swap Shelves are Bare! 
 
Your gently used books are needed to fill up the empty OLLI Book Swap shelves.  Please consider donating books you're willing to share with other OLLI members by dropping off at the OLLI Book Swap shelves (end of the upper lobby.)  And while you're there, look for a good read to enjoy.  If you've borrowed from the shelves and need to return the books you've enjoyed, now is the time.
Thanks!

Dear OLLI Members,
We had 1170 make requests for College for Seniors courses for our Spring 2018 term.  We will send out schedules on Friday, March 9, late in the afternoon.  Our add/drop period will begin on Monday, March 12, 10 a.m. We will send complete instructions for adding and dropping courses in next Sunday's newsletter. Remember that you may get a full refund for your course fees any time before Friday, March 23, 3 p.m. Thanks so much to our College for Seniors curriculum committee and for the instructors who have designed such inspiring courses.

We welcome our new program manager for life transitions and civic engagement Hannah Furgiuele; please take some time to read Hope Warsaw's story so you can get to know Hannah.  We are now in the process of finding someone to be our "customer relations coordinator"; if you or someone you know might be interested in this position,  click here to read the job description. The posting will be open through March 12. Our College for Seniors program assistant Lynn Spaight has announced that she will retire at the end of April, so we will also post that position sometime in the next month. Change is always a challenge in programs like ours, but we look forward to seeing Lynn in our classrooms after her retirement.

And while you are waiting for spring courses to begin, please see the many lectures and activities you can enjoy during the coming week.

Thank you for recognizing the value of being part of a community of teachers and learners,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
 Upcoming UNC Asheville Athletic Events  UNCA Bulldog
March 2018
Stitch 'N Time Special Interest Group (SIG)
Monday, March 5, 2 p.m., Reuter Center Atrium 
 
Stitch 'n Time meets on the first Monday of the month, 2-4 p.m.  
SIG contact: Gay Lambirth, 281.433.1060, gaylambirth@yahoo.com.  
This is a fellowship group for stitchers of all types (knitting, crochet, quilting, needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, sewing, etc) to help encourage, inspire and support each other.  All OLLI members are invited to participate and all skill levels are welcome! 
 
World Affairs Council
Tuesday, March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

"Defense Budget and Global Engagement Priorities" 
by Major General Rick Devereaux
The global power balance is rapidly evolving, leaving the United States at a turning point with respect to its level of engagement and the role of its military. Some argue for an "America First" paradigm, with a large military to ensure security, while others call for a more assertive posture overseas. Some advocate for a restoration of American multilateral leadership and a strengthened role for diplomacy. Still others envision a restrained U.S. role, involving a more limited military. How does the military function in today's international order, and how might it be balanced with diplomatic and foreign assistance capabilities?

Major General Rick Devereaux graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978 and completed a 34-year career in the Air Force before moving to Asheville in 2012.  While in the military, he piloted the C-5 Galaxy and KC-135 Stratotanker, commanded two wings, and served four tours at the Pentagon including his last assignment as the Director of Operational Planning, Policy, and Strategy for the Air Force.  Rick is currently the Executive Vice President for Texzon Technologies and continues to do independent consulting work for the defense industry. He serves on the boards of several local and national non-profits including the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia.  

The World Affairs Council of Western North Carolina offers lectures and discussions that aim to advance international awareness and foster Western North Carolina's global ties. OLLI members receive a discount on WAC annual membership fee.  All lectures are free to WAC members and UNC Asheville undergraduate students. For all others $10 at the door. 
For more details about programs, consult the WAC website.
Book Talk 
Friday, March 9, 12 noon, Manheimer Room

"Masons, Miners, and Thieves--The Real Lives of America's Bees" by Paige Embry
 
Did a bee go extinct because of greenhouse tomatoes? Why is a bee nicknamed Cinderella?  The U.S. and Canada have around 4000 species of bees, and they are nothing like a honey bee.  Follow a gardener's adventures into the field with bee scientists and farmers to explore the lives of America's bees.  Tucked into stories where bees build turrets and paint walls are lessons on how bees live - - and how our gardens can help them.  Author Paige Embrey's presentation is inspired by her book Our Native Bees: North America's Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them.   Embry will sign copies of her book following the talk. 

This event is free and open to everyone. 
 
Special Interest Group The Forum
Friday, March 9, 1 p.m., Room 205  
 
Meeting Topic: "The Trump Administration Policy Doctrine Foreign and Domestic-Omissions and Commissions" 
 
Mark your calendar to attend this free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on topics ranging from changing demographics of retirees to nuclear disarmament.  All OLLI members are invited and welcome!   SIG contact: Beth Johnson, johnson1ea@earthlink.com 
Organic Grower's School 25th Annual Spring Conference
Friday, March 9 - Sunday, March 11, UNC Asheville Campus  
 
 
The Spring Conference is a one-of-a-kind event that offers regionally specific workshops on organic growing and sustainable living. The mission of the Organic Growers School Conference is to provide down-to-earth, practical advice while remaining affordable and accessible to anyone who wants to participate. For 25 years, the Spring Conference has brought together environmentally minded folks from 17 states and Canada. Join this celebration for a weekend of learning, networking, and growing.



Meditation Special Interest Group
March 2018 meetings

Monday, March 12, 4:15 p.m., Room 120,
Jacquie Wollins will lead a program centered around Functional Meditation.
Monday, March 26, 5 p.m.  
We will meet at Skinny Beats Drum Studio for a sound meditation with Billy Zansky.

For more information, contact Sally Ekaireb, beriake@yahoo.com

By Hope Warsaw


Hannah Furgiuele brings a love and respect for lifelong learning to her new OLLI position as Program Manager and Volunteer Coordinator.
"I've heard great things about OLLI and know it, along with all the resources of UNC Asheville, brings value and richness to Asheville's seniors," explains Hannah. She recounts her first-hand experience of the value of lifelong learning, sharing that her grandfather set an example for lifelong learning with his love of learning, involvement in community organizations and staying active golfing and fishing. The retired English professor was a strong force in her life. He died last year, two weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

 
Hearing Loss Association of WNC Meeting
Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 10:15 a.m.     
Seymour Auditorium, Care Partners Campus
Top of the Hill, (Building 22, at the Covered Walkway), 68 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville

Music and Hearing Loss: Understanding the Challenges and Working Towards Solutions by Christopher Hamilton, Au.D.,Director of Audiology, The Hearing Center of Asheville

For more information, contact Ann Karson. 828-665-8699, akarson57@gmail.com 

Pan Harmonia's March Midday Music New Location

Next Midday Music: Friday, March 16, 1:30 PM
 
JS Bach plus Chevalier de Saint-Georges, aka "The Black Mozart" 
Brittnee Siemon, mezzo-soprano * Kate Steinbeck, flute * Rosalind Buda, bassoon
Mariya Potapova and Karen Pommerich, violin * Anastásia Yarbrough, viola

Free and open to the public
 
Reuter Center Singers Concert
Friday, March 16, 7 p.m. & Sunday, March 18, 3 p.m. ,  Manheimer Room 

The Spring 2018 Reuter Center Singers concerts will offer "A Blast from the Past ... Our 20th Year Celebration Concert" celebrating 20 years of song and singing!  Come tour with us on our 20 year musical journey with such greats as When You Wish Upon A Star, Let's Fall in Love, We Shall OVercome, It's a Grand Night for Singing, I Believe, I Could Have Danced All Night, and more.  Other selections will also feature the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gershwin, Wicked, The Beach Boys, Woody Guthrie, The Beatles, and John Denver.   The two performances of the Spring Concert fill quickly. 

While the concerts are free and open to everyone, donations at the door are welcome.  Reception following the concert. 

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | olli@unca.edu | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804