OLLI Observer
December 16, 
2018    
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In This Issue
Winter Holidays  
The OLLI Office and The Reuter Center are closed for 
Winter Holidays
Now through
 Wednesday, January 2, 2019, 
8 a.m.
Most members of staff will be checking email occasionally over the break, and our registration system will remain open to add membership and courses.  Drops will take longer than usual.

We wish you all the joy of the season and look forward to seeing everyone again when the CFS winter term starts 
January 14, 2019.
 
Looking for a challenging but fulfilling volunteer opportunity? Want to make a positive impact on the lives of children? How about becoming an advocate for abused and neglected children in your community? 

Guardian ad Litem is always looking for dedicated and motivated community volunteers. The next free training session begins January 2019.   

More info can be found at  www.volunteerforgal.org 
or by calling 828-259-3443.
OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

ENERGY SAVERS NETWORK (ESN)
Help Homeowners Reduce Energy Losses

MUSICWORKS!
Using Music to Teach Social Skills, Boost Academics and Build Confidence

VETERAN RESTORATION QUARTERS' (VRQ)
COOKING TEAM
Restoring the Lives of Homeless Vets    

VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!

Just in Time for the Holidays - UNC Asheville's spring writing courses are open for registration!
 
UNC Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program has announced the schedule for spring 2019 classes, and they are perfect for a last-minute holiday gift or the solution to a New Year's resolution to write more. From an introductory writing workshop with acclaimed novelist Tommy Hays, and new courses like "Writing in the Age of Loneliness," and "Exploring Questions of Spirituality and Faith through Poetry and Creative Nonfiction," there's something for the writer on your list.

Author Thomas Wolfe
5th Annual Thomas Wolfe Short Story Book Club
Author-Led Short Story Discussion Series 
Sponsored by the Wilma Dykeman Legacy

Beginning Thursday, January 17, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
Thomas Wolfe State Historic Site, 
52 North Market Street, Asheville, 28801
The series begins with a discussion of  Wolfe's short story "His Father's Earth" led by Terry Roberts, author of That Bright Land.
Men's Wisdom Works (MWW), 
An OLLI SIG for Men
Men's Wisdom Works Gathering
Each of MWW's 15 groups is comprised of 8-12 men.  Groups meet at various times and places twice a month for two hours to discuss issues of personal importance.
Groups socialize over breakfast, lunch, happy hour and activities
Men on the waiting list will either be added to existing groups, or we will form a new group if numbers suffice.
  To learn more or to sign up on our wait list contact: Patrick Irwin at  jobshoppat@aol.com

OLLI's Adverse Weather Policy 

OLLI classes, events, meetings and other activities will be canceled or delayed when UNC Asheville classes are canceled or delayed for adverse weather. We occasionally will cancel or delay classes when the university does not if conditions in the area or on campus may pose a danger to our members.

By 8 a.m. on bad weather days, the OLLI staff will post specific program information on our outgoing messages at 828.251.6140 and on our website at olliasheville.com. 
We will, if possible, send an email to OLLI members by 8 a.m. explaining how weather will affect events scheduled on bad weather days.

Please remember that ours is a program of learning for the love of it.  If conditions are unsafe where you are, please stay in!
Your OLLI friends, instructors, SIG leaders and staff will be here when you can safely return!

Dear OLLI Members,
We hope that you weathered our recent blast of wintry weather and that you are looking forward to being with family and friends as we say farewell to 2018 and look forward to 2019. If you want to celebrate the season with other OLLI members, we invite you to participate in the Reuter Center Singers Holiday Concert, Monday, December 17, 7 p.m. in the Reuter Center Manheimer Room. While the performance is free and open to everyone, donations are happily accepted.

This is our last newsletter of 2018, as our office will be closed until January 2, 2019.  This has certainly been a time of change at the university and at OLLI.  We have welcomed the university's eighth chancellor, Dr. Nancy J. Cable, who in a little more than 100 days has demonstrated leadership, grace and humor and challenged all of us to find ways to invest in our university.  Here at OLLI we have welcomed Pascale Couturier-Armstrong, Hannah Furgiuele and Jacqueline Lowe and have said farewell to Caitlin Han, Laurel Jernigan, Leanna Preston and Lynn Spaight. We will welcome one more staff member early in the new year as we continue to work with all of our volunteers to offer opportunities to thrive in life's second half. But we don't want to forget our gratitude to Ann Cadle and Herb Gunn, who have provided wisdom, leadership and continuity as we bridge the gap between the talents and experience of staff members who leave and learn about the new skills and perspectives that come with new staff and volunteers.

Sometimes in the midst of the details of registration and classes, we can overlook what makes us unique. This week, our industrious and thoughtful Civic Engagement Committee Chair wrote to thank her committee for a year of great work, observing " When you all report on your monthly volunteer activities, you all have the most beautiful smiles on your face.  The animation and obvious enjoyment that you all have in volunteering is inspiring.  We may not be able to change all of the inequities that so many of our fellow citizens face, but we are making a difference in those that we serve." In the words of committee member Diane Bryson, those smiles are a sign that "Giving makes for happier living." 

As I read Kathleen's note, I was reminded of conversations I had with a few of our many accomplished College for Seniors instructors in preparation for a presentation on the unique qualities that make for great lifelong learning instruction.  Each of these instructors spoke of the hundreds of hours they take to prepare for courses, but each of them spoke with passion about the great joy they derive from connecting with their participants, who bring intelligence, attention and enthusiasm to every learning experience. Jim Lenburg spoke of the "magic" that occured in his classroom when a lesson on the women's movement lead to women sharing their own experiences. Kristi McMillan spoke of the community that formed when neither participants nor instructors wanted her class on contemporary African American artists to end. One of my favorite observations came from Mark Whipple, who teaches courses on science to packed rooms. Mark spoke about coming out of every class with so much energy that he bounces up and down in the car on the ride home, and as he described the experience, he had a smile and an uncontainable bounce as he sat in his chair talking about the joy of teaching.  

As we end this year, I hope you will all take a moment to reflect on the great joy we share here at OLLI.  In the words of Civic Engaglement and Planning committe member, LAS and CREW planner and community volunteer Chris Skoczynski (who seems to do everything with a giving and joyful spirit), " It is nice to take a pause and be reminded of the goodness of our fellow travelers: we are all just walking each other home.  Happy to be on this journey with all of you." I could not have said it better.

I wish all of you the best in 2019 and hope that we will continue to learn and travel together on always changing roads,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar
Reuter Center Singers Holiday Concert
Monday, December 17, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

The Reuter Center Singers will bring warmth to our hearts this holiday season with a performance of classical and popular holiday songs. During this popular annual holiday concert you will enjoy, and perhaps even sing along with, traditional seasonal carols.  Light refreshments and holiday cheer will follow.

 The Reuter Center Singers are directed by Chuck Taft and accompanied by Nora Vetro. 
Seating is limited, and admission is free.
Donations are welcome.
Sierra Club Meeting
Thursday, January 3, 2019, 7 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville
1 Edwin Place (Corner of Edwin and Charlotte Streets)
 "Three Observatories  in WNC: Burnsville, UNC Asheville, and Madison County"
Come hear about the new Bare Dark Sky Observatory in the Mayland Earth to Sky Park located outside of Burnsville, NC. Also learn about Lookout Observatory on the UNC Asheville campus, and Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County. All are available to the public.
Contact: Judy Mattox, judymattox@sbcglobal. net, 828-683-2176
Free and open to everyone
New Member Welcome
Friday, January 11, 2019, 10 a.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Are you new to OLLI and the Reuter Center? Are you returning after being gone awhile? Come to the New Member Welcome to learn about all that OLLI has to offer and about ways to get connected and involved. Meet other members and learn what it means to "grow through life." 
Questions? Call 828.251.6140

Fab Friday
"Boom, Crash and Boom
in the Land of the Sky: 
The Intriguing History of Our Mountain Metropolis"
With Dr. Kevan Frazier
Friday, January 18, 2019, 11:30 a.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

From a frontier outpost of the new republic to one of the great success stories of downtown revitalization, Asheville has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 225 years. Join historian Kevan Frazier as he guides us on a journey through Asheville's rich history, from its founding through the present day. Dr. Frazier is a former member of the history faculty of UNC Asheville and today serves as Western Carolina University's Biltmore Park campus executive director. An Asheville native, he also owns Asheville by Foot Walking Tours and Well Played Board Game Cafe on Wall Street.

Fab Fridays are free and open to everyone.  See OLLI's Winter 2019 catalog for the full schedule of programs for the upcoming term.

OLLI Winter 2019 Add/Drop and Registration Continues

Our Winter 2019 registration continues until the second meeting of most classes.  We have decided to keep our registration system open during the winter holiday, but because our office is closed, we will not be able to offer office support until January 2, 2019.  Remember that you can log into your account to check your registration status. 


  Click here to go to the OLLI website Courses page to find more detailed course information and biographies of instructors 
for Winter 2019 courses. 
Be sure to select "2019 Winter" in the "Term" box on the left hand side of the page

Do you want to be a Class Rep in 2019?

CFS Theme Term on Appalachia

College for Seniors announces a theme term on Appalachia for Fall 2019 (September 16- November 8). While a varied array of courses will be offered during the Fall term, the theme term is also an opportunity to create courses aligned with this special theme. 

The CFS Theme Term Advisory Committee is receiving and reviewing preliminary course proposals on Appalachia. See the committee's description of the term  HERE

The deadline for the Advisory Committee to receive and offer advice on course proposals is March 1. Please use this dedicated URL to submit your ideas to the committee.


Symphony Talk
Friday, January 18, 2019, 3 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

MASTERWORKS 4:Offenbach, Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Berlioz

Vive la France! Masterworks 4 celebrates the work of four very distinct French composers. Offenbach's Overture to Gaîté Parisienne, inspired by the amorous high spirits of the City of Light, sets the scene. Cellist Daniel Kaler, winner of the Payne Prize, will dazzle with Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto. The Asheville Symphony Chorus then takes the stage to present Poulenc's delightful and mystic Gloria. We finish, fittingly, with Berlioz's grandiose La Marseillaise.

Symphony Talks are an interesting and educational way to hear about the music to be performed at upcoming Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Masterworks performances. The program begins with a presentation by Chip Kaufmann who talks about the life and times of the featured composers.  ASO Music Director Darko Butorac and guest conductors appear with soloists for upcoming concerts to talk about how the musicians prepare and to offer ways to listen during the performance. 
 
 
Special Thanks!   
OLLI would like to thank Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend (CREW) Major Sponsor, Beverly Hanks for their generous support!

CREW helps those considering relocation in retirement examine all their options carefully and make an informed decision about this major life transition. For more about 2019 CREW Program, click here.
OLLI Authors Presents
Bill Petz and Ted McIrvine 
(Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure)
Thursday, January 24, 2019, 5 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206

Get ready, because OLLI Authors has some great programs in store for 2019! You'll definitely want to mark January 24th on your calendar. Stay posted for more information after the holidays about Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!

Navigating Farm Labor Workshop
RESCHEDULED Tuesday February 12, 2019 
4-8:30 p.m.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
180 Mag Sluder Road
Alexander, NC
Cost: $40 per person

This 6-hour workshop will showcase how to structure labor on a small farm through the eyes of established regional farmers. This is a great workshop to attend if you have been farming and are looking to take your farm to the next level by bringing on additional labor support. Legal and financial considerations will be highlighted and discussed to better understand which labor structure best fits your farming model.

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