OLLI Observer
May 19, 2019    
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In This Issue
burning candle
We Remember 

Betty Morris
May 3, 2019


TODAY
Mountain Folk Tales
Storytelling
Sunday, May 19, 3 p.m.
Folk Art Center
Blue Ridge Parkway, 
Milepost 382

This event, sponsored by the Asheville Storytelling Circle and the Southern Highland Craft Guild, will feature tellers Wallace Shealy, Becky Stone, Sandra Gudger, Sherry Lovett and winners of the Owen Middle School Jack Tales Contest. 

Tickets are $10 at the door. 


Summer 2019 Registration Closed Until  Tuesday, May 28, 10 a.m.

Our online registration system is closed . If you are one of the 525 people who registered during the initial registration period, you will receive your s chedule  Friday, May 24, 4:30 p.m.

Add/Drop begins Tuesday, May 28, 10 a.m. At this time you may register or add more College for Seniors courses or add your name to a waitlist if a course is full.  

Add/Drop closes after the second meeting of most courses. 

The Reuter Center will be closed Monday, May 27, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. 

 We will be closed on Friday, May 31, for the Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend (CREW) which brings people from all over the country to learn more about relocation in retirement.
 
Print catalogs are available on the upper level of the Reuter Center.  Click here to read the Summer 2019 catalog onlineClick here for access to our course web page  and be sure to select "2019 Summer." Full courses descriptions and instructor biographies are available.
Thank You, 
Class Reps

A big THANK YOU to all of the Class Reps who volunteered during the Spring 2019 term! The instructors, staff and participants in College for Seniors greatly appreciate your support and hard work. You help each term run smoothly, and we are very grateful for your contributions to OLLI.

If you would like to volunteer to be a Class Rep for the Summer 2019 term, and have not already entered the Class Rep data base, please click here to put your name in the database.   
College for Seniors Instructor Support

Two-day training to enhance your instructor skills with PowerPoint or Keynote

Beginning PowerPoint
Monday and Thursday, 
June 3 and 6, 9:30 a.m. - noon
Reuter Center Room 206
 
Advanced PowerPoint Techniques
Monday and Thursday,
June 3 and 6, 1-3 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206
 
Introduction to Keynote
Monday and Thursday,
June 3 and 6, 9:30 a.m. - noon
Reuter Center Room 207

Click here to register for the workshops.

Seeking Big, Bold Ideas
by Sam Harben
OLLI Planning Committee Chair
Meeting 
Monday, May 20, 
10 a.m. - noon
Reuter Center 215

Attention all OLLI members:  UNC Asheville is in the process of developing a long-range Master Plan, and OLLI has been invited to submit its big, bold ideas in response to the questions listed below to the Master Plan Committee.  This committee is charged with drafting a visionary plan for the University. To that end, the OLLI Planning Committee is looking toward forging a more integrated role for OLLI's 2500-member organization in the life of the University. 
 
We'd like to hear your big, bold ideas as to:
  • How the physical layout, access and appearance of our UNC Asheville campus could be improved?
  • How OLLI's needs for more space could be met as the demand for additional classroom and space for other activities continues to increase? 
  • How OLLI's connection with the University can be significantly enhanced? 
  • And how we, along with the University, may connect better with our Asheville community?
OLLI's Planning Committee will meet with members who have suggestions Monday, May 20, 10 a.m. - noon at the Reuter Center, room 215, or, if you prefer, send your suggestions by email to me as chair of OLLI's Planning Committee:   [email protected] .
 
AARP Documentary and Discussion
The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution
Wednesday, May 22, 1-4 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Before Medicare was introduced in 1965, fewer than 50% of the nation's hospitals served black and white patients equally. 

The documentary The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution illustrates how civil rights leaders and grass-roots volunteers pressed and worked with the federal government to achieve justice and fairness for African-Americans. 

The screening will be followed by a discussion with local leaders to explore these historical issues and current challenges. The program is sponsored by AARP in the Mountain Region. Contact Rebecca Chaplin at 828.380.6242 or [email protected]


OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

MANNA Food Bank Team
Providing Thousands of Meals a Day to Feed Hungry People

Asheville City Schools
Give your time and make a difference

Habitat for Humanity
Changing lives one house at a time

VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!


 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
 The Key Center for Community Engaged Learning is Looking for Teachers!

The 5th annual STARS (Starting Teens Around Roads of Success) Program helps to put  students from low-wealth communities in contact with more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) learning opportunities. 

STARS  Faculty teach  10 - 11:30 am , generally with faculty teaching one group (A) of students in week one and switching to teach the same thing to another group (B) of students in week 2. We hope teaching faculty can commit to the two weeks, but we can accommodate alternative scheduling, including the desire to teach in the afternoon instead of the morning. We need two people for the following five weeks. 
For more information contact:  Amanda Wray: [email protected]

  Bridge Buddies 
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Open for New Members
Tuesdays, 2-5 p.m.
The Bridge  Buddies SIG is an eclectic mix of advanced beginner to intermediate players who play in the Atrium  on Tuesdays, 2-5 p.m. The group uses bidding boxes to eliminate questions about who bid what when. To check us out just come by and join us for an afternoon.

SIG contact: Connie Mitchell, 828.254.2209, [email protected]  

pottery-wheel.jpg
Art Bazaar Exhibitor Information Meeting
Tuesday, May 28, 10 a.m.
Reuter Center Room 206 

For those interested in participating in the 2019 OLLI Art Bazaar, Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9.
Learn the facts and decide if the Art Bazaar is for you. 

Registration forms will be available at the meeting.

Contact Sheila Murphy at:   [email protected] with any questions. 
nature-photographers.jpg

Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association


Member Portfolio Challenge
Sunday, June 9,  5:30 p.m. 
Meet and Greet; Meeting Begins at 6 p.m.
Reuter Center 206

Carolinas' Nature Photographers' Association's twice per year portfolio challenge is designed to showcase members' work by having them present a common themed portfolio.  Their collection may be taken from images over the years and combined by a common theme.  If you are interested in sharing, please notify the co-coordinators at [email protected].

The CNPA-Asheville Region's goal is to develop a group that will more fully experience the beauty of Western  North Carolina through photography. Activities in the Asheville Region include monthly meetings, photo outings, seminars, workshops, exhibits, photo contests, and image critiques.

Special Thanks!

OLLI would like to thank its Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend (CREW) Major Sponsor, Givens Estates for their support!



Living Solo

After one month we have grown to more than 90 members. Join Living Solo for OLLI members through a Meetup app!

The group is comprised of OLLI members living independently and seeking connections. This is not a dating group, but is made up of individuals who want to do activities and make connections here in Asheville with OLLI members.  

This is a self-identifying group. If you have a significant other but feel solo, feel free to join. Please come join us and meet new people! We started a group in Meetup called OLLI UNC Asheville Living Solo. It is a private group with only OLLI members included. 

How to join! 
  • Join Meetup using your preferred email address; enter a password (your favorite or one unique to Meetup)! 
  • Search Groups using key word: OLLI or look around; we are there!
  • Click the yellow OLLI UNC Asheville Living Solo image! 
  • Click the red Request to Join button
Any questions? 
Contact Barbara Rapchak

An MWW Gathering
Men's Wisdom Works (MWW)
Special Interest Group 

Each of MWW's 16 groups is comprised of 8-12 men.  Groups meet at various times and places twice a month for 2 hours to discuss issues of personal importance. Groups socialize over breakfast, lunch, happy hour, & other social 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  [email protected]
Dear OLLI Members,

Here at OLLI we invite you to contribute your ideas to our planning committee as they work with the university's master planning committee to think about and present concrete ideas for the physical appearance and infrastructure of the university and of OLLI's needs and positive relations with the rest of the university and the broader Asheville community.  The committee welcomes ideas by email and will hold a focus group on Monday, May 20, 10 a.m. to noon if you have "big, bold ideas" you would like to share.

While our spring courses are more or less complete, we do have programs this week from our community partners, including AARP's "documentary and discussion" program featuring "The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution." The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society will present a program on the American Bird Conservancy and the Council on Aging of Buncombe County will present a "New to Medicare" workshop. The opportunities to learn continue!

Our summer registration is closed for now, but we will re-open for first-come, first-served enrollment in Summer 2019.  If you requested classes in our initial registration process, you will receive your schedule Friday, May 24 in the late afternoon.

Remember that this is your community. If you have questions or suggestions or would like to serve on a committee or volunteer, please let us know by responding to this email,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar
Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society 
Tuesday May 21, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center, Manheimer Room

Speaker Holly Robertson
 It's no small feat to conserve birds that travel 4,000 miles or more each year across continents and international borders. In fact, it's one of the most ambitious undertakings of American Bird Conservancy (ABC); ensuring priority species have the habitat they require at all stages of their life-cycles. Migratory birds are particularly vulnerable while on their wintering grounds in Latin America and the Caribbean, where they occupy an area that is approximately one quarter the extent of their total breeding range in the U.S. and Canada. 



With  deforestation rates still on the rise in Latin America and the Caribbean, ABC is scaling up conservation efforts, and in 2017, launched the BirdScape initiative. Learn about this new endeavor and how it will benefit entire suites of migratory birds, including those that breed in North Carolina.
 
Holly Robertson is a Senior Development Officer with American Bird Conservancy and has been working with the organization's migratory bird program since 2013. She holds bachelor's of science of wildlife ecology from the University of Maine and a master of science degree in conservation biology and sustainable development from University of Wisconsin-Madison. The American Bird Conservancy is a non-profit organization whose mission is conserving native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.

All EMAS programs are free and open to everyone.

The Forum
Friday, May 24, 1 - 3 p.m.
Reuter Center, Room 205

TOPIC: 
"Tribalism and the Nature of Prejudice in Contemporary World Culture, Including Its Impact on the American Political System"

The weekly Forum encourages a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants thinking on a wide variety of topics frequently focusing on current events. All OLLI members are welcome to attend.

SIG contact: Beth Johnson,  [email protected] 
Medicare New to Medicare 
Information Session
Friday, May 24, 2 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206

Are you confused by the many choices of Medicare plans? Unbiased and accurate information is available from trained volunteers from the North Carolina Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). The Council on Aging of Buncombe County, in partnership with OLLI, offers a free session that includes an overview (plans, parts and policies) of Medicare. Spaces are limited, and registration is required. Reserve your space by calling the Council on Aging of Buncombe County, 828.277.8288. 

In addition, Friday, May 24, beginning at noon, representatives from the Social Security Administration will be available to answer questions about Social Security benefits and Medicare enrollment. They will also provide detailed instructions for using the Agency's online services at socialsecurity.gov. 

At the Intersection of our Privilege and Our Oppression
Sunday, June 2, 2 p.m.
Asheville Jewish Community Center
236 Charlotte Street
 

Issues surrounding race, class, sexual identity, gender and religion have exploded into the national dialogue. These are difficult and confusing issues to discuss, especially when social and cultural identities overlap. 

"Intersectionality is the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect, especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups" (Webster's). The theory of intersectionality is also the idea that when it comes to thinking about how inequalities persist, categories like gender, race, and class are best understood as overlapping and mutually constitutive rather than isolated and distinct. This training provides thoughtful discussion and self-reflective activities to help you lean into the discomfort by increasing your awareness of the intersecting social dynamics impacting us all.

Instructor Jesse Pitt has spent the last 18 years working with diverse groups of middle and high school students. He loves facilitating courageous conversations about the uncomfortable social issues affecting our diverse culture. He moved to Asheville in 2002 to work with the NC Outward Bound School as a climber, wilderness instructor and eventual director of the high-school based Unity Project. He is a graduate of Skidmore College and Western Carolina University and has been a counselor at Asheville Middle School since 2007.

To learn more and to register, email  [email protected]

Registration fee is $10 for the class, which is open to everyone.
Stitch in Time
Monday, June 3, 2-4 p.m.
Reuter Center Lower Atrium
 
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 skill levels are welcome!


 

SIG contact: Gay Lambirth, 281.433.1060, [email protected]

Dr. Erika Hendrickson
Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)

5 Keys to Communication:
Having Realistic Expectations and Advocating for Yourself at Home and in Public
Dr. Erika Hendrickson,  Mountain Audiology

We dnesday, June 5, 10:15 a.m.
Seymour Auditorium, CarePartners Campus
Building 22 (Top of the Hill),
 68 Sweeten Creek Road

For more information about HLAA 
contact David Nelson, 828.505.1874
Chow Chow Is Coming To Town
By OLLI Member Bill LaMée

Click here to read more about a new Asheville culinary festival to be held Thursday, September 12 - Sunday, September 15, and about the possibility for OLLI members to volunteer.


Astronomy Club of Asheville
Thursday, June 6, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

"From Small Step to Giant Leap: The Epic Lunar Voyages of Apollo"
 
presented by  Dominic Lesnar , Astronomy Club of Asheville



This presentation, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, will trace the genesis of the Apollo program and what led the United States to engage the USSR in a race to the moon. We will discuss exactly how NASA sent spacecraft on a half million-mile journey through the vacuum of space, highlighting the mission hardware that allowed astronauts to land, walk, live and eventually drive on a world of inhospitable terrain with danger at each step. Finally, we'll cover the scientific and geological discoveries gleaned from Apollo, and briefly highlight each of the 9 missions that flew to the moon.

The Astronomy Club of Asheville meets the first Thursday of the month (except January and July), with an interesting lineup of speakers and topics.  OLLI members may attend the club meetings and star gazes, with club members on hand to advise and assist them in the basics of astronomy and the techniques of observing celestial phenomena.  For more information on the Astronomy Club of Asheville, including infrmation about speakers and topics, visit their website at www.astroasheville.org


The Autumn Players
Ancestral Voices
by A R Gurney
directed by RoseLynn Katz

Sunday, June 9, 2:30 p.m. /  Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Breaking the rules of her upper crust social world and shocking her family, an older woman in the years before World War II divorces her husband and marries another man. Told lovingly by her grandson as a child, and later, after he becomes a mature adult, this tale, written expressly to be read aloud, nostalgically shows how an entire way of life has been erased by the passing of time.

This event is open to everyone; tickets are $7 at the door.


2019 Mental Wellness Walk
 
Saturday, June 15, 9 a.m.
Meet at Carrier Park Pavilion
220 Amboy Road, Asheville, NC 28806

Registration and Check-In begin at 9 a.m. 
Walk and Program begin at 10 a.m.
 
The organizers of the 3rd Annual 5k Mental Wellness Walk  seeks to raise awareness of the importance of mental wellness and community resources that exist for people with mental health issues. All funds raised will support the work of All Souls Counseling Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Western Carolina. 

All Souls Counseling Center is a nonprofit organization that provides quality mental health counseling to uninsured and underinsured residents of Western North Carolina. ( www.allsoulscounseling.org.)  NAMI Western Carolina  is an affiliate of NAMI, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.  www.namiwnc.org

If you would like to volunteer for the Walk, please sign-up for a shift here:  signup.com/go/insqZCN

Brevard Opera at OLLI
Tuesday, June 18, 4 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

The College for Seniors Performing Arts Curriculum  Committee collaborates with the Brevard Music Festival to  bring to OLLI this summer a taste of three operas:
Carlisle Floyd's Susannah,  Charles Gounod's Romeo et Juliette and   Johann Strauss Jr.'s Die Fledermaus.  The six-week College for Seniors course The Brevard  Opera at OLLI is part of the regular summer term, with three live performances embedded in the schedule.

Sessions 1, 3 and 5 of the course will be presented in the usual manner of a  College for Seniors course, from 2:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, June 11, 25 and July 9, with renowned  music director Pat Heuermann explaining the operas.  

The instructor will continue with sessions 2, 4 and 6 on June 18, July 2 and 16, and those sessions will conclude with live performances by the young artists of the Janiec Opera  at Brevard performing parts of these three operas as well as other musical selections.

The three performance sessions on Tuesdays, June 18, July 2 and 16 by members of the Janiec Opera of Brevard  will be held from 4-5 p.m. in the Manheimer Room. The performances are open to all OLLI members and to UNC  Asheville students and faculty. A period of questions and answers with the Janiec performers will follow these  performances. Sunday, June 9, 2:30 p.m. / 
Reuter Center Manheimer Room.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | [email protected] | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804