July 2012

 

OLLI at the University of Delaware was featured as the cover article in the July 2012 edition of Vital magazine.  We have linked to a pdf of the July issue, and you will find the full article on page 8.

- submitted by Tara White Kee, University of Delaware

 

When the Waterbury mayor's office was looking for volunteers for a special downtown revitalization project, OLLI at University of Connecticut jumped right in! The project -- meant to improve downtown areas by incorporating artistic designs with building facades -- involved hundreds of city volunteers, and the unveiling of the final piece was recently held at the downtown location.  

 

Almost 25 OLLI members volunteered to be part of the Waterbury Tile Team.The charge was to adhere one-inch painted tiles (similar to a paint-by-number art piece) to create a 900-square-foot colorful mosiac which was displayed on a building at a ceremonial unveiling.  

The unveiling of the mosaic took place before hundreds of excited city residents in downtown Waterbury!

 

The mural, entitled, "Cool Waters," was designed by artists Bruce and Joanne Hunter and depicted a Waterbury theme that honored the restoration of the Naugatuck River that runs thru the city. The OLLI members had a great time volunteering - many went for 8-9 days!      

 

- submitted by Rita Quinn, Assistant Director, OLLI at University of Connecticut 

 

The OLLI at Auburn University is presenting two Brown Bag Lunch & Learn programs in July.  On July 16 the program features Sacred Harp music led by Karen Clark. Clark describes Sacred Harp, or "shape note" singing as a traditional type of a cappella hymn singing that has thrived in the South since the 1800's. This music began in England centuries ago, as a way to teach harmony to people who couldn't read music. Today it is a communal gathering, attracting participants from all over the U.S., Canada, England, and some parts of Europe. Sacred Harp is not a "performance" kind of music, but a participatory event. Singers are not arranged in a line or semicircle facing the audience. Instead they sit in a "hollow square" and face each other. That is the true appeal of this music -- singing for the singer's sake. According to National Public Radio, "There is no harp in Sacred Harp singing, in fact no instrument at all, just the power of a room full of singers belting out four-part harmonies."

Karen Clark leads shape note singers.

On July 23, the Auburn OLLI will host a party for members age 90 years or older, and it will feature a presentation by member Gail McCullers on the history of birthday celebrations. One of the party goers will be Leora Bliss, a longtime member of OLLI, who was born on a farm in western Kansas on September 5, 1916. Click to read Leora's engaging biography!

From left to right: Mary Burkhart, OLLI at Auburn Executive Director; Diane English, OLLI at Auburn Immediate Past President; and Leora Bliss, 90th Plus Birthday Party Honoree.

-submitted by Linda Shook, Coordinator, OLLI at Auburn University

CSU Dominguez Hills OLLI member Eleanor Van Natta drives her car up for a CarFit inspection by CarFit volunteers Chris Christophersen and Pablo Diaz.

As part of its summer program, members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at California State University, Dominguez Hills recently had a busy week of special events.

In commemoration of "Juneteenth" which pays tribute to June 19, 1865, when Federal forces took possession of Texas and called for that state's enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, two years after it was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. OLLI's members gathered on June 19 for an afternoon of history, traditional food, and song. "I believe this is the first Juneteenth on this campus," said Margaret Gordon, dean of College of Extended and International Education.

Then on Friday, June 22, OLLI members had the opportunity to get properly fitted to their cars and learned a few driver safety tips during CarFit, a demonstration  by the American Society for Aging, the American Automobile Association (AAA), and the American Occupational Therapy Association.Read more about both of these events.

-submitted by Jim Bouchard, Coordinator of OLLI at CSU Dominguez Hills. Writing by Amy Bentley-Smith  with contributions from Laura Perdew. Photos courtesy of CSU Dominguez Hills, Dateline Dominguez.

 

The ASA is offering a webinar titled "Move With Balance" for Healthy Aging on Thursday, August 20th.

The organization "Move with Balance," based in Paia, Hawaii, won this year's ASA MetLife Foundation MindAlert Award in the category for programs designed to enhance mental fitness for older adults.

The founder Karen Freesia Peterson has been developing the program over the past 25 years. She integrates research in vision training, kinesiology and brain plasticity. Tune in for some new ideas.

 

• It remains to be seen what the effects of faculty delaying their retirements will be on the OLLIs who use many emeriti and retirees to teach OLLI courses. Here's an article from the Tuscaloosa (AL) News.