Astronomy Club of Asheville presents

Filmmaker 

Stephen VanVuuren  

on

"The Making of  Outside In,  A Saturn IMAX Film Due Out in 2013"  

May 3, 2012, 7 pm

In the Reuter Center's Manheimer Room

For More Information Visit:

www.astroasheville.org

Refuse To Be A Victim Workshop 

Saturday, May 5, 2012,  

10 am - 3 pm

Fee: $40/person  

Keep safe, and stay well! This workshop gives you common-sense knowledge and strategies you need to avoid becoming a victim of crime. You will learn to develop an awareness that helps you to develop your own plan to remain safe in virtually any environment (e.g., home, work, travel, events, etc.). This is a must-attend workshop, -- don't wait until it's too late!.

Materials Fee: $15/person to purchase "Refuse to Be Victim Student Book."

Instructor Bob Plyler (instructor@acumenarms.com) is a UNC Asheville graduate, with a BA in psychology. Bob attended Western Carolina University's Graduate School. He is a military and Viet Nam veteran, former NC law enforcement personnel and is certified "Refuse to Be A Victim" instructor. For more information visit his website: www.acumenarms.com         

Western North Carolina Historical Association Presents 

The Western North Carolina Historical Association will continue its series "Civil War Comes to the Mountains" with a lecture by Dr. Darin J. Waters entitled  "Slavery in Western North Carolina."  The lecture is co-sponsored by NCCCR and AB Tech, the lecture will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2012, at 2 p.m. in the Simpson Lecture Hall located in the Thomas M. Simpson Administration Building on the AB Tech campus.   

This event is open to the public and is free to WNC Historical Association members.  A $5.00 donation is suggested for non-members. Reservations may be made by calling 828-253-9231 or by email to smh@wnchistory.org,but are not required.

NCCCR's

STEM Seminar Series 

> Tech-Related Community Outreach: Experiences and Opportunities

> Computational Aesthetics in Evaluating Three Dimensional Head Meshes   

> The Science & Technology of Oil and Gas Exploration   

> The Science & Technology of Oil and Gas Production   

> The Current State of the Climate   

>  Responding to Climate Change: An Inter-disciplinary Challenge   

>  Pythagorean Triples

We are now looking forward to another year of stimulating lectures beginning in September.  This lecture series gives us all the opportunity to:

> Share the work we did and are doing   

> Share new ideas for feedback    

> Learn new ideas that we can use   

> Engage in interdepartmental research projects          

> Introduce students to exciting areas to explore.

If you would like to present a lecture and benefit through interaction with your peers on an interdisciplinary level or if you would like to have lectures that would benefit students, please contact Howard Jaslow innovalg@aol.com, or 828.251.5541.

You  are invited to participate in the 2012 Strive Not to Drive (SNTD) Challenge!  

To participate, pledge to ride the bus, carpool, walk or bike during the week of May 21 - May 25, joining with hundreds of others in Asheville in striving not to drive.  

To learn more about Strive Not to Drive,  click here to visit the SNTD website

or click here to view a short presentation  

Contact Information

This Week

April 29-May 5, 2012

Next Week

May 6-12, 2012

And Beyond...

Click here to visit the NCCCR calendar where you will find details on the above listed events and more.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities Program 

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are an attractive residential option for active older adults. CCRCs offer a full continuum of independent housing, assisted living, and skilled nursing care within a single campus setting.

In the Asheville area there are a variety of these kinds of communities, each with a different financial model, various health and wellness options and services, and varied amenities. Navigating your way through all of the choices to find a community that is right for you can be a challenge.  

Members of the NC Center for Creative Retirement Life Transitions Committee have designed a course to help you assemble the relevant information and ask the right questions to see whether the CCRC is a living option that meets your needs and to help you choose among the options available to you.

Reuter Center Singers Spring Concert

May 6, 2012 at 3 pm   

The Reuter Center Singers will be performing some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest Broadway hits here at the Reuter Center.  Just a few of the songs they will be singing include:  "Memories" from Cats, "Don't Cry Argentina" from Evita,    

"That's All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera, and "Pie Jesu" from Requiem.       

So take a seat and listen, whistle, hum, or sing along to the famous tunes that will surely bring back lots of Broadway memories from the 1970s to today.

The College for Seniors "Performing Stand-Up Comedy"class is proudly presenting our "graduation" performance at The Grotto in the Highsmith Union on campus on Saturday, May 12, 2012.  Doors open at 7 p.m.; showtime is 7:30 p.m.  Join instructor Randy Robins and the mirthful troupe of inveterate comics, as they make what for most is their stand-up debut. Admission is free, parking is ample, and your presence can only enhance what promises to be a fun time for all.  

PACK YOUR LUNCH OR MEET A FRIEND AT A RESTAURANT BECAUSE..... 

HandMade in America

Small Towns Summit

The Annual Gathering of Small Towns throughout Western North Carolina

Wednesday, May 23

9 am - 3 pm

The Reuter Center

Are you interested in learning from experienced small town leaders and volunteers on how to successfully revitalize a small town in Western North Carolina? Curious about strategies that build on local assets and promote craft and culture?

Here is a great example of the work being done in the Small Towns Revitalization Program.  Click here to read an article published about the work in Hayesville.  

The HandMade in America Small Towns Summit will take place Wednesday, May 23, 2012 from 9am - 3pm.  ALL are welcome to register and participate. Come meet the civic leaders that are making it happen all over Western North Carolina!

Registration is now open. 

Please go to the HandMade in America website to register online using a credit card on PayPal. http://handmadeinamerica.org/new 

For more information for the Small Towns Summit

contact Judi Jetson at (828) 252-0121×304 or jjetson@handmadeinamerica.org, or call Yoko Morris to register by check (828) 252 0121×303 or ymorris@handmadeinamerica.org. 

Meet the NCCCR Staff:

Commitment to the mission of the center

Passion for what they accomplish each day

 By Carol Gillen

It's a fact. The staff at the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR), part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes national network, works together as a team to meet the varied and increasing needs of our Center members. It is obvious to folks who deal with staff members that they routinely go beyond the call of duty when it comes to making our members feel welcome, heard, and understood. We want to take this opportunity to familiarize everyone with each staff member's background, areas of responsibility, and passion for their work.  So let's meet the staff!

Ann Cadle, NCCCR Business Manager. Ann is a chemist, a fiberoptic engineer, a technical trainer, and a finance person. She finds her current job at the Center rewarding because she sees the enrichment that the members receive by participating in Center programs and interacting with the interesting people they meet. She says, "The biggest example of staff working together is at the four registration terms. Each person does her best to make registration flow smoothly, remove anxiety, and provide a community event for our members." Contact Ann regarding anything financial, such as payments, dues, and refunds. In keeping with her "can do" attitude, she says that folks can contact her about almost anything. She feels that she knows the working of the Center, and, if she doesn't know the answer, she will do her best to find it!

Contact information: 828-251-6384 or acadle@unca.edu.

Anne Mock, College for Seniors (CFS) Program Assistant. Anne has a Masters in Education and worked as a teacher and administrator for over thirty years. She says, "I love my job because I have the opportunity to work with intelligent, interesting, caring, and fun people from all walks of life and various parts of the country and the world." Anne is a part-time worker who is here on Monday, Wednesday and a half day on Friday. Her primary job is to take care of our CFS instructors to make their volunteer job as easy as possible. If anyone has questions regarding the College for Seniors program or any other general questions, Anne is a wonderful resource.

Contact information: 828-251-6198 or amock@unca.edu.

Susan Poole, College for Seniors Director. Susan was a cytotechnologist for over twenty years in Pennsylvania before moving to Asheville in 1991. In 2004 she took some CFS courses and became involved as a volunteer, eventually serving as chair of the College for Seniors Committee and later as chair of the Center Steering Council. In July, 2008 she became interim CFS director and was hired full-time later that year. She states, "It's exciting to see so many people come to a program that centers around learning for the love of it and know that I have contributed in some way to that enjoyment." Recently, working with the UNC Asheville IT department and fellow staff member Leanna Preston, she learned how to maintain the College for Seniors listings on the NCCCR website. Along with some of her regular duties, such as scheduling instructors in each term, creating term schedules in the database, and working with the Curriculum and Faculty Development subcommittees to ensure quality instructors, Susan has found this new challenge exciting. One of the things she is most proud of is creating the Appalachian Studies program, which introduces CFS participants to the region in which they now call home.

Contact information: 828-251-6873 or spoole@unca.edu.

Leanna Preston, Facility Coordinator. Leanna joined the university staff in 1998 and worked primarily with community programming for gifted children, classroom teachers, and extension programs. She began working at NCCCR in 2007. Her responsibilities include all aspects of Center maintenance and repair, scheduling of rooms, publishing Center schedules and maintaining the online calendar. She also oversees and assists with audio visual equipment, the contracting and support of community groups who use the Center, and the hiring and supervision of student assistants. Leanna, working with Luke Withrow in UNC Asheville's IT department, recently converted the NCCCR website to the new and more user-friendly format that you see today. "It was a great experience. I learned so much from working with Luke and can now comfortably navigate this new area in my work life!" In addition to the many duties delineated here, she also designs and generates content for the weekly eNautilus newsletter. Leanna reports, "The eNautilus is such an effective way to communicate with our members, and it has been a pleasure to assemble this document each week."

Contact information: 828-232-5181 or lpreston@unca.edu.

Michelle Rogers, Program Director (CREW, Paths and LAS) and Volunteer Coordinator.   Michelle leads teams of volunteers in the planning of our Leadership Asheville Seniors (LAS) program, Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend (CREW), and Paths to Creative Retirement (Paths) program. In addition she is responsible for recruiting volunteers to engage on NCCCR committees and to take on other areas of responsibility. Before working at NCCCR she coordinated a school mentoring program for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Fairbanks, Alaska. She stated, "It is incredibly rewarding to help people find volunteer roles that match their talents and interests and to see their resulting work and camaraderie blossom. NCCCR members bring so much experience and knowledge to our program planning -- we love working with them!" What she enjoys most about her job is leading a meeting where, when she invites members to share their insights into the discussion, their ideas are molded into outstanding programs that are enthusiastically received. "It's just a tremendous experience for all participants."

Contact information: 828-250-3871 or mrogers@unca.edu.