OLLI at Granite State volunteers take a moment to relax at the ball park

OLLI at Granite State College volunteers may have enjoyed fireworks on the fourth, sea breezes on the sixth and tennis on the tenth, but by July 18th they were back to business!  Twenty OLLI volunteers, representing four different regions of New Hampshire, gathered for a full day of leadership training in the state capital of Concord on July 18th. Seasoned leaders attended to support newly elected leaders and were honored by all for their service and dedication to OLLI.

The immediate past Chair of the statewide Steering Committee, Peg Fargo, prepared an agenda that addressed team building, budgets, fundraising and the role of staff as volunteer supporters. There was room for reflection when she facilitated a discussion around the questions: Where have we been and where are we going? Ginny Gersney, a long-time member (who proudly states that she is 92 and is having a 'pretty good ride'!) surprised Peg with a "This is Your Life " skit to express the organization's gratitude for the endless hours and countless contributions that Peg has afforded to OLLI.

One week later, on July 25th, yet another statewide day of training saw 18 OLLI volunteers, again from four corners of the state, pouring through handouts and eagerly learning about their responsibilities as the Chairs of Curriculum Committees. Topics of the days centered on:

• Planning ( as in offering a variety of programing that engages broad member interest ),
• Presenters( as in preparing presenters to meet the needs of OLLI learners)
• Proposals (as in developing catchy class titles and descriptions)

On July 28th, it was time for fund-raiser-fun... OLLI went to the ball park! Even though the home team lost, and no one caught a tee shirt or a hot dog in mid-air, OLLI members laughed and took delight in the camaraderie that just happens when you're part of the 'new senior class'!