OLLI at UNC Asheville Observer
December 15, 2019    
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In This Issue
We Remember
burning candle
Perien Gray
December 14, 2019
Mentor a UNC Asheville International Student

Each year UNC Asheville hosts several foreign students for one semester or full year studies.  OLLI members will have opportunities to mentor a student who is here now or coming in the Spring term.  The mentoring experience can be what the student and OLLI member (you) would like it to be.  Show the student the great town we live in, have them for dinner on holiday break, help get them somewhere they need to go, or help with something academic.  As the OLLI mentor, enjoy learning about the student's country, language, and culture!

A 'Meet and Greet' is being planned for mid-January.

For more information please contact Erik Vedeler ( vedelererik@gmail.com)
Oral History for Social Change

Dr. Amanda Wray, associate professor in UNC Asheville's  Department of English and  Faculty Director of the Key Center for Community Engaged Learning, will be teaching Oral History for Social Change in UNC Asheville's spring semester (that runs January 13-April 30, 2020). The course will meet Tuesday and Thursday, 9:55 - 11:35 a.m. 

Dr. Wray hopes to recruit a few OLLI students to take or audit the course (see attached flyer). She believes the course will greatly benefit from a broad age representation as participants go out into the community to collect oral histories. They may conduct interviews and learn about digitizing print artifacts and packaging history for public audiences (at bus stops, for example). There are no technology prerequisites; participants will learn by doing.

Here is the course description: 
LANG 374:  This course is open to all majors, 4 credit hours, Tuesday and Thursdays, 9:55 - 11:35 a.m. (We will be in the field conducting interviews independently in lieu of class time several weeks of the semester, and classes wilI be canceled during those weeks). 
Students will conduct community-based research using oral history  methodologies to document histories in African American communities, LGBTQIA+ populations of Western NC, or a population of their choosing. This will be a writing and research intensive course where we learn interview tactics, secure IRB approval, and practice qualitative data coding. Importantly, we will package our research for academic and public audiences using a variety of media methods.

If you want to know more, please contact Dr. Wray at awray1@unca.edu


Once you have communicated with Dr. Wray, you will have to register through the UNC Asheville registrar's office. If the OLLI member is age 65+, they should proceed through the Senior Audit process (https://www.unca.edu/admission/apply/other-students/) and here is the link to the application . There is no application fee or tuition costs. 
If the member is under 65, it would be an non-degree application. Info and application also at the same site. For non-degree, there is a $35 application fee and standard tuition costs. 
Bill McKibb en (Photo by Nancie Battagli a)
Save the Date!
Bill McKibben: 
2020's Brown Visionary Lecturer
Thursday, April 2, 2020
UNC Asheville's 
Kimmel Arena 

Bill McKibben is an internationally renowned expert on climate change and related issues, recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award and the Sierra Club's John Muir Award, as well as a number of other distinctions, including honorary degrees from a number of colleges and universities. His work has elevated the conversation on climate change and environmental degradation for the past few decades, in countless articles and public appearances and in nearly twenty books since the 1989 publication of his groundbreaking work  The End of Nature.

Many thanks go to the Browns for providing support to continue to bring such prominent speakers to our community! We look forward to providing you with updates as details regarding this event come into clearer focus.

OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

MANNA Food Bank
Working to end hunger and food insecurity in WNC

Veterans Restoration Quarters
Help Restore the Lives of Homeless Vets

Asheville Terrace Apartments Food Pantry
Provide On-Site Food Pantry Support

VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!

business_conference6.jpg
  The Forum  Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, December 20, 1 - 3 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center,
 Room 205

Topic: What Can Be Done to 
Re-establish the Balance of Power Among the Three Branches of Government

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

SIG Contact: Beth Johnson johnson1ea@earthlink.net

Death  Caf é
Friday, December 20, 5 - 6:30 p.m.
UNC  Asheville's Reuter Center Atrium

Death Café is a conversation about a subject too often ignored in our death phobic culture. A new movement, a shift, is at play in recovering the ritual of being with death through personal storytelling of fears and loss. A deepening ritual emerges, and we build a culture of dying wisely. Join us at our next Death Café. Facilitated by Thirdmessenger's Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop, and Sa'id Osio. 

You can learn more about Death Café by visiting HERE.

This event is free and open to everyone.

 
Become a Youth Literacy Tutor in January 2020


Literacy Council of Buncome County tutors work 1-to-1 with students from low-income households who read or write below grade level, often due to a learning disability such as dyslexia. The group uses a phonics-based program and multisensory strategies to help children strengthen basic literacy skills and build self-confidence to discover a new version of themselves as learners. 

The next training sessions will take place January 27-31 (Monday-Friday) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Experienced  K-5 educators or experienced tutors may be offered an abbreviated training schedule.  
Call Rebecca at 828-254-3442 x202 /
rebecca@liltcouncil.com



 
Loving Food Resources Volunteer Opportunity

Loving Food Resources is a food pantry that supports people facing food insecurities who are living with HIV/AIDS or receive in home Hospice care regardless of diagnosis.

The group has immediate openings for Saturdays from 10:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Positions include:
  • Cart Room Attendant
  • Aisle Assistants
  • Frozen Foods Counter
  • Produce Department
Each position is here to assist clients as they make selections while shopping in a food pantry.

Please contact Brent Wyatt at 828-255-9282 or visit  www.lovingfood.org for more details



 
R2S Reading Tutor Training 

The Read2Succeed Winter Training schedule for 2020 is here! Read To Succeed Asheville/ Buncombe is a local non-profit and our mission is  "to inspire and teach children to read.
They need caring individuals who are interested in supporting the children in our community. They train volunteers to become reading tutors for K-3rd grade students. Tutors spend one hour, one to two days a week, throughout the school year.  

julie.claywell@r2sasheville.org
828-767-0943









Men's Wisdom Works
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 two hours to discuss issues of personal importance.  Groups socialize over breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and 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: Roger Gilmore at: rlg455@hotmail.com

OLLI would like to thank Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend (CREW) Major Sponsor, The Cliffs 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 information, please contact Hannah at hfurgiue@unca.edu or 828-250-3871
Dear OLLI Members,
We are very sorry to report that  Perien Gray, long time College for Seniors employee, instructor, and member at the NC Center for Creative Retirement and OLLI, passed away on December 14. Perien was an extraordinarily thoughtful, insightful, and tenacious person and poet and will be missed by many OLLI members and by everyone who had the honor of working with her.

This is our final newsletter for 2019; we will return on January 5, 2020.  We hope that you will enjoy this time of rest and renewal with family and friends and be ready to start the new year with new energy and enthusiasm for the work we share in building our community of teachers and learners and in watching our university continue to evolve. 

This has been a time of great change both at the  university and within our programs as we have welcomed new staff members and shifted our duties and processes. Our university has set a new course while staying true to a core mission of challenging students to think and learn critically and creatively. OLLI at UNC Asheville is excited to be part of this new chapter as we work intentionally with a variety of departments to make positive contributions to all aspects of our university's culture. As you will see, there are many opportunities made possible through our connection with the university, ranging from the opportunity to hear world-class speakers to a discount on membership for the Asheville Art Museum.

 We thank all of you who contributed to our "Giving Tuesday" campaign; we have raised over 65% of our $25,000 goal to purchase equipment that will make it possible to stream lectures and events and to bring the world to us! Thanks also to all of our members who give so generously of time and talent to create courses, serve on committees and to participate to create such a vibrant community of teachers and learners.

We are truly thankful for the wonderful community we create together,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director

Calendar Reminders

Today
Asheville Community Band
Annual Holiday Concert
Sunday, December 15, 
3:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville's
 Lipinsky Auditorium

This concert will include family-friendly pieces that are staples of the holidays, such as "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "White Christmas," "Chanukah Celebration," and many more.  The concert will include an appearance from Fairview Elementary's Children's chorus composed of 4th and 5th grade children, who will be singing with the band as well as be performing some pieces of their own.  Click here for a link for driving directions!

Thank you for supporting OLLI at 
UNC Asheville this Giving Tuesday!
We are moved by the outpouring of support for technology that makes our lectures and events more accessible to members no longer able to travel. We are 65% to our $25,000 goal, raising more than $16,000 from 89 donors.

If you haven't yet made your year-end gift, please support OLLI to help us hit our goal! You can give online here: unca.edu/giving.

On the giving form, click on the "Designation" box and choose "Osher Lifelong Learning Institute" from the dropdown. Your entire gift will go directly to OLLI and will help us purchase new equipment.
You can also give by check. Make sure the check is dated no later than December 31 and that your letter is postmarked by December 31. Please make checks out to "UNC Asheville" with "OLLI" in the memo line. Mail these to:

UNC Asheville Foundation, Inc.
CPO#3800, UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804

Winter 2020 Registration Reminders

Using OLLI's online registration system you may add yourself to courses with openings and add yourself to waitlists.  You may continue to add and drop courses until the second class in most classes.

If you wish to drop a course , please send an email to olli@unca.edu giving us your name and the name of the course or courses you wish to drop. You may also call us at 828.251.6140.  If you call, please leave your name, phone number and the title of the couse you wish to drop. If you are not able or do not wish to attend a course, please notify us that you wish to drop.  We had many courses with waitlists, and taking a few minutes to drop may mean another member is able to attend. 

Remember that the last day for a full refund is Friday, January 10, 3 p.m.

Important Dates for OLLI's Winter 2020
College for Senior Registration
  • Friday, December 20, 5 p.m. through Thursday, January 2, 8 a.m. OLLI and the Reuter Center closed for Winter Holidays. We will not be processing online registrations or payments during this time.
  • Friday, January 10, 2020, 3 p.m.: Last day to drop CFS courses for a full refund
  • Monday, January 13, 9 a.m.: Winter 2020 CFS courses begin
  • Monday, February 24: Last day of Winter 2020 CFS courses
  • Monday, February 17, 10 a.m. through Monday, February 24, noon: Spring 2020 Registration
  • Monday, March 23-Friday, May 15: College for Seniors Spring 2020 courses
Dr. Richard Davidson

Save the Date!
Dr. Richard Davidson
Thursday, February 13, 
7-8 p.m.
UNC Asheville's 
Lipinsky Auditorium



Dr. Richard (Richie)  Davidson  is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on well-being on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he serves on the Global Council on Mental Health. Time Magazine named  Davidson  one of "The 100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2006. For more information see Dr. Davis's website:  https://www.richardjdavidson.com/

Watch the newsletter for more details.
How Does College for Seniors consider courses? 

Through the eleven curriculum committees

Would you consider volunteering?
Let us know!
History Book SIG 
Friday, December 20, 1 p.m.
 UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Room 120

The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queen Who Made England
by Dan Jones

The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world.

We meet the captivating Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; her son, Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and King John, a tyrant who was forced to sign Magna Carta, which formed the basis of our own Bill of Rights.

"This is the era of chivalry, of Robin Hood and the Knights Templar, the Black Death, the founding of Parliament, the Black Prince, and the Hundred Year's War. It will appeal as much to readers of Tudor history as to fans of 'Game of Thrones.'"
Goodreads Review

 Come join the fun to share beloved books, engage in discussion, and connect with other OLLI members whose favorite subject is history!

SIG contact: Mike Wang, 267-243-3011, mbwhome@gmail.com
New Member Welcome
Friday, January 10, 10 a.m.
 UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room 102

Are you new to OLLI at UNC Asheville and the Reuter Center?  Are you returning after being gone awhile?
Do you just want to know a little more about "how OLLI works"? Come to the New  Member Welcome to learn about all that OLLI has to offer and  about ways to get involved. Meet other members and learn
what it means to "grow through life."

Please join OLLIChat, the replacement for OLLITalk. 
It's free and easy to use.

OLLIChat is an online community where OLLI at UNC Asheville  members may share information of common interest with each other. It is designed to look and function like the old OLLITalk.
 
To get started, send an email to  OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com, and the OLLIChat volunteers will send you an invitation. 

The Asheville Art Museum and UNC Asheville Launch Student Membership Initiative and Educator Memberships as Part of Grand Re-Opening Celebration


Beginning January 1, 2020, UNC Asheville faculty and staff, as well as members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, are eligible for discounted Museum memberships for educators and seniors for $50 annually. 

  CLICK HERE to read  more! 
Sierra Club Meeting
"Gorges State Park at 20: How It Was Saved"

Bill Thomas
Thursday, January 9,
 7 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville
1 Edwin Place (Corner of Charlotte and Edwin)

Gorges State Park, near Cashiers, NC, was narrowly spared from hydroelectric projects planned to create pumped storage for use by Duke Energy. Bill Thomas, former chair of the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, is widely credited with leading the successful campaign to halt the projects.  He was also essential in efforts to create Dupont State Forest and the Horsepasture Scenic River.  See Thomas's photos of the wonders in Gorges, learn how it was preserved and recognize the work of an environmental hero.

(Note that the planned program on the Nantahala/Pisgah Forest Plan has been rescheduled for April 9, 2020, after the U.S. Forest Service releases the plan some time in February.)
 
Fab Friday
Julie Mayfield

Blue Horizons Energy Project
Friday, January 17, 11:30 a.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Blue Horizons Energy Project  Asheville City Councilwoman Julie Mayfield and Blue  Horizons Project Coordinator  Sophie Mullinax will present  the Blue Horizons Project. The project is a community-wide  effort dedicated to creating a clean energy future for Asheville  and Buncombe County by providing information, resources,  and tips. Learn about programs designed to help your home  or business become more energy efficient and contribute to  efforts to control our area's energy demand. The Blue Horizons  Project grew out of a nationally-unique partnership between  the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, and Duke Energy to  avoid investments in new fossil fuel infrastructure and instead
invest in energy efficiency, demand management, and clean
energy. Mayfield is co-director of Mountain True, a nonprofit
working to preserve and protect land and water resources in
Western North Carolina.

Fab Friday Lunch and Learn Lectures take place, Fridays, 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. in the Reuter Center's Manheimer Room, in our Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. Members and guests are invited to socialize and then participate in presentations and question and answer sessions. Purchase lunch in our Reuter Café or bring your own brown bag.
These programs are free and open to everyone.

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