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Mediation SIG
Functional Meditation-- 3 Part Series Presented by Jacquie Wollins
Moderator: Sally Ekaireb
Monday, June 1, 4:30-5:10
Monday, June 8, 4:30-5:10
Monday, June 15 4:30-5:10
with Open Chat Room starting at 4:15 p.m.
This period of social distancing is a great opportunity to get quiet and meditate.
Jacquie
Wollins will present
content from her
Functional Meditation
course to establish a foundation to this meditation practice.
We are in stressful times, and we all react differently. Starting from
the beginner perspective, Jacquie will lead you to your meditative state
,
to a place where you can find refuge and appreciate your strengths and vitality while taking away the mystery of meditation
.
There will be three successive programs in this series.
You will learn how to get to your
Alpha meditative state
and develop your skill and achievement for easy access.
You will also learn how to use your meditative state, that's
where the "functional" aspects come in
.
Jackie has been teaching
Functional Meditation for many years at OLLI. This practice is based on the Silva Method and incorporates different aspects of the Feldenkrais Method.
For questions and the link for this series, get in touch with Meditation SIG contact: Sally Ekaireb:
skekaireb@gmail.com
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MemoryCare Education Series:
For Families and Caregivers
Thursday,
June 4,
2 - 3:30 p.m.
MemoryCare is holding an online forum designed for caregivers and family members who want to learn more about how to care for themselves and their loved one affected by dementia.
A series of speakers will present information on
MemoryCare is a nationally recognized program for dementia care located at Givens Estates in Asheville.
The community-based, nonprofit, charitable organization is uniquely focused on serving the whole family. In 2018 MemoryCare
served more than 1,000 people living with dementia and 3,500 of their family caregivers
.
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The Forum SIG - Virtual Edition!
Friday, May 29, 1 p.m.
Online
Topics:
May 29 - The importance of implications from actions taken by the Trump administration.
June 5 - Integration or disintegration: The importance of cooperation among countries around the world.
June 12 - What are the effects of Trump's "war on the deep state" - congress, executive agencies, and the
media?
June 19 - Fake news: How can traditional freedom of expression survive?
June 26 - How can we help Asheville recover from the current situation?
July 3 - Current events and selection of topics for July.
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. Contact
Beth Johnson, the Forum SIG coordinator, to get a link for the meeting: johnson1ea@earthlink.net
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How We Are Coping:
OLLI Members Report
Dottie and Bob Davis are mainstays of the OLLI program. Bob has taught an amazing 55 courses, on technology, gently bringing OLLI members a sense of ease and comfort with the lastest hardware and software, since 2006 (and been a speaker in a few more) and has served as our steering council chair and chair of various committees. The NC Center for Creative Retirement and OLLI would not be the same without his generosity, intelligence, and willingness to tackle big issues. Dottie is an active participant in OLLI classes and a volunteer at OLLI and throughout the community (you may have seen her wearing a sandwich board style sign every year in October promoting the Hard Lox Festival). We wanted to thank her for images of the first dinner party since "Stay Home Stay Safe" at the Davis home and for her reminder that we all need to believe that we will continue to find ways to connect and celebrate as we protect ourselves and one another.
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| Dottie Davis with a message for all of us |
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| Distance Dining in Phase Two of Stay Home Stay Safe |
We love the stories of our kind, creative, and resilient members. Let us know what you are doing to stay busy, engaged, and connected at this time. Send us an email at cfrank@unca.edu
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How We Can Help:
Community Volunteer Needs
We know that OLLI members are for the most part over 60 and therefore considered particularly susceptible to COVID-19, even as organizations and businesses begin to re-open. We suggest that before you sign on for any volunteer opportunity that you gain a full understanding of the precautions that will be taken to protect volunteers and diminish spread of the virus.
Become a Reading
Tutor
with Read to Succeed
Asheville/Buncombe
OLLI's Civic Engagement Committee Chair Kathleen Mainardi writes with the following request from Read2Succeed, a group the committee partners with.
Did you know that children who aren't reading on grade-
level by the end of 3rd grade are 4x more likely to drop out
of school? You can help close the literacy achievement gap
and give students both the skills and confidence they need to
succeed in school and life. Become a volunteer reading tutor
with Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe and work one-to-one with a kindergarten-third-grade student in one of our local Asheville City or
Buncombe County schools 1hour per week. Young students are going to need literacy support more than ever following the COVID-19 crisis, and you can make a difference!
To learn more about this unique opportunity and upcoming volunteer training dates, contact Julie Claywell, Volunteer Coordinator, at julie.claywell@r2sasheville.org /
OLLI member Judy Mattox has written with the following request from the Buncombe County Schools for volunteers:
School Lunch Volunteers
are needed
June 4 -- Aug 7, 2020, Monday through Friday at l
unch time. Volunteers serve for one hour, plus time for set up and cleanup.
Buncombe County School System prepares and delivers hot lunches to designated high poverty neighborhood sites, for volunteers to distribute free to children ages 2-18 and to the disabled.
Online background checks are required of all volunteers. A training video of 40 minutes with 6 questions is required.
Two people can adequately cover the feeding site.
Contact: Judy Mattox, judymattox@sbcglobal.net, 615-584-4570, Ann McLellan, annmclellan1@gmail.com, 828-350-9005
We appreciate the spirit of OLLI members who want to help, while we urge caution as we learn to live with the virus.
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Staying Together Apart
We realize that we would all like things to be "back to normal" as soon as possible, to be back in our "home away from home," especially at this beautiful time of year. We also realize that the best way to stay safe is to stay home except for essential travel. We here at OLLI are trying to make the most of this challenging time by finding ways to use technology like Zoom and social media platforms to stay connected and to understand "creative retirement" in new ways. We encourage you to try all of these new ways to capture a feeling for our OLLI community even while we have to stay apart.
We all look forward to being back together at the Reuter Center, but until then, we want you to feel connected and to continue to look to OLLI for great opportunities to learn "together apart."
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Don't Get Around Much Any More
Many thanks to Jacqueline Lowe, OLLI's facilities and communications coordinator for sharing her musical talents in this "Pandemic Parody" and for becoming our resident Zoom guide. Thanks to all of the OLLI staff for their resilience and flexibility as we adapt to some new ways of working and connecting with our members. We may not be getting around as much as we used to, but we are bravely trying new things and learning to bring all our talents to bear.
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Dear OLLI Members,
As I was putting together an agenda for a staff meeting on Monday, it occurred to me that Monday, May 25, is Memorial Day, officially a holiday for staff. I had to laugh as I thought that I would not have to go into the office, then remembered that I have not gone into the office for more than a month now, (except for a few hurried excursions for things that cannot be managed from home). My husband has teased that I am finally walking to the office every day, since that means walking down our stairs to a guest room. I no longer maintain the weekly ritual of finishing the newsletter and making the rounds of the grocery stores on Sunday, since I am trying to minimize trips, visit only one store, and go at a time when there are the fewest people. So the ideas of schedules, days and rituals has changed, even though we are all hanging on to our established routines in the hope that we can soon return to some form of "business as usual," while some of us are worried that we will return to a world with different constraints and expectations than the one we left in the beginning of March.
As we think of Memorial Day, a day when we are to commemorate and
honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military, we take a moment to think soberly about loss and offer tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to serve the United States. We know that this year, our red, white, and blue picnics, parades, and wreath laying ceremonies will all have to look different as we "stay safe at home."
Dottie Davis has sent us pictures that remind us that some form of gathering is still possible. Many people across the country are choosing, as Dottie has, to decorate her driveway with an uplifting chalk message. You may want to watch the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS or watch the live webcast from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. If you are a fan of StoryCorps you may enjoy stories from their Military Voices Initiative. We hear a lot of conversation these days about freedom and protection when it comes to re-opening, and we may want to take a moment to remember the meaning of those words in the context of this day and these times.
We are truly thankful for the wonderful community we create together, even when we are apart. We miss you and are eager to learn how to connect while we are apart and also eager to gather together again.
Catherine Frank
Executive Director
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Join the Zoom Cafe and
Wednesday, May 27,
2 - 3 p.m.
Are you taking a class this summer and want to practice on Zoom before the term begins? Has your book club moved online or has your family created a virtual happy hour? Do you want to see what all the fuss is about?
Join us at the Zoom Cafe! This drop-in Zoom meeting is an opportunity for you to casually try out Zoom. Whether you are a first-time participant or a seasoned user, this no-pressure session is your opportunity to get comfortable with the virtual meeting platform. We will show you how to mute yourself, how to chat online with the group, how to ask questions, and how to feel comfortable AND connected in this new environment.
Click here to learn how to join the Zoom Cafe
Upcoming Zoom Cafe, June 4 at 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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The Leadership Is In
Tuesday, June 2,
2-3 p.m.
We are entering a new phase of our programs that is at least temporarily very different from our familiar territory. We want to find new ways to hear what you are thinking and to talk about our OLLI community's plans, our hopes, and our challenges. We were so grateful to have 30 of you join us on the call that we thought we would offer another session.
We will hold additional sessions with OLLI staff and leadership and hope also to invite guests from the rest of the university to share their ideas about planning for the future. You don't have to have a question or idea.
Feel free just to stop by to say hello.
So why the name? Thid image may remind you of
Peanuts
, a comic strip written and drawn by Charles M. Schulz from 1950-2000. Lucy Van Pelt was a precocious, opinionated, sometimes bullying character. Instead of setting up a lemonade stand, she set up a stand to offer "psychiatric help" for a nickel, and usually dispensed her "advice" very freely. Part of the humor of the comic strip was always the ways that adult attitudes crept into the mouths of children in the wryest ways.
When I was relatively new to the position of OLLI director, I scheduled times when I would sit in the lobby of the Reuter Center with the intent of answering questions, talking to members, getting to know the heartbeat of the community. Well, no one ever seemed to want to talk, even when I put Tootsie Rolls on the table. It wasn't a complete failure. I will say that the few brave souls who did sit down for a conversation ended up being some of my most treasured OLLI acquaintances, and I do feel I learned something valuable about what OLLI cares about.
So I promise not to give you advice, and I regret that I cannot give you Tootsie Rolls, but I hope that you will take some time to stop into the meeting to say hello, to let me know how you are thinking, feeling, and coping, and to stay connected to the organization that we create together.
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Our brave summer instructors |
What's Next for College for Seniors
Many thanks to the 376 members who signed up for our Summer 2020 online classes. We sent our "schedules" on Friday. We have decided not to hold an add/drop period during Summer 2020, as we learn to adjust to new ways of working remotely and as we try to get everyone up to speed. Watch, however, for the various community partners and OLLI original events we plan to offer through the fall and summer. And please take some time to attend a Zoom Cafe or join us for another Zoom meeting before your course begins so that you can feel comfortable in this virtual environment.
We are working closely with university planners and College for Seniors instructors and curriculum committee members to plan a range of scenarios for offering courses in the fall. We are at this time planning for a fall term that will include a larger number of online courses, whether or not we determine that it will be prudent to offer some in-person courses observing appropriate social distance. We are considering how we will have to pay for and charge for new services and who is best equipped to help us navigate a "new normal." We appreciate your patience and understanding!
Reopening OLLI at the Reuter Center would most likely mean creating classrooms with social distance. Given the need to create a six-foot distance and adequate passing room into and out of classrooms, we would most likely only be able to use the Manheimer Room and Room 206, since we could have so few participants in our smaller classrooms. Even those rooms would have a very low capacity for participants. In addition to social distancing layouts in the classrooms and the building, we would have to consider the use of masks, gloves, and sanitation of shared spaces. We have to consider that we will be operating with a staff of five people and would have to determine how best to use the effort and energy of everyone to be best prepared for a wide range of scenarios. Operating both in person and online would pose unique challenges for a small team. Finally, some epidemiologists predict a second wave of cases in the fall, as things reopen and as we return to cooler weather. A spike in cases could mean that we would open and then have to close again.
I have asked our instructors and curriculum committees to plan for a scenario not only with a limited face-to-face instruction but potentially to continue with only remote instruction in the fall. OLLIs across the country have already made the decision to operate only remotely through the end of the calendar year. I know that continuing to be apart would be a disappointment for some. I also know that it is likely that many will not feel comfortable returning to shared public spaces, particularly people over 65 and those with underlying medical conditions, as long as there is no cure and no vaccine for COVID-19. I have been so grateful for the positive and entrepreneurial spirit that we are seeing from committees who persuade instructors to give this a try and for the people who participate in our Zoom Café meetings to get comfortable with new technology.
We understand that from the perspective of both instructors and participants that the online experience can be, for some people, both less familiar and less satisfactory than in-person instruction. The truth is that this summer we have not had a choice between face-to-face and online instruction. The choice is online instruction or no instruction. While the university is planning on bringing students back to campus in the fall, as early as August 10. We are indeed part of this university family, but we also have to recognize that we have different needs and vulnerabilities.
Our staff has been dedicated to creating a community of people who have had the ability to gather in person to learn and connect in a beautiful space made possible by the generosity, vision, and tenacity of staff, volunteer leaders, and members of the NC Center for Creative Retirement. After we are able to gather again, I hope we won't take for granted the advantages of having a space designed and built for our use. We can still dream big and be part of a community of learners, even if temporarily that may look different. We will always strive to preserve the best of who we are, and we are learning all the time about the possibility to add new communities and tools to the work we do. Thanks so much for your patience and creativity as we enter a new phase of lifelong learning.
Stay tuned. Stay positive. Stay together apart.
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Sharing the Talents of OLLI Members
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Yellow Lady Slipper by Herb Gunn |
Many thanks to OLLI members Jay Jacoby and Nelson Sartoris who compile this weekly showcase of the work of our talented OLLI poets. We have asked each of the poets to give us a short biography and to tell us why they have chosen to share their specific poems.
Please keep sharing stories of how you are staying in; just send them to me at cfrank@unca.edu. We want to know how you are staying safe and learning. Pictures and even videos are encouraged. We would love to hear from you.
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Upcoming AARP Mountain Region Events
Weekly Series: Caregiver Chat: Virtual Connections
Prepare Now: Proactively Managing Emergencies. Stuff happens! Plan now for unexpected situations.
Tuesdays, through June 10th, 10 a.m.
Join us for a series of informal discussions with other caregivers and resource specialists in Western North Carolina. Each week provides a light-hearted message or experience, practical tips and an opportunity to informally connect with other caregivers.
Click Here to Register
, or call: 828-251-7441 (You can register for one or more)
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This Day in Sports History
by College for Seniors Instructor Larry Griswold
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Major League Baseball's first night game at Crosley Field |
May 24, 1935: After 20,422 fans and special guests in Cincinnati enjoyed a fireworks show, President Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington D.C. that lit Crosley Field for
Major League Baseball's first ever night game. The hometown Reds topped the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, and after players from both teams reported no problem seeing
the ball the experiment was considered a success.
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Al Unser wins his fourth Indianapolis 500 |
May 24, 1987: Driving a backup car that had been a display in a hotel lobby just weeks before the race, 47-year-old Al Unser Sr., a last-minute substitute for the Roger Penske Racing Team, won a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 and became the oldest driver to ever win what has been called "The Greatest Spectacle in Motor Racing." His son, Al Unser Jr., age 25, finished fourth in the race
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Wishing They Were Here
One of the highlights in our Fall 2019 theme term "Appalachia: Tradition and Change" was the appearance of Crystal Wilkinson, Affrilachian poet, show story writer, novelist, and associate professor in the MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Kentucky. Her novel
Birds of Opulence reminds us of our ability to face and live through all kinds of adversity and is just beautifully written. Click on the image above to hear her Creative Mornings Louisville talk on curiosity.
Our time apart has helped put in perspective the many enriching experiences OLLI members enjoy both at the Reuter Center and throughout the university, and we hope you enjoy these reminders and begin to look forward to the time when we can again share these experiences in person.
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Food and Shopping Options
Special Shopping Hours and Delivery Options
 Who Is Still Offering Takeout?
Click here for the list of takeout and delivery options provided by the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association. Policies and processes are changng daily so it makes sense to call ahead to make sure that your favorite is still offering takeout (and if you order ahead, many places will bring your food curbside.)
We know that the restaurant industry has been part of Asheville's identity as we have made all of the top ten lists for travel destinations. Local businesses really appreciate your support to keep people employed and businesses running in these challenging times.
Farmer's Markets
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Join OLLIChat, the replacement for OLLITalk.
It's free for all 2019-20 OLLI members and easy to use. It's also a great way to stay connected as we are all trying to find ways to manage unprecedented challenges.
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.
Introducing OLLIChat Companion
Several times a week, the volunteers at OLLIChat send entertaining content to our subscribers - humor, old movie clips and games. The service is free. Please email
OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com
and a volunteer will reply and send you an invitation.
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