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Convivial Creativity--Bonus!
A Free Webinar Series to Help You Live Happily and Successfully in this New World Of Ours
Monday, May 18, 10-11:30 a.m.
From your home computer!
Did you attend the Convivial Creativity webinars led by Carl Nordgren and Mark Tully? While the series
schedule of four webinars concluded on Monday, the 11th, they have decided to offer you one more. You will use the same link that you've been using, and if you don't have it please email Carl at carl@creativepopulist.com and he will send it to you.
This fifth webinar will be next Monday, May 18th, starting as before at 10 a.m. and again the link will go live at 9:45 a.m. Along with the sort of content you've been enjoying-around a hundred folks have attended each with only two or three dropping out over the 90 minutes-they will also explore how particular creative strategies support each of the four behavior quadrants that were introduced in webinar 3 and 4. In addition, when you attend you will get the links to the recordings of the first four webinars.
We are so grateful for Carl and Mark helping us launch some online learning and providing such inspiring content!
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Mediation SIG
Functional Meditation
Led by Jacquie Wollins
Moderator: Sally Ekaireb
Monday, May 18,
4:30-5:30 p.m.
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 be presenting a meditation based upon the Jose Silva Method. This simple, effortless method of meditation led by Jacquie will bring even novices into the Alpha state of relaxation and self-healing.
Those of you who have attended Jacquie's Functional Meditation classes have learned that your choice of sitting, standing or lying down is part of how you will prepare yourself for the meditative process. We are limited to 40 minutes on Zoom, so please elect how you will posture yourself and be prepared at your home. Lying down is recommended, sitting is good and often the functional option. If you choose to sit, please remember to keep your back and neck fairly straight so as not to impede your breathing. Looking forward to a wonderful session together!
Sally Ekaireb is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
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Photo by Alan Lenk
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Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society (EMAS)
Bird Communication: More Than Just Songs! with Olya Milenkaya, Warren Wilson College Professor of Conservation Biology
Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m.
This spring, many folks have commented on all the bird song they're hearing, perhaps for the first time. Join EMAS for a fascinating look into the world of birds! For most people, bird communication is synonymous with bird songs. This program will address three questions: (1) What are birds communicating about? (2) How are they communicating this? (3) Why, in the broadest sense, are they doing this anyway? We will explore bird songs that highlight the fascinating diversity of avian communication.
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Dr. Olya Milenkaya
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Dr. Olya Milenkaya loves wildlife and wild places. As a professor of conservation biology at Warren Wilson College, she shares this enthusiasm with students in her courses on animal behavior, conservation biology, and ornithology. Melenkaya studied the physiological ecology of Crimson Finches in Australia for her doctoral research and earned her doctorate from Virginia Tech in 2013.
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MemoryCare Education Series:
For Families and Caregivers
Thursdays, May
21, and 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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Climate and Forests: The Carbon Sequestration Puzzle
Thursday, May 21, 4-5 p.m.
Scientists and activists promote planting treesand protecting old growth forests as tactics for combatting climate change, but carbon sequestration by forests is not a simple process. If you've ever wondered exactly how trees and forests sequester carbon from the atmosphere, join Dr. Dave Ellum, professor of ecological forestry and Dean of Land Resources at Warren Wilson College, for this presentation and discussion.
Participants can expect to come away from the webinar with an understanding of
1. The forest carbon cycle as it relates to atmosphere CO2
2. How trees and forests sequester carbon over time
3. Management considerations for capturing and storing carbon in forests
Hosted by Joel Adams, Liz Colton, Jessica Culpepper, Jesse Frip, Dave and Carla Greenfield, Anne Graham Masters and Bill Masters, Lynn and Ric Morton, OM Sanctuary, Debbie Reamer, and Lach Zemp.
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The Forum SIG - Virtual Edition!
Friday, May 22, 1 p.m.
Online
Topic: Current Events and Selecting Topics for June
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
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Marian and Zane |
OLLI member Barbara Steinson writes, "My husband John Schlotterbeck and I had a tumultuous beginning to our quarantine. We left Asheville for Indiana on March 13 in anticipation of flying to California for our daughter Marian's wedding on March 21. We were in northern Kentucky when she started calling in despair that more and more of her friends coming by plane had cancelled.
"With the motto: "We Will Not Miss Our Daughter's Wedding," we took off for California two days later with our wedding clothes, our dog Brooks Robinson, and a giant bag of cleaning supplies. We made it almost to the Nebraska border the first night, but Marian called the next morning with news that California's governor had called for people over 65 to shelter in place and she demanded we turn around. 'Too bad, we're coming!' the crazed parents replied.
"Sanity prevailed and we retraced our route. As planned, on March 21, Marian and Zane married in the glorious UC Davis Arboretum; two friends served as officiant, music coordinator, photographer, and videographer. Euphorically happy and glowing with their love, they walked away from the ceremony to the Beatles singing, "All you need is love, love, love. All you need is love." And that is our new motto."
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 Are Helping:
OLLI Members Report
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Some happy crocheters from one of Sally Pete's Pre-COVID-19 courses |
OLLI member Sally Pete writes with an update on a project she earlier suggested for knitting caps for people undergoing cancer treatments. She updates us, "My
OLLI friend who was receiving treatment for cancer delivered some chemo hats made by our
OLLI members to the
Messino Cancer Center here in
Asheville. I would like to thank everyone for participating and say that we are still accepting them. They can get in touch with me to make arrangements to either drop them by my house or mail them.
Sally also tells us that her OLLI friend receiving treatment at Messino has knitted several caps and made over 100 masks. Her friend writes, "
In conjunction with my own appointment today at the
Messino Cancer Center I delivered 13 chemo caps and about
50 home-made cotton face masks. The chemo caps and masks
were received with smiles and appreciation by members
of the staff who assured me that they would come to good
use by patients. Since summer is almost upon us and
people will be out in the sun, I think more cotton caps
would be especially useful. Being both a semi-bald
patient and therapeutic knitter myself, wearing one
of these handmade caps on my walks reminds me that
someone out there lent a helping hand."
If you want inspiration, you can do no better than these caps that
OLLI member Jill Parker dropped off on Sally's front porch. Sally writes that Jill "is an excellent knitted and quilter. One of her quilts was displayed last year at the Reuter Center."
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| Caps knitted by OLLI member Jill Parker |
 OLLI member Pat Hart writes, "Hello. My name is Pat Hart and an OLLI member since 2015. I am also the Chairperson for the Autumn Players, an outreach readers theatre group of Asheville Community Theatre. I had the pleasure of meeting Lara Hollaway while performing in a production last year. She is a very talented, intelligent, and empathetic young woman. Lara is now involved in a very hands on way connecting people in need and those who can help. It's called Pandemic of Love AVL."
Lara Holloway of the local chapter of Pandemic of Love , Asheville, writes,
"Pandemic
of
Love
, Asheville, has been launched as an extension of a larger national/international mutual aid movement (Pandemicoflove.com) that started only a few weeks ago and has already connected well over 80,000 patrons with people in need as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic
. Just as this virus has spread rapidly, now too have extraordinary acts of kindness and
love
for neighbors in need.
Pandemic
of
Love
is 100% volunteer operated.
While there are many ways to provide aid within a community, what is special about Pandemic of Love is the personal connection between patrons and people in need. After completing a Request for Need/Commitment to Help form online, volunteers create matches that connect people in a tangible way to give quickly, discretely and directly. In these times of isolation, the personal connection established between patrons and people in need, in our own community, is the heart of this movement.
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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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A Time for Cooking
For Friday's Tech Tips newsletter, our email program was not generating images. We are really proud of the videos that Hannah Furgiuele has been creating, so we hope you will click and enjoy.
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| Episode 5: A Time for Cooking |
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WNC COVID Legal Hotline
Thursday, May 21, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Plus Volunteer Opportunities to Help our WNC Neighbors in Need
Volunteer Call Operators Needed
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Dear OLLI Members,
We find new ways to connect every week, and we hope you will join us for the Zoom Cafe and our new staff gathering "The Leadership Is In" this week, in addition to attending online sessions provided by groups like our Meditation SIG, Memory Care, the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society, and AARP.
We are facing some challenging decisions as we move forward and plan for fall. Back in March as we were wrestling with the decision to cancel our spring term, I noted that this was like making a decision about a snow day magnified 100 fold. When we cancel for adverse weather, I almost always hear from a number of people who are disgruntled because they felt they could safely travel from home. When we move forward with classes despite some actual or potential challenges of snowy conditions, I hear from a number of people who feel that we are putting people at risk who will travel even if they don't feel comfortable. We conclude our messages about adverse weather with the reminder that ours is a program of learning for the love of it; people should make the choices that allow them to feel safe and comfortable.
As we plan for fall, we want to preserve the magical sense of community that brings us together, that inspires our volunteers to teach and our members to gather and learn. We are working with and grateful for the guidance of our colleagues on campus. Chancellor Cable recently sent a message to the campus saying that as a university we are striving to "
do the right things for the right reasons based on sound reasoning, a culture of shared governance, a commitment to transparency, and a central priority to support the health and safety of our campus community." Just as we recognize on snow days that needs of our members and the preservation of their safety may require a decision different from the rest of the university, we will work with our provost Dr. Campbell and with our chancellor Dr. Cable to make a decision that meets the needs of OLLI based on
the information being gathered by "a consortium of medical and virus prevention experts in our city, region and state. We are closely monitoring the trends with regard to COVID-19 and intend to develop collective, science-based best practices in line with the other 16 UNC System universities with UNC System guidance."
We know that when people are upset about adverse weather decisions, whether thinking we are too cautious or less cautious than makes them comfortable, they are telling us that they care about OLLI. They don't want to miss things if we are open and they don't want to cancel classes that people have worked so carefully to prepare and that members anticipate. We as staff, with the guidance of our OLLI leaders and committees, care deeply about the organization and about our individual members. We will seek the best advice, and we will be decisive as early as we can. We will have to plan for a range of scenarios but recognize that with limits on our own resources we may have to make decisions quickly and that we may disappoint some people. We may not be able to make decisions that please everyone, but we will do our best as always to balance our love of being together with our care for the health and well-being of our community. We also know that it may not be possible for us to choose what we want (gathering at the Reuter Center) but we may have to look for options that are unfamiliar, sometimes challenging, and not the same as being able to gather together. We hope we can count on your support and for your recognition that OLLI is more than the Reuter Center but is the connections we make and foster.
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
Tuesday, May 19,
1- 2 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 for a guide on how to join the Zoom Cafe!
We plan to offer additional "Zoom Cafe" sessions as we approach our summer term.
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The Leadership Is In
Tuesday, May 19,
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.
Click here for instructions on how to join the meeting. For this first session it will just be OLLI's Executive Director Catherine Frank and perhaps some of our stellar OLLI staff leading the call, but if we get some interest, we hope to add guest speakers. 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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What's Next for College for Seniors
Many thanks to the 376 members who signed up for our Summer 2020 online classes. We will be in touch soon with schedules and instructions on how to participate.
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!
Right now we are planning for a fall term when we may be partly or fully online. Chancellor Cable has written to the univesity communty with the following wisdom: "
the opening of the University is dependent upon the adoption and implementation of best practices in virus mitigation to support the care and well-being of our faculty, staff and students.
Reopening OLLI at the Reuter Center would most likely mean creating classrooms with social distance, meaning that we would most likely only be able to use the Manheimer Room and Room 206. We 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 for people over 65 and those with underlying medical conditions, as long as there is no cure and no vaccine for COVID-19.
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. That may be the case in the fall. While the university is planning on some face-to-face instruction for the fall, it is not yet clear to anyone what that will look like.
Our staff has been dedicated to creating a community of people who have had the luxury of gathering in person to learn and connect. We may have taken for granted the advantages of having a space designed and built for our use by staff and members who were able to dream big and achieve their goals. Now we realize that we can still dream big and be part of a community of learners, but that may look different in the future. We will always strive to preserve the best of who we are. 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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OLLI Poet Sarah Scott reminds us of the necessary beauty of nature |
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.
OLLI member and College for Seniors instructor Angelika Wagar writes, "During this quarantine I've had more time to paint in my studio. Due to a request from the Swannanoa Valley Fine Art League to paint a panel for their fundraiser 'Black Mountain Rocks' with the theme 'wildlife,' I started a whole series of paintings of local birds in the forest. This series is engaging me totally as I am learning to control my medium and learning quite a bit about our local birds."
"Below are photos of some of the paintings (acrylic/canvas) I have finished."
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
Fraudcast with AARP and NC Secretary of State John Maron: WebEx
Virtual Round Table with the Office of the NC Secretary of State Mountain Region, NC
Monday,
May 18, 10-11:30 a.m.
From your home computer!
You are essential. We need YOU to help STOP fraud in your life and community. The Pandemic has opened the door for new frauds and scams. Join John Maron with the NC Secretary of State and Gretchen Batra with AARP North Carolina for a discussion on current frauds and scams in our community, including those with a focus on COVID-19, charity and obtaining prescription drugs. We will also spend a bit of time discussing ways you can help spread the information to friends and family.
Weekly Series: Caregiver Chat: Virtual Connections
Prepare Now: Proactively Managing Emergencies. Stuff happens! Plan now for unexpected situations.
Tuesdays, May 19th - 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)
Let's Get Livable over Lunch: Facebook Live Interview Series
Streets: A Track for Staying Active
Monday, May 18th, 12 p.m.
Join us for an exclusive 8-week virtual series featuring AARP NC and community partners to learn how we can all play a key role in creating a sustainable, healthy community during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
We have roads to everywhere but nowhere to go. How can streets and sidewalks be re-tooled to work with us to promote active transportation at times when driving is discouraged and practicing physical distancing is vital? Join a conversation with Mike Sule, Executive Director of Asheville on Bikes, to discuss how community members can physically distance and stay healthy while engaging in projects that can result in safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and people of all ages.
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This Day in Sports History
by College for Seniors Instructor Larry Griswold
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Rawly Eastwick (right) holding one of his World Series trophies with OLLI member
Ned Guardenier at the Reuter Center in 2017.
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May 17, 1979:
On a day with the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Rawly Eastwick faced six Chicago Cubs batters
including Dave Kingman who had already hit three home runs, and retired all six to win the 10-inning game 23-22. Eastwick, a member of Cincinnati's
"Big Red Machine" 1975 and 1976 World Series winning teams, has been a guest speaker at OLLI Asheville three times.
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37 years ago today the New York Islanders won their fourth
consecutive Stanley Cup.
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May 17, 1983: The New York Islanders defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 at Nassau Coliseum to sweep the Stanley Cup finals and win their fourth National Hockey League championship in a row. The high scoring Oilers averaged more than five goals a game during the regular season, but the
Islanders held them to just six goals in the four-game final series.
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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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