Dear OLLI Members,

We sent a message cancelling our College for Seniors Spring 2020 courses. You can click here to review that message. In this newsletter, we have noted that almost everything is canceled or postponed, although "A Patchwork of Stories" has not yet made a call. Please follow the link below if you have resources you would like to share.

Although we are consumed by our responses to COVID-19, I want to commemorate the death of Allen Brailsford.  Allen was one of those rare people who worked quietly and effectively to get things done.  He was active as one of the planners for Leadership Asheville Seniors, particularly on our Government Day. Allen had served on the Citizens' Police Advisory Committee and often organized the appearance of the police chief, sheriff, and other local officials for this informative day. The organizational meeting for the day would not be over more than 10 minutes before staff members would get a message from Allen to say he had already secured all of the speakers for the day.  He was part of our original Inclusion Committee and remained commited to the possibilites of enriching our membership through diversity.  I am not sure of the impact of our current "social distancing" but at this time a  memorial service will be held in Allen's memory on Sunday, March 22, 2 p.m. at Jubilee, 46 Wall Street, Asheville. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Asheville GreenWorks.

 
When journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault spoke to the UNC Asheville campus as part of the commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work and life, she reminded us of the sub-Saharan African concept of ubuntu, a "loan" or "untranslatable" word that captures a hard-to-define concept that reflects the character and quality of a culture. Click here to watch a brief video from the Desmond Tutu Foundation explaining this concept.  While the concept is a complicated one, part can be summed up by the phrases "A person is a person through other persons" or "I am because we are." Those who exhibit the value of ubuntu identify with others and exhibit solidarity with them. They share joy and success and sadness and challenge as part of a community. They work with others to achieve shared goals. As we respond to COVID-19 and understand that "social distancing" is one of the best ways to prevent infection, I hope we test our responses against the concept of ubuntu. We will all experience challenges big and small. The actions we take, from checking on one another to buying up the last toilet paper or hand sanitizer on the shelf, has an impact on others.  Our actions are connected in ways we cannot foresee.  We are lucky at OLLI to have a sense of community; we have an opportunity to exhibit the best of what brings us together.

We are truly thankful for the wonderful community we create together, because when everyone teaches, everyone learns.

Catherine Frank

Executive Director