This newsletter is brought to you by Human Resources.
Have a suggestion or lead? Send it in!
Local & Virtual Offerings
Slow Cooker Mondays
Explore the wonderful world of meals that cook while you're busy! Virtually learn about slow cookers/crock pots, how they can help save time, and why you should start using one today. Also, learn other tips and tricks for eating healthy on a budget, saving time and energy on preparing meals, and ways to quickly prepare tasty meals that you look forward to eating. 

Join one of these upcoming classes: 

  • Monday, November 22, 2021, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Making Healthy Eating Part of Your Lifestyle; Tortilla Casserole
  • Monday, November 29, 2021, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Physical Activity is Key to Living Well; Cheese Enchiladas

To sign up, contact Sarah Grant Curless, SNAP-ED Nutritionist, at (607) 272-2292 voicemail ext.252. Visit the class web page for more information or to find the recipes being used.
Mental Wellness Experience
Wednesday, December 1- Friday, December 10, 2021

Join Cornell Wellness in this new challenge where you will be given a new experience each day to help increase your mental wellness. You will complete, on your own time, either a written reflection to send back to Cornell Wellness or a journal entry to yourself.

This is a short challenge, so be sure to make time every day to indulge in your wellbeing. Take these ten days to be intentional with your mental wellness and invoke positive strategies into your day.

For more information on participating, please email Keri Johnson.
Johnson Museum Book Club: Braiding Sweetgrass
Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 4:00 PM

In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (2015), Robin Wall Kimmerer presents a series of meditations on people and the environment. She explores the perspectives of science and tradition as she offers what she calls “a braid of stories meant to heal our relationship with the world.” This lyrical work is best savored slowly!

A Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, Robin Wall Kimmerer is also a member of the Potawatomi Nation and the founder of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at ESF.
Trumansburg WinterFest 
Come to the 25th Annual Trumansburg WinterFest Saturday, December 4th from 2:00 - 5:00 PM for free family fun. Experience the joy of Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy as he juggles both words and objects; enjoy a visit from Santa and free Horse and Carriage rides; hear the music of the Winter Wonder-Band; free games for kids; free beverages and snacks. Don't miss the tree lighting ceremony and be sure to gather for the Sprit of Tompkins photo at 3:00 PM!

While at Trumansburg WinterFest, visit local shops, restaurants, and the Handmade Holiday Market just up the hill, from noon to 5:00 PM at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts.

For more information, visit the WinterFest Facebook page.
Enjoy two weekends of immersive, interactive, illuminated light sculptures that will decorate downtown Ithaca.  Come shop, dine, and engage with these beautiful holiday lights and take part in the many festivities!  

Friday, December 3rd
  • Opening Night of Silent Disco, Ice Bar and Glow Bar + Live outdoor entertainment, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
  • Gallery Night Ithaca - inside galleries and shops, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 4th
  • 11th Annual Chowder Cook-Off, 12:00 - 4:00 PM
  • Silent Disco, Ice Bar and Glow Bar + Live outdoor entertainment, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Saturday, December 10th
  • Silent Disco, Ice Bar and Glow Bar + Live outdoor entertainment, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Sunday, December 11th
  • Santa's Arrival in Downtown, 11:00 am - 3:00 PM
  • Closing Night of Silent Disco, Ice Bar and Glow Bar + Live outdoor entertainment, 6:00 - 9:00 PM

For additional details, please visit the festival web page.
Wreath Making Class is Back
Saturday, December 4, 2021, 12:30 - 2:00 PM
615 Willow Avenue
Ithaca, NY

One of Cornell Cooperative Extension's most popular classes is back! Make a beautiful evergreen wreath to decorate your home for the holidays. A variety of fresh-cut greens, a wreath ring, wires, and ribbons are supplied. Bring any special decorating materials you would like to use to personalize your wreaths such as dried chili peppers, ornaments, or winter berries. Wear casual clothes and bring pruning shears and gloves. Since this is an in-person class, vaccination and mask-wearing are required.

Space is strictly limited so register now! The cost is $40 per person and includes materials. Pre-registration & pre-payment required.
wine_glasses_beauty.jpg
Cayuga Lake Wine Trail Shopping Spree
December 4 and 5, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Have some fun this fall visiting six wineries on the Cayuga Wine Trail and join their holiday shopping spree! Tickets are sold only in bundles of 4 to maximize available space and keep all parties (regardless of vaccination status) safe. Each bundle of 4 is $275, plus tax and service fee.

All 4 of the folks within this bundle will receive:
  • a holiday party-inspired food dish large enough for at least 3 to 4 bites, if not more, at all 6 wineries
  • 4 wines presented with it, also at all 6 stops
  • a digital recipe book for all 13 food options
  • $5 off a $35 wine purchase at each stop
  • a 13.75” by 9.75” customized serving/cutting board, 2 per group of 4, given at the last stop
  • and a souvenir wine glass to take home at your last stop

For more information and to order tickets, visit the event web page.
Science in the Virtual Pub: Explore the Earth System with Understanding Global Change
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 7:30 PM

The effects of intensifying global changes are here: fires, warming and acidifying oceans, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events. The causes of global change and the mechanisms for mitigating future consequences are complex, and we need innovative scientists, engineers, and informed citizens to understand and how to respond to these challenges.

Join Dr. Jessica Bean, Project Scientist, University of California Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley, for a night of activities and discussion exploring UC Berkeley's Understanding Global Change tools that allow you to visualize the Earth system and paths to a resilient future.
Free Online Dance Lessons with Cornell Ballroom Club
From beginner to advanced, join free weekly online lessons with coaches Pamela Licht and Vincent Whitney. Zoom links and lesson topics will be sent out prior to the lessons.

The Cornell Ballroom Dance Club was founded in the Fall of 1993 with the goal of promoting both social and competitive ballroom dance on the Cornell Campus and in the Ithaca area. Today, the club's primary mission is to inspire everyone to love the art of ballroom dance and teach them its skills in a friendly and easy way. The club is open to the Ithaca community.

Visit the club's Facebook page for more information.
Resources & Programs
Hospicare & Palliative Care of Ithaca Workshops
Throughout the year, Hospicare holds many events and programs, including ongoing grief support groups and special one-time or limited-time sessions, including these two upcoming events:

  • How to Make a Death Binder: A Gift to Your Loved Ones: Tuesday, November 30, 5:30-6:30 PM via Zoom. Collect your wishes, documents, and papers together, all in one place. A death binder is a tool to help organize and keep all your important documents, financial records, and personal wishes in one place. Preparing can make it much easier for your loved ones.

  • Coping with the Holidays: Wednesday, December 8, 5:30-7:00 PM via Zoom. Holiday time can be especially difficult after the death of a loved one. Laura Ward, LMFT, CT will share ways to take care of yourself and honor your feelings as we head into the holiday season. Registration is required by December 6th. For more information contact the Bereavement staff via phone at 607-272-0212 or email. Login details will be provided after registration.
Project CARE
Would you or someone you know benefit by being matched with a community volunteer who can visit you weekly in your home, virtually, or by phone?
Seniors aged 60 or over & living in Tompkins County, can request to have a friendly visitor through our Project CARE program at no cost. 

Project CARE’s friendly visitor program provides companionship by matching you with a community volunteer who will make weekly contact in a way you are comfortable with. Project Generations is a part of Project CARE where Seniors are matched with a local college student.

Many seniors in our community greatly benefit and find comfort from a weekly visit. This service can provide in-home support to Seniors who are socially isolated, experiencing loneliness, or are homebound.

If you are interested in more information or registering for the Project CARE program, please contact Dawn Sprague, Project CARE Coordinator at the Tompkins County Office for the Aging at (607) 274-5499.
Volunteer/Job Opportunities
Temporary Administrative Professional Position
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is an academic department in The College of Engineering (COE) and The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). They are seeking a Temporary Administrative Professional that will assist with Student Services and administrative support as needed when staff is away, learning a new role, or during times of high volume.

Tasks will initially be focused on the student services area, including support of the GFA, Course Coordination, and/or undergrad coordinator. Administrative support will include tasks such as assisting with purchasing, mail (both incoming and outgoing), check deposits, Lyris list serves updates, annual space inventory, responding to inquiries from students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This requires knowledge of, or a willingness and ability to learn, Cornell systems and processes related to student services, purchasing, purchasing policies, space planning, and/or room reservation.

If interested, please apply online.
Lifelong Looking for Instructors
Lifelong of Tompkins County is now hosting a variety of virtual and in-person classes and is looking to offer new programs. Some of your colleagues and fellow Cornellians are even teaching classes! This is a splendid place to teach others things that you are passionate about and you can teach virtually or in person.

If you are interested in volunteering and offering a class, please reach out to Tammy Dunn, Program Director/Email at tdunn@tclifelong.org. For more information on upcoming learning opportunities, browse the Lifelong catalog.
Assistive Technology Survey
Ithaca College, Occupational Therapy graduate students would like to invite community members 65 and older to participate in their latest study. 
 
The study researches what assistive technology you use and your satisfaction with it. Assistive technology is any item or piece of equipment that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of individuals. Some examples of assistive technology include eyeglasses, canes, hearing aids, wheelchairs, and medication reminders. In the survey, you will be asked about your assistive technology-related needs.

Participation in this study is voluntary and you can skip any question or withdraw from the survey at any time. It should take between 15-30 minutes to complete. If you are interested, please click here.
Miscellaneous Articles & Webinars
Cornell University | 607-255-0388 | hr.cornell.edu/retirees | cornellretirees@cornell.edu