OLLILife
A community of learners over 50
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February 2022 | Vol 2, No. 4 |
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A Cheery Note and a Valentine’s Wish
Here’s a cheery note for February (unless you happen to love cold winter weather!): AccuWeather’s February forecast for Tampa shows almost every day with highs in the 70s.
Our OLLI has warmed up too and is in full swing for the winter-spring term. If you check the master calendar (go to www.usfseniors.org, click on “About Us” and then “OLLI Calendar”), you will see at least 10 classes or activities scheduled for most weekdays this month.
I keep finding new things happening in OLLI due to the work by the staff and so many volunteers as well as the creations that come from the minds of our diverse members. Here are some that might interest you:
OLLI’s recent member survey discovered that people are divided over their preferences for online classes or in-person sessions. There were so many for each choice that a decision was made to keep plenty of both for the summer term.
For this winter term, because the pandemic started to get worse again, several of the planned in-person courses were moved to Zoom, and we still have a few hybrids. So watch for notifications and check the Master Calendar for changes as the dates for your classes get close.
The map on the catalog’s last page shows 16 venues, our treasured community partners that were going to host in-person and hybrid courses this term. Many still are, but some decided they didn’t feel safe enough for it with the increase in COVID cases.
Also of Note
Many classes are being recorded these days. You can ask your teacher to send you the link to your class’s recording. I tried it this week because I had to miss part of a class. I was surprised by how much I got out of it. There were things I had missed in the part of the class I attended, and it was very helpful to be able to pause the video at times to be able to really absorb all that was being taught.
OLLIConnects, OLLI’s blog full of stories written by OLLI members, schedules new stories every Monday. If you haven’t been to www.olliconnects.org, check out the enticing new photo slide show at the top of the page and then read stories that will take you to places you might relate to, or to where you might not have been before. And we hope you will be inspired to share a bit of yourself by writing a story of your own.
The OLLI staff, the many volunteers who write and publish the OLLI catalog three times a year, and those creating the courses and activities for us already are hard at work on the summer term. Registration for Summer term opens May 2. Joseph McAuliffe already has 14 new teachers on board!
If you would like to serve on the OLLI Board, or to recommend someone who would be a good board member, read the details below. And be sure to read the article below about how to nominate someone for the annual volunteer awards. To read past issues of the OLLILife newsletter, go to the OLLI website, www.usfseniors.org, and click on “Resources.”
The Month of Love
February is known as the month of love, so Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m especially aware in this isolating year that so many of us don’t have a romantic love in our lives and feel left out on Valentine’s Day. But I also am seeing reminders on social media that love comes in many forms, and that love of family and friends can be as powerful as romantic love.
I hope each of you has a friend, a family member, or a significant other who shares love with you and can celebrate it with you in February. It’s said that nothing is better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate!
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Your OLLI Board Needs You!
The OLLI Board of Advisors is an all-volunteer group of OLLI members who are committed to keeping OLLI-USF a thriving organization. We need your help as a board member now more than ever.
The board nomination process is now open. Board members have the responsibility and opportunity to influence important issues such as:
- How and where we market OLLI
- Attracting new members
- Developing programs and attracting instructors
- Raising funds
- Getting more volunteers
- Managing our finances
These and other functions that support our director and staff are critical to OLLI's success in these fluid times. If you or someone you know would like to serve on the board, please click here for an application and more information.
--Arlene Zimney
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Monday, February 14 - Valentines Day
Friday, March 11 - Deadline for Volunteer
Awards nominations.
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OLLI CONNECTS
Sharing Stories, Building Community
Are you up for a brief adventure? I mean right now. If so, click here:
If not, well, we all have those magic moments that we passed by.
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How Sweet!
Did you ever wonder how Valentine candy hearts came to be? Wonder no more as you are about to find out.
In 1847, a Boston pharmacist named Oliver Chase invented a machine initially used to make medical lozenges. But it wasn't long before he decided to switch from making cough drops to crafting candy wafers, rebranding his company as "New England Confectionery Company" (Necco).
Necco produced candy printed with messages (such as "Married in white, you have chosen right"). Thirty-five years later, that candy took on the heart shape that we are familiar with today.
If you get an over-abundance of these adorable hearts, fear not that you will have to toss them as these delicious little candies have a shelf-life of five years!!
We keep on learning!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
--Pat Dodge
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NEW! Social Events Planning Team
Do you like to plan parties and social events?
Do you want to be more engaged with your OLLI colleagues?
We are looking for OLLI members to form a small Host Team as well as ad hoc teams to plan and organize social events and activities. Social events can include luncheons, local field trips, holiday parties, or other fun activities that OLLI members might enjoy together.
If you think this would be a good match for you, or if you have questions, please email Robyn Cheung.
--Robyn Cheung
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Help Us Recognize an Outstanding Volunteer!
Our 250-plus volunteers are the lifeblood of this organization. Their efforts keep OLLI available and affordable to all of us. Every year, OLLI-USF recognizes three of our outstanding volunteers with the following awards:
- Award of Excellence
- Above and Beyond
- Lifetime Achievement
You can help us recognize outstanding volunteers by nominating them for an award.
Nominations are reviewed and determined by members of our Volunteer Management Committee.
The winners will be announced this spring. They will be feted on our Facebook page and in our fall catalog and profiled in OLLILife.
The deadline for awards nomination is Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m.
Please click here to submit a Volunteer Awards nomination. --Diane Russell
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Judith Page-Lieberman
2021 Award of Excellence Award
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Diane White
2021 Above and Beyond Award
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Jane Applegate
2021 Lifetime Achievement Award
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Meet Judith Page-Lieberman
She's an OLLI Cheerleader
(Note: see Judith's picture in the article above)
As a nurse, Judith Page-Lieberman has spent most of her life helping people to thrive. And as an educator, she has spent most of her time helping people to learn.
Now retired from both fields, Judith is applying her talents to help OLLI-USF thrive as an outstanding educational resource for seniors.
Here’s what she’s done so far for OLLI-USF:
-She is a highly regarded member of OLLI’s Program Planning Committee and has been its committee chair since last March.
-She is the coordinator of the Faculty Liaison Team, which orients new volunteer teachers to OLLI and helps them prepare for their classes.
-She has taught the courses Evolution of Women Healers and Intentional Communities several times over the years in addition to providing short lectures.
-She has been a Zoom moderator for a wide variety of classes.
-She’s an active member of the Operatunity Special Interest Group.
All this involvement is so notable that last spring, Judith was honored with OLLI-USF’s 2021 Award of Excellence.
Her nomination form describes her as “diligent,” “excellent,” “highly qualified,” and an “outstanding performer.”
She Couldn't Do Without It
For Judith, her work with OLLI is a labor of love:
“I’m totally committed to OLLI,” she says. “I’m a cheerleader for it. It’s such a valuable program, and I, personally, couldn’t do without it.”
Judith began her 50-year career as a pediatric nurse in New York and, later, New Jersey. She went on to become a teacher of pediatric nursing and maternal-child health up north and eventually in the Tampa Bay area.
While studying in the doctoral program in USF's College of Public Health, she earned ARNP credentials and served as a nurse practitioner for 25 years.
It was her love of learning that brought Judith to OLLI in 2013, even though she was still actively employed.
“I started teaching part-time, which allowed me to take a few courses,” she says. “Then I kept cutting down on work and adding more OLLI courses.”
When Judith retired in 2017, she was invited to join OLLI’s leadership class. There she learned a lot about the organization. And the more she learned, the more she wanted to be involved.
She has derived so much benefit from OLLI, she says.
It’s the intellectual stimulation that OLLI gives me. I don’t think I could go without learning something or being in the process of learning something. And there’s the social aspect, which is so good too,” she says.
-- Sandra Buckley
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We Welcome Our New OLLI Volunteers
Congratulations and welcome to two new volunteers who attended the virtual Volunteer Orientation and Information Session on January 28.
A big thanks to Board Member Earl Richardson who also attended the session and provided additional information and insight.
Pictured, from left, are Lesley Damisch and Kathryn (Kay) Allyson.
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CONVIVIALITY AND CELEBRATIONS
C and C's members welcomed in the new year and celebrated January birthdays with lunch at Michael’s Grill in Carrollwood early in the month. The group of OLLI members and guests meets for lunch at various restaurants in the Tampa Bay area once a month to recognize and celebrate birthdays and other special occasions. The next luncheon is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4, at 1 p.m., at Jasmine Thai, 13248 N. Dale Mabry Highway. Everyone is invited to join in the fun. Email Kat Hanscom for more information.
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Flying Tigers Event Sets Record for Attendance
The China SIG hosted the largest virtual gathering in its history on Dec. 7 in memory of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers. The event was sponsored by OLLI-USF and USF World, with nearly 100 people attending the event, including family members of the Flying Tigers. The event video is available for viewing here.
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SIGnificant Events for February 2022 |
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For more information on OLLI Shared Interest Groups, see the full list here. Most SIGs are meeting on Zoom; some are starting to organize small group outings. To visit a SIG, email the contact(s) by clicking the links listed with the SIGs below.
Do you share an interest in a topic or activity with other OLLI members? Did you recently take or offer a class that might lead to a Shared Interest Group? If you have an idea that you might want to float to other OLLI members, contact SIG Liaison, Anne Haywood, and we may include it in a future issue of OLLILife.
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China SIG
Wed., Feb. 2, at 4 p.m.
Lunar New Year virtual
meeting. Special speaker Betty
Grebenschikoff will discuss her Jewish refugee experience in
Community of Readers and Writers
Food, Glorious Food!
Mon., Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. Robin Sussingham, editor of Edible Tampa, a magazine about Tampa's food scene, will discuss finding new and interesting topics about food. For more information and the Zoom link, contact Jane Applegate.
Ici on parle français!
Mon., Feb. 7 and 21, at
Games
Thurs., Feb. 10, at 3:30 p.m. To play Scattergories, email Kathy Palmer for the link.
German Conversation
Write Time for Poets
Thurs, Feb. 10 and 24, at 2 p.m. Email Cath Mason for more information.
Shutterbugs
Tues., Feb. 15, at 10 a.m. (Rescheduled from January) Photo outing at Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks with lunch following. If interested, please contact Jeanne Nixon.
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OLLI Outdoors
Thurs., Feb. 10, at 10 a.m. Manatee viewing and Tidal Walk
Thurs., Feb. 17, at 9:30 a.m.
Canoe and kayak at Lettuce Lake Park
Fri., Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. How to View the Night Sky; virtual program and social. For more event information and to RSVP, email OLLIOutdoors@gmail.com.
Operatunity
P-SIG
Wed, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m. Email Doug Dallio for more information
Talking Movies
Fri, Feb. 18, at 1:30 p.m. Watch a movie and then get together on Zoom to talk about it. Movie selection to be announced. For more information, contact
OLLI Shared Interest Group Possibilities:
The Clean Millenium SIG.
Leave a legacy for your grandchildren...join! We need a minimum of 12 OLLI members who are interested in a SIG that deals with the environment as it relates to clean energy and climate change. We will use Buckminister Fuller's Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth as the opening guide and work with local and many other organizations that have a similar mission and interest. If you're interested, contact Neil Cosentino.
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OLLI mourns the passing of Kenn Hoyt. Kenn joined the OLLI Board as an at-large member in 2015 and served for two years, until he and his wife, Lucy, moved to South Carolina.
Kenn helped the organization’s member-leadership become more effective by developing performance metrics so the board could assess the health and growth of the organization. He printed and worked with paper graphs that showed aspects of program performance.
The board now has a full-fledged data group that reviews and analyzes program performance, which helps to see topics and classes that are doing well and those that need more help. This allows board members to get a fuller picture of how they are doing and helps them figure out where to place their energy and efforts.
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Recognize this smiling face? It’s Charlie Delp, who has been bringing caring, hope, and laughter to OLLI since he first joined us in 1999. Charlie isn’t getting out much these days; so we need to share our sunshine with him! Send Charlie an email (charliedelp@verizon.net) and let him know how much you appreciate him!
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Carolyn Clark is our Goodwill Ambassador, sending notes of support, congratulations and comfort on our behalf. If you or another OLLI member have a significant personal event, please let Carolyn know. |
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Send Us Your News
OLLILife wants to share topics of interest that pertain to OLLI-USF and other OLLIs in the country. Send your article to ollinewsusf@gmail to reach your editors Pat Dodge, Mary Ettinger, Sandy Buckley, Kathy Palmer and Ara Rogers. If possible, please send a picture along with the article as pictures help tell the story.
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