The Food Equity Initiative of
UNC Asheville
Food Drive
through February 21
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Upper Lobby
The mission of the Food Equity Initiative is to deliver food to students, faculty, and staff who are food insecure. All food that is collected at OLLI will be distributed via pop- up pantries, in an effort to alleviate the strong presence of food insecurity on the UNC Asheville campus. We had a generous response last year from our members and hope you will again share with members of the campus community.
All non-perishable food items are welcome, but staples like flour and sugar and protein-rich items like peanut butter, canned tuna, and beans are especially welcome. Nutrient- fortified cereals and granola bars are also handy for college students on the go. Please bring donations to the Reuter Center and place in the barrel that is located in the upper lobby.
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Meditation SIG
Monday, February 10,
4:15 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center,
Room 206
The Vision of Meditative Stillness and Insight in Classical Buddhism's Steps to Awakening
All OLLI members are welcome at Medittion SIG gatherings. No meditation experience is required to enjoy and benefit from our programs.
Meditation SIG coordinator: Sally Ekaireb
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Gardening SIG
"Understanding Your Mountain Slope"
Tuesday, February 11, 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Room 230
The 2020 Gardening SIG year will begin with presenter
Nina Shippen
who, as an experienced landscape designer and installer, has met more slopes than she wishes to remember. How steep is your slope? And why do you need to know?
All OLLI members are welcome, but seats are limited.
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The Forum
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, February 14, 1 - 3 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center,
Room 205
Topic
: "What are the implications of changes in the composition of the federal judiciary?"
Upcoming Topics
February 21: To what degree has Trump's acquittal augmented the power of the presidency and diminished the powers of the legislative branch?
February 28: Do we need to redo the democratic process to save democracy?
March 6:Current events and selection of topics for March
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.
SIG Contact: Beth Johnson johnson1ea@earthlink.net
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Colonel Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell
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"The Report":
Film Screening and Discussion with
Colonel Larry Wilkerson
Sunday, February 16, 1-4 p.m.
A-B Tech's Ferguson Auditorium
340 Victoria Road, Asheville
The Western Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Carolina Jews for Justice is offering a free screening of "The Report," a film based on true events that followed an investigation into the CIA's post-9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program. The pursuit of the truth reveals explosive findings and the extreme lengths to which the use of torture was hidden from the American public.
Following the screening, a talk on the film's theme will be given by Colonel Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell during the lead up to the US war in Iraq.
This free event will take place on A-B Tech's campus and is open to the public, no RSVP or tickets needed.
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Advance Care Planning Workshop
Thursday, February 20, 7 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Manheimer Room
This workshop will feature a panel whose members are experienced in addressing end-of-life issues. The discussion will include communicating your treatment wishes to loved ones and to medical personnel, ethical and legal issues, and the uses of advance directives. Ample time will be reserved for questions. Assistance will be provided for anyone wishing to complete a legally valid advance directive, including the notarization required in North Carolina, using the NC Advance Care Planning (ACP) "Short Form."
Here's how to have your Advanced Directive (AD) added to the Mission Medical Record.
Click here for a permission form; if you have not been a patient at Mission, fill it out. Get a copy of the notarized AD and a completed permission form (if needed) to Advance Care Planning at Mission by one of the following options: either ask a Mission representative at a workshop to do it, or, use the information at the bottom of the permission form to transmit the forms, by mail, fax, or email attachments.
Panelists for the workshop include:
Meridith Miller
Community and Social Psychologist
Jan Buchanan, Chaplain
Advance Care Planning Facilitator
at Mission Health
Ellen Kaczmarek, MD, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Individualized Health Care Planner
Joanne Dykes, Attorney at Law
Estate and Trust Planning
Co-sponsored by OLLI and Mission Health Partners. For more information, call OLLI, 828.251.6140
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The Odyssey Project:
The Journey Home
"Challenging the Glorification of Colonialism"
Trey Adcock, Wekesa Madzimoyo, and Jermias Zunguze
Thursday, February 27, 7 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Sherrill Center
Ingle's Mountain View Room
"The Odyssey Project" is a series of interactive community dialogues using Homer's
Odyssey as the context for exploring some of the most fundamental
societal challenges we face. The series is sponsored by the
NC Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, UNC Asheville, The Mankind Project, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville, and Odyssey Community School.
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OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
MANNA Food Bank
Providing Tens of Thousands of Meals a Day to Hungry People
Veteran Restoration Quarters' (VRQ)
Restoring the lives of homeless vets
The Asheville Terrace Apartments Food Pantry
On-Site Pantry Support
VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!
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Become a Literacy Council Tutor in 2020!
Literacy Council of Buncombe County tutors work one-to-one with adult immigrants who wish to improve their English language skills, and native English-speaking adults (Adult Literacy) who struggle with reading and writing and/or did not complete basic education. Literacy Council volunteer tutors receive training in instruction techniques designed to help adults achieve their goals and build self-confidence.
For more information and orientation and training dates, visit the Literacy Council's website:
https://litcouncil.com
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Astronomy Club of Asheville
"Feeling Small in a Big Cosmos"
presented by
Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Manheimer Room
The Universe is vast beyond anything humans can easily comprehend, and it is easy to become overwhelmed by the immensity and disheartened by how insignificant we seem. But in the vastness there is a glimmer of truth that we should hold onto and use to guide us: In all the vastness we are, so far as we currently know, the only beings capable of asking questions about our existence and our place within the Cosmos. We are the stars, come to life for the sole purpose of asking where we came from and why are we here? Such questions are deep and philosophical, but Dr. Larson like to think we are here because the Universe made us in an attempt to figure out why it is here. We are the Universe looking at itself. We are the Cosmos, made manifest.
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Stories on Asheville's Front Porch
Presents "A Patchwork of Stories"
The Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 382
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OLLI Member Discount
for Faith in Arts Institute,
May 13-17, 2020
The Faith in Arts Institute, May 13 - 17, 2020, will offer participants the opportunity to explore the intersections of art, faith, and spirit. This intimate, immersive institute, limited to about 40 participants, will include workshops led by art historians and curators, writers and musicians, a choreographer
/dancer, and scholars of religion and the arts. There will be premiere performances--music and dance--as well as readings and artist talks. Woven throughout the institute will be a series of contemplative practices intended to help participants engage more deeply with a variety of works of art. And there will be time for focused discussions among institute participants and presenters. Most events will take place at UNC Asheville. More detailed information is available on our website,
The Institute's organizers are very happy to offer members of OLLI the discounted registration fee of $225. Regular registration is $500. To receive the discount code to register as a member of OLLI, please write to
conferences@unca.edu. Given that the institute itself will be limited to 40 participants, we encourage you to register soon.
For questions or more information about the institute, please visit our website or write to
faithinarts@unca.edu
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Men's Wisdom Works
Special Interest Group
Each of MWW's 16 groups is comprised of 8-12 men.
Groups meet at various times and places twice a month for two hours to discuss issues of personal importance.
Groups socialize over breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and other social activities.
Men on the waiting list will either be added to existing groups, or we will form a new group if numbers suffice.
To learn more or to sign up on our wait list contact: Roger Gilmore at: rlg455@hotmail.com
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Dear OLLI Members,
For a variety of reasons, our Spring 2020 print catalogs will be late in arriving to the Reuter Center. We will have the online version posted some time tomorrow afternoon and will send an email message as soon as the print catalogs arrive. We hope you will c
lick here for a "Sneak Peek" at classes for Spring 2020. Many thanks to the curriculum committees and other programming committees, Herb Gunn and Pascale Couturier-Armstrong and all of the OLLI staff who term-after-term do such an amazing job of putting together courses and special programs to keep us learning and thinking. I hope you will read Judy LaMee's article about the planning committee's project "Gray Matters: Exchanging Stories and Skills" to learn more about ways we hope to celebrate the many talents of our members. I also hope that you will write in to tell us what you love about OLLI, a project carried out by our communications committee. As staff, we love working with all of the OLLI members who volunteer their time and talent to make this a community that continues to evolve as more people bring their stories and skills together.
I am serving on a jury in a trial that may last for a while, so I may be longer to respond to some messages and will not be in the office during normal business hours. As we enter a busy registration period, I hope you will be patient and understanding as our office staff works together to manage the many details that keep our community strong.
We are truly thankful for the wonderful community we create together, for the riches that we enjoy because everyone contributes so much.
Catherine Frank
Executive Director
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 Important Dates for OLLI's Spring 2020
College for Seniors Registration
and Information about Spring Term
- Monday, February 10: Spring 2020 catalog available online
- Monday, February 17, 10 a.m. through Monday, February 24, noon: Spring 2020 Registration
- Wednesday, March 4, 4:30 p.m.: Spring 2020 Schedules sent
- Thursday, March 5, 10 a.m.: Add/Drop for Spring 2020 begins
- Monday, March 23-Friday, May 15: College for Seniors Spring 2020 courses
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"What I Love Most About OLLI"
Bill LaRocque and I (Sharon Kopstein) arrived in Asheville 13 years ago and OLLI was the grabbing force! We were looking for a community where our retirement years would be meaningful, enable us to give-back a little and to make new friends. As much as we enjoy teaching (visual arts) at OLLI, we are even more fortunate to be enriched by so many others here. What a fabulous educational, cultural and social environment!
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Bill LaRocque and Sharon Kopstein
"What I Love Most About OLLI" Call for submissions:
Our OLLI experiences encompass so much more than classes and events. We will publish a series of your thoughts about what you love about OLLI in each Sunday's OLLI Observer. To share your joy, email your brief quote (40 words max), attaching a photo of yourself that you love to
ollifavorites@gmail.com. Cell phone photos are fine! If you teach or volunteer in any capacity, include that information, too.
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Gray Matters: Exchanging Stories and Skills
by Judy LaMée
Of course gray matters! Was there ever any doubt? This new initiative, inspired and led by OLLI's Planning Committee, is all about community, connection, and collaboration. We've long talked about the wealth of knowledge and skills our OLLI membership possesses. Now we have an opportunity to tap into that wealth in exciting new ways.
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Alzheimer's Association Series
Wednesday, February 12, 9 a.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Room 207
February 12 and 19: Caring for My Loved One with Dementia and
Preparing for the Road Ahead
In this series, we will discuss the changes that take place with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and provide practical strategies to make life easier as you transition into the role of a caregiver. You will learn effective means of dealing with behavioral changes that keep everyone calm and respectful. We will also discuss hands-on techniques for daily care, such as dressing, eating, and toileting, while maintaining your loved one's independence. We will also cover making decisions surrounding care as the disease progresses and the guilt that often accompanies this role. This is a great all-inclusive program for anyone who may be, or become a caregiver of a loved one with dementia.
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Fab Friday
Friday, February 14, 11:30 a.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
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"Blanket Town: The Rise and Fall of an American Mill Town"
With Film Maker and Oral Historian
Rebecca Williams
East of Asheville, North Carolina, in the small mountain town of Swannanoa, Beacon Manufacturing was once the largest maker of blankets in the world. The mill closed its doors in 2002. When an arsonist set fire to the building shortly thereafter, the people of Swannanoa realized that the mill and the middle class lifestyle its jobs afforded weren't coming back. Blanket Town examines the complex history of the textile industry in the South and what happens to a community when it loses its economic engine and its heart. Filmmaker and oral historian Rebecca Williams will present excerpts from her documentary Blanket Town and discuss the mill's legacy and the future of Swannanoa.
Fab Friday Lunch and Learn Lectures take place, Fridays, 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. in the Reuter Center's Manheimer Room, in our Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. Members and guests are invited to socialize and then participate in presentations and question and answer sessions. Purchase lunch in our Reuter Café or bring your own brown bag.These programs are free and open to everyone.
Upcoming: February February 21: "The Placebo Effect" with Dr. Adrian Sandler
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Many OLLI members are gifted poets and writers. Their published books are clear evidence of the success of OLLI's mission to promote lifelong creativity and learning. Several years ago, a list was complied of books published by members of OLLI.
The list does not include books published during members' active careers, but only those works published while they were OLLI members. It includes poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction books.
If you have published a book while an OLLI member please send the following information to nelsonsartoris@charter.net
. It will be added to the list. Please include the author(s), title, publisher, ISBN, date of publication and where it is available for purchase should others wish to buy a copy.
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World Affairs Council
Great Decisions Series
"India-Pakistan-Kashmir"
with Dr. Sonia Kapur
Tuesday, February 11,
7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7)
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Manheimer Room
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| Dr. Sonia Kapur |
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As part of the World Affairs Council's Great Decisions series, Dr Sonia Kapur will review the continuing conficts and shifts in the region of India-Pakistan-Kashmir.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode a wave of Hindu nationalism to a historic reelection in 2019. His first order of business was to revoke the special status granted to the Kashmir region, inflaming the rivalry between India and Pakistan. How will the Kashmir situation affect the region, both economically and politically?
Dr. Kapur is an assistant professor of international studies at UNC-Asheville. With a doctorate in sociology from Nehru University in New Delhi and one in public policy from the University of Arkansas, her research and teaching has focused on global studies, South Asian affairs, and womens' issues.
The Great Decisions Program is the oldest and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind in the country. Begun in 1954, it is the flagship program of the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy.
All events are scheduled in the Manheimer Room, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
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Dr. Richard Davidson
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Dr. Richard Davidson
"Well-Being is a Skill"
Thursday, February 13,
7-8 p.m.
UNC Asheville's
Lipinsky Auditorium
Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., world-renowned neuroscientist and co-author of
Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body, will give a free public lecture Thursday, February 13, 7 p.m. at UNC Asheville's Lipinsky Auditorium, and a free public master class Friday, February 14, 9 a.m. in the Highsmith Student Union Blue Ridge Room.
Davidson's lecture, "Well-Being is a Skill," will consider scientific evidence that we can change our brains by cultivating habits of mind that will improve well-being. His analysis stems from his decades of research focused on the neural bases of emotion and emotional style, and methods to promote human flourishing including meditation and related contemplative practices.
To set the stage for Davidson's campus visit, UNC Asheville Associate Professor of Psychology Patrick Foo will give a free talk, "The Neuroscience of Meditative Practices," Tuesday, February 4, noon, also in the Blue Ridge Room.
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Laura Boosinger &Josh Goforth |
Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth Perform Traditional Appalachian Music
Thursday, February 20, 7 p.m.
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church
789 Merrimon Avenue
Appalachian old-time musician Laura Boosinger and outstanding fiddler, guitar-picker and mandolin player Josh Goforth will perform a musical history of the mountains. The performance, sponsored by the Asheville Symphony Guild, is designed to complement the symphony's concert inspired by the Mountains to Sea Trail, including a performance of Aaron Copland's
Appalachian Spring.
This performance is free and open to everyone, but donations are happily accepted.
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History Book SIG
Friday, February 21, 2020, 1 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, Room 120
P
ulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important and dramatic chapter in the American story: the settling of the Northwest Territory by dauntless pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would come to define our country.
History Book Lovers meet at 1 p.m. on the 3rd Friday of each month. SIG contact: Mike Wang, 267-243-3011,
mbwhome@gmail.com
Come join the fun to share beloved books, engage in discussion, and connect with other OLLI members around our favorite subject - history!
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Symphony Talk
Friday, February 21, 3
p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Conductor Darko Butorac will discuss the Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) concert planned for Saturday, February 22, inspired by North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The orchestra will begin in the Appalachians with Copland's vision of spring (
Appalachian Spring) and end with a majestic ode to the sea by the great English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in his
Sea Symphony.
Symphony Talks are an entertaining and educational way to hear about the music to be performed at the upcoming Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Masterworks Concerts. ASO music director Darko Butorac will talk about how the orchestra prepares and offers ways to listen to the performance. For more information about the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, or to find out how to purchase tickets for performances at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, visit
ashevillesymphony.org
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Death
Café
Friday, February 21, 5 p.m.
UNC Asheville's
Reuter Center Lower Atrium
Death Café is a conversation about a subject too often ignored in our death-phobic culture. A new movement, a shift, is at play in recovering the ritual of being with death through personal storytelling of fears and loss. A deepening ritual emerges, and we build a culture of dying wisely. Join us at our next Death Café. Facilitated by Thirdmessenger's Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop, and Sa'id Osio.
You can learn more about Death Café by visiting: facebook.com/deathcafeasheville
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New to Medicare Workshop
Friday, February 28,
2-4 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Room 206
Are you new to Medicare? Are you confused by all of the different Medicare options? The Council on Aging of Buncombe County, in partnership with the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), will present this class providing important information to assist you in understanding how Medicare works, what you need to do to obtain benefits, and ways to save money! Spaces are limited so reserve your space by registering online at
www.coabc.org
or by calling the Council on Aging at (828) 277-8288
In addition,
beginning at noon, representatives from the Social Security Administration will be available to answer questions about Social Security benefits and Medicare enrollment. They will also provide detailed instructions for gaining access to the Agency's online services at
www.socialsecurity.gov.
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Leadership Asheville Forum Critical Issues Luncheon
Wednesday February 26
Rae Geoffrey, Managing Director of the Wortham Center
In the past two years, Asheville's downtown cultural scene has been transformed by two major projects: the creation of the
Wortham Centerfor the Performing Arts and the redevelopment of the Asheville Art Museum.
The Wortham Center - once known simply as the Diana Wortham Theatre - now encompasses that theatre and two more performance spaces, the Tina McGuire Theatre and the Henry LaBrun Studio. Last year alone, the Wortham Centerpresented more than 200 arts and community events and attracted 55,000 patrons.
 Rae Geoffrey, who describes herself as an "Arts Warrior," is the managing director of the Center. At Leadership Asheville's February 26thluncheon event, she will talk more about the evolution - and the economic importance - of Asheville's arts scene.
- COST: $25 for LAF members, $30 for nonmembers
If any LAF event is postponed by inclement weather, registered participants will be notified by email.
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Dying Well Series
Friday February 28, 4:15-5:45 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, Room 207
Topic: "What does dying well mean to you?"
The purpose of the Dying Well series is to bring awareness of our
final transition into everyday conversations and culture. We will
address these life events through a variety of topics and resources
including participants' interests, small group discussions, speakers,
multimedia, and the arts.
Dying Well is a free monthly series for OLLI members that will run
through December 2020. Meetings will be usually be held on the fourth
Friday, though there will be some exceptions.
Each session and topic is independent, and you are welcome to attend
any or all meetings, and you do not need to attend every month. No
pre-registration is required.
The Dying Well series is facilitated by OLLI members Sandi Taylor and
Maurice Frank. For more information email
OLLIDyingWell@gmail.com
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UNC Asheville Announces Pre-College Programs for Summer 2020!
These week-long summer immersion programs introduce high school students (
kids, grand-kids?) to college-level study, university life, and career options in a dynamic learning environment. Each one-week session is limited enrollment, guaranteeing that students will work side-by-side with faculty experts and industry professionals, focused on academic areas that connect locally and globally.
A few of the topics for the 2020 Summer Pre-College Programs include:
- Journalism, Public Relations & Social Media in the Digital Age
- Human Rights & International Law
- Film Scoring and Sound Design
- Aerospace Engineering, Weather & Climate
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Nearly 375 OLLI members have signed up for the OLLIChat community bulletin board. This volunteer-run group needs additional moderators to keep the flow of requests and responses (questions and answers) flowing smoothly. We provide training so you can work from home one hour a day for one week/month. Please email
ollichatavl@gmail.com
an
d one of our volunteers
will
respond.
Join OLLIChat, the replacement for OLLITalk.
It's free for all 2019-20 OLLI members and easy to use.
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.
To get started, send an email to
OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com, and the OLLIChat volunteers will send you an invitation.
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sponsor,
Gillespie
Dental Associates
for their continued contributions.
CREW helps those considering relocation in retirement examine all their options carefully and make an informed decision about this major life transition.
For more information, contact Hannah Furgiuele at hfurgiue@unca.edu
or
828-250-3871
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Thoughtful Planning for Life's End
Go beyond "5 Wishes" in this comprehensive five-week workshop.
The Gift of Time program will encourage you to think about how to plan and communicate your end of life wishes to spouses, partners, children and parents. Take control of what you want for yourself, and help others address the myriad issues that face all of us in times of crisis. The workshop will be an extended conversation with trained facilitators as well as outside speakers who will converse holistically on key legal, medical, and spiritual issues. The objective is to provide participants with compelling reasons to prepare an end of life plan and prepare them to deal with both the rational and emotional elements of such a plan.
For more information, contact Hannah Furgiuele at hfurgiue@unca.edu
or
828-250-3871
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