All Life is Learning - April 2024
Director's Note
Director's Note
Giving Day 2024 is around the corner!
Please mark your calendars and set your clocks—WMU's Giving Day 2024 is almost here! On April 17, for one day beginning at midnight until 11:59 p.m., we're pulling out the fundraising stops to show our support for our beloved OLLI program. Today, I’m personally inviting all OLLI members and others within our community to join me in donating to our lifelong learning community.
We aim to once again surpass our previous Giving Day record with a goal of reaching 100 unique donors and over $7,500 in donations. While OLLI is partially funded by the University, both the Osher Foundation and WMU’s expectations are that our OLLI becomes self-sustaining. Therefore, fundraising is vitally important to grow our operations and continue delivering the high-quality variety of programming you have come to expect from us.
Gifts made on Giving Day will also be used to continue providing meaningful and enjoyable ways to acknowledge and thank our members and volunteers, as well as strengthening relationships with instructors that help further enhance the OLLI student experience. I know we can do it with your help!
The easiest way is to give online, and we will share our OLLI Giving Day direct donation link as we get closer to April 17. While we encourage you to make your gift online, you can also mail checks made out to the WMU Foundation (include WMU Giving Day in the memo line) or call the WMU Alumni Association at (269) 387-8700. Checks must be received before 5 p.m. on April 17 to count toward Giving Day 2024. Our mailing address is:
WMU Foundation
Attn: Gift Processing
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-5403
No gift is too small—please help our OLLI to once again be one of the largest donor recipients during this year’s Giving Day!
Thank you in advance for your participation,
Toni Woolfork-Barnes, Ed.D.
Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU
In The Issue
Curriculum
If you know someone who would like to take an OLLI course but might need a little assistance, please let them know that there are Course Scholarships available. Just have them call the office at (269) 387-4157 and we will be delighted to help them get started on their lifelong learning journey.
If you plan to take a course this semester that isn’t full, you can also take advantage of our Bring a Friend program and invite them to sit in on it with you for free! This is a great way to introduce your friends and family to OLLI and encourage them to join. The course liaisons will have membership forms available. Please contact the office to let us know you will be bringing a friend so we can know who our guests are!
Thank you to everyone who registered for Land Acknowledgement: Lessons in Respect and Responsibility for Non-Natives. We know that several of you tried to register for the course, but it was full. You may be interested in the Truth and Healing Native American Boarding Schools Panel and Presentation that is scheduled for April 16; see the information below. Note: this free event is not an official OLLI program or course.
Ceremony of Healing, College Health and Human Services
5 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 16
Presented by Robin Grey Mountain
Space is still available in these April courses, but not for long—register today!
"Air Zoo: Let's Play Aloft! Air & Space Toys Through the Years" with April Bryan,
Tuesday, 4/2 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Air Zoo
"MLK & the Expanding Dream: The Radical King We Don't Know" with Ron Kramer & Don Cooney,
Tuesdays 4/2 through 4/16 from 3 to 5 p.m. in CHHS 1035
"The Power of Plant-Based Nutrition" with Carol Wroblewski,
Wednesdays 4/3 through 4/24 from 5 to 7 p.m. online via Webex
"Modern" Music? It's Over 100 Years Old!" with Dr. Zaide Pixley & Adam Schumaker,
Thursdays 4/4 through 4/11 from 10 a.m. to Noon at Friendship Village, Clubhouse Keystone
"The Making of the Paper City" with Tom Dietz,
Fridays 4/12 through 4/19 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Portage Zhang Senior Center, Meeting Room 1A/1B
"The History and the Literature: Lessons in Chemistry" with Diane and Stan Henderson,
Monday 4/15 from 1 to 3 p.m. at StoryPoint of Kalamazoo, Auditorium
"Prohibition: It's Rise and Fall" with Randy Schau,
Tuesdays 4/16 through 4/23 from 10 a.m. to Noon at StoryPoint of Kalamazoo, Auditorium
"Confucianism Vs. Taoism" with Xiaojun Wang,
Monday 4/22 from 10 a.m. to Noon at CHHS 1057
"Learning to Play Petanque: A French Team Game Similar to Bocce" with Stanley Sackett and Martha Beverly,
Monday 4/29 from 10 a.m. to Noon at KVCC Main Campus, SW Parking Lot
"Strange, Unusual, Crazy, and Weird Highway Signs" with John Geisler,
Tuesday 4/30 from 4 to 6 p.m. at CHHS 1035
Events
OLLI Events: A Good Time was had by all!
If you were not able to attend our Good Times with OLLI event last month, don’t worry—we have another one scheduled for June—with more games, refreshments, fun, and socialization with fellow members and new friends! Details will be announced in May. Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, our OLLI Events Committee volunteers are busy planning Taste of OLLI for early August, OLLI Cares in October, and our Annual Meeting in November.
Membership and Marketing
Hooray—OLLI at WMU has finally reached our goal of 500+ members!
We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for being a member this year. We also want to sincerely thank the Membership and Marketing committee for establishing this year’s All In For OLLI competition. Our new members who joined as part of the competition helped us to reach our minimum goal of 500 members! Judy Sivak was the winner of the competition; she won tickets to a Miller Play and dinner at Comensoli’s Italian Bistro Restaurant. The runners-up were Laura Van Vlack-Ailes and Sue Glenn.
Thank you each for being All In For OLLI!
Travel
All Aboard!
Now that many of us are returning to traveling, come and learn what OLLI at WMU and Premier World Discovery have planned for 2024! As you recall, last year we began partnering with Premier Travel to add new domestic and international adventures to our portfolio of trips. On April 18, Premier Travel representative Tracey Schenk will host a presentation at the Portage District Library from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Long Lake Room. Join us!
Volunteering
It’s National Volunteer Month
April is National Volunteer Month. Its roots lie in honoring volunteers for their contributions during World War II, but the designation launched officially in 1990 with President George Bush’s 1000 Points of Light campaign. The observance of National Volunteer Month provides an opportunity to celebrate the exceptional service of volunteers and to recognize the impact of voluntarism on the well-being of organizations and institutions both in our communities and nationwide.
Did you know that 30% of OLLI members volunteer for OLLI?
OLLI at WMU benefits from the invaluable efforts of more than 150 volunteers, roughly one-third of our lifelong learning community. Without our volunteer instructors, liaisons, committee members, and event workers, our OLLI could not achieve its mission. We are volunteer-rich and volunteer-driven. We extend heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who make OLLI grow and thrive.
Volunteer Appreciation Event
The OLLI Staff would like to express our thanks and gratitude for all that OLLI volunteers do, so we are planning another end-of-year Volunteer Appreciation Event! OLLI volunteers should have received an email invitation on March 18. If you didn’t receive your invitation, please call the OLLI Office at (269) 387-4157.
Wellness Moment
The Sixth Sense:
Where are we in space? Your proprioceptive awareness will tell you.
Tyler Norman, Ph.D.
Manager of Corporate Outreach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist
NCFI Corporate Fitness Specialist
West Hills Athletic Club, WMU
Have you ever gone to lean on a table or chair only to find out you have misjudged the distance? Have you ever thought there was another step on a staircase when there was not and stumbled? These are two examples of a momentary lapse of proprioceptive awareness. An example of when it works is when you lose your balance but recover and avoid falling. Another example is if you touch a glass on the table in front of you, then close your eyes and touch it again, chances are you can. Proprioceptive awareness is our ability to know where we are in proximity to the things around us, and the ability to navigate ourselves through. Why do we care?
The biggest reason for retiree-aged individuals to be mindful of proprioceptive awareness is to prevent falling, and God forbid, break a hip, wrist, or arm (I am looking at you, pickleball players). The application of proprioceptive awareness in life is limitless. If you have read about functional training, which I have described as sports-specific training for day-to-day life, then you can see how improving our proprioceptive awareness will make the physical demands of life easier.
Now that we have defined proprioceptive awareness, how do we improve it? A quick Google search will list anything from rock climbing to jumping on a trampoline, but the scholarly data says the best thing is to work on overall physical fitness and balance. The same neuroreceptors are used for balance and proprioceptive awareness, so to work on one is to indirectly improve the other. Like anything in life, it’s use it or lose it. Here are a few exercises to improve your proprioceptive awareness.
Ron works on his proprioceptive awareness with his trainer Mike by executing an anterior deltoid raise with an uneven resistance (the weight is only coming from his right side).
Ron and his trainer Mike play a game of catch with a weighted ball while Ron stands on an unstable surface.
Personal trainer Drew Arndt demonstrates the one leg toe touch, which will improve balance and proprioceptive awareness.
Further reading about proprioceptive awareness can be found here.
Community Connections
Education and Action in Kalamazoo to Address the Threats of Climate Change
Join the WMU Climate Change Working Group, organizations across campus, students, staff, and the greater Kalamazoo community for Climate Emergency: Spring into Action 2024, a comprehensive examination of the climate crisis and what we can do to address it.
Throughout the month of April, campus and community groups will continue to host a variety of events focused on climate change, sustainability, and identifying solutions at multiple scales. Examples of upcoming events include the course “The Wild World of Prairies,” taught by our very own OLLI instructor Ellen Badger Hanson, a Ph.D. candidate in WMU’s Biological Sciences department; a public forum discussion on the state of Lake Michigan’s sand dunes; an Earth Day rally led by local climate activists; and much more.
Please join us in proactively developing a plan to address the most critical crisis our planet is facing! All “Spring into Action” events are open to the public—a complete calendar of which can be found here. Registration may be required for some events. Questions or suggestions? Contact climateadvocacy@wmich.edu.
The Kalamazoo Macintosh Users Group invites any and all OLLI members to attend their free monthly meetings. You’ll learn how to gain control of your iPhone from patient teachers who specialize in helping beginners and older adults better understand how to use different software and apps, navigate technology updates, and answer any and all questions you have about Apple products.
The KMUG meets at 9 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month at the Portage District Library. Meetings generally run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and no RSVP is required—just feel free to drop in! For more information about the Kalamazoo Macintosh Users Group, visit their website at www.kmug.us.
Kalamazoo Literacy Council
The Kalamazoo Literacy Council appreciates the ongoing support and contributions from OLLI members over the years! Through OLLI Cares and the January Thaw, you have generously provided essential supplies that help us continue to fulfill our mission of adult literacy. OLLI has also recognized the Edison Resident Scholars as an official Special Interest Group, following their completion of the Place Matters! course in 2023 with Dr. Karika Parker. This dedicated group of Edison neighborhood residents is actively working towards creating a dynamic learning environment within their community. Initiatives such as the Albert White Literacy Trail and the Literacy Lane play street have not only promoted a love for learning but also have had a positive impact on family health outcomes.
As we celebrate our 50th year of service to Kalamazoo County, the commitment shown by organizations like OLLI at WMU and its members is more important than ever. To learn more about the Kalamazoo Literacy Council, please visit kalamazooliteracy.org or call (269) 382-0490 ext. 211.
What is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute?
The program was initiated under the auspices of the WMU Emeriti Council and WMUx. OLLI offers intellectually lively and culturally appealing learning experiences. We accomplish this by focusing on intellectual stimulation, personal growth, social engagement and enrichment. Read more
What do we do?
We offer short courses for one to four weeks. Sessions are usually two hours long. Travel programs are also a part of our offerings. There are no tests and no required homework, just exploring lots of interesting topics.
In the near future we will offer courses in different formats -- noon hour discussions, several sessions in one week, and more evening courses. OLLI courses and activities are developed and produced by its members with the support of the staff of WMUx.
We need your ideas for course topics and instructors. Let us know your suggestions. Call the OLLI office at (269) 387-4157 or send an email. The curriculum committee will review all suggestions.