Director's Note
Director’s Note
Tis the Season for Giving...
I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible support you’ve shown throughout 2024-2025 program year. Your participation, enthusiasm, and generosity have contributed to lifelong learning on Western Michigan University’s campus and across Southwest Michigan.
Each year, we rely on the kindness of our members and friends to help sustain and strengthen OLLI. Your past donations have made a significant impact—supporting scholarships, OLLI operations and acknowledging our volunteers, and ensuring that our offerings remain accessible and engaging for all.
To those of you who have donated in the past: thank you. Your generosity has helped shape OLLI into the vibrant, welcoming learning community it is today. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to lifelong learning and for the trust you place in us to steward your gifts wisely.
As we launch our 2025 Year-End Appeal, I invite you to consider supporting OLLI at WMU. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us continue our mission of lifelong learning and community connection. Your support allows us to thrive even during times when educational institutions are forced to make difficult choices that negatively impact their missions.
You should receive a letter from WMU’s Advancement Office with instructions on how to give. We hope you’ll take a moment to review it and consider supporting OLLI in a way that’s meaningful to you.
Together, we can ensure that OLLI remains a dynamic and inclusive space for mature learners of all backgrounds and interests. Thank you for your support.
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OLLI at WMU Celebrates WMU Homecoming with Alumni, Family and Friends
Thanks to two members of OLLI at WMU’s Executive Leadership Team – Gillian Stoltman (chair) and Judy Sivak (secretary) for volunteering their time on Saturday October 11th to participate in this year’s Annual Alumni Homecoming Tailgate. This was a great opportunity to share information about OLLI with WMU alumni, family and friends.
With Gratitude,
Toni Woolfork-Barnes, Ed.D.
Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU
Curriculum
Bring A Friend
Our Bring a Friend program returns just in time for your family and friends to get acquainted with and join our lifelong learning community for the 2025-2026 membership year! If you enroll in a course this semester that isn’t full, our Bring a Friend program allows you to invite those who are curious about OLLI to sit in on a course with you for free. Just please remember to contact the office beforehand to let us know that you will be bringing a friend so we can know who our guests are.
OLLI Shared Interest Groups (SIGs)
OLLI at WMU Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) are growing! SIGs are a free benefit of OLLI membership, offering a chance to connect with others who share your interests.
If you’re looking for more OLLI time together and more chances to feed your curiosity, check out the OLLI at WMU Shared Interest Groups descriptions to learn more.
Events
Annual Meeting
Be sure to register for the Annual Meeting
November 12, 1 to 3 p.m. at People’s Church, 1758 N. 10th St.
Dr. Toni Woolfork-Barnes will present the State of OLLI and give the Annual Report.
Our guest speaker will be Reid Williams, Director of Audience & Civic Engagement at NowKalamazoo and co-founder of the Local Journalism Foundation of Kalamazoo County.
Our favorite go-to, Generations, will cater the event with light refreshments.
Bring a personal care item and/or non-perishable food item for the WMU food pantry, Montgomery Essential Needs, to help students in need. Nonperishable items should be in their original, unopened, and unexpired packaging--canned goods (soups, chicken, tuna, vegetables, fruits, beans); brown rice, whole-grain pasta, and whole-grain cereal; peanut butter, honey, shelf-stable milk alternatives, and pasta sauce and condiments. Use the link below to explore more about donating items for WMU students.
Montgomery Essential Needs | Western Michigan University
As we have done for several years, we are also requesting donations for our partnering organization, the Kalamazoo Literacy Council. Please visit their website using the link below, where you will find the types of items that will be helpful in their work with students and tutors.
Endowment | Kalamazoo Literacy Council
Sign into your OLLI account today and register for the Annual Meeting under “Sigs and Events.”
Membership & Marketing
Member Assistance Requested
The Membership/Marketing Team has developed a presentation about OLLI that can be given at churches, clubs, organizations, businesses, etc. We think it's informative and fun! If you know of any places we could give a short presentation, please call the OLLI office, 269-387-4157 with the name, phone number and the person to talk with.
Wellness Moment
Pickleball Reflections
With the grand opening of the Latitude 42 Pickleball Complex in the rear-view mirror, I’ve been a little reflective on the path we took to get there. For me, the journey began when I took pickleball for college credit at WMU back in 1992. There were a few classes the Exercise Science majors had with the Physical Education majors, and that was one of them. We were learning the game as if we were physical educators, so for a minute there, I was a certified pickleball instructor. When the class was over, I said to my buddy “No one will ever play this stupid game”. I obviously missed BIG-TIME on that prediction. Now, there are 20 million Americans that play pickleball every year, a sport that has grown 300% in the last three years. Covid was good for pickleball.
If we travel back to 2007, we had plans to expand fitness, group exercise studios, locker rooms, and tennis. The property that the pickleball complex sits on would become four additional tennis courts. The club had more than 4000 members at that time, and we were firing on all cylinders. Just about the time we were ready to go, 2008 happened. We were hemorrhaging members, and no one knew what would happen, so our plans got shelved. We fought our way back over the next eight or nine years, our membership was back up, we had serious momentum, and just when we were discussing expansion again covid happened.
Being closed for six months decimated our membership and would change the landscape of the entire recreation industry. Pickleball had become a juggernaut during covid, and when clubs re-opened, we had 8 pickleball courts to help our membership base recover. When Hurricane Ian hit the coast of Florida in 2022, there were thousands of snowbirds that couldn't go to their condos because they were being rebuilt or renovated. Where are they all going to play pickleball? There was a siege of pickleball players on West Hills like a motorcycle gang with pickleball paddles. That's about the time that we saw the writing on the wall and what was once going to be a major tennis, fitness, locker room, and group exercise studio expansion, became a 37,500 square foot pickleball complex. I'm reminded of the old adage "Man makes plans, God laughs".
We couldn’t be prouder to have partnered with Latitude 42 on the project and look forward to generations of fun and laughter being the nucleus of the Latitude 42 Pickleball Complex community. We were thrilled that our grand opening was a success, with more than 500 attendees, and we’re now in full swing. Our state-of-the-art facility features thirteen indoor courts and one outdoor court with a patio. Based on our past operations with eight courts, we anticipate welcoming up to 750 visitors per day during peak months. For a closer look, I’ve included a link to the Latitude 42 Pickleball Complex homepage along with a short Facebook video tour of the facility. Please let me know if you’d like to schedule a tour!
Happy November!
Pickleball | West Hills Athletic Club | Western Michigan University
Community Connections
EDISON: EDucation IS ON – Resident Scholars SIG
If you're interested in leading and learning in the Edison neighborhood, this is the group for you!
The Edison Resident Scholars SIG invites OLLI members to come together to explore, research, and chat about the history, heritage, and culture of Kalamazoo’s most diverse neighborhood. Edison is a place full of innovation, resilience, and community-driven change, despite having common challenges.
Taking a humanities-friendly look, the group examines educational, historical, and cultural perspectives to support positive transformation. The Scholars reflect the neighborhood’s diversity and are committed to community-based research, lifelong learning, and sustainable change. With varied backgrounds and deep local roots, members bring lived experience and leadership to their work as change-makers in Edison and beyond. Together, they have:
- Secured a historic commemoration at WMU for Albert J. White, builder of the iconic Heritage Hall
- Established the Albert White Literacy Trail & Literacy Lane
- Painted a giant street mural at Literacy Lane
- Participated in Photovoice, a community-based photography project & art exhibit
How to join:
To join or learn more, contact Abbey at 269-382-0490 ext. 219 or @email. Monthly meetings are on the third Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan. Dinner is provided.
What is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute?
The program was initiated under the auspices of the WMU Emeriti Council and various WMU units. 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 WMU.
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.