Director’s Note
It’s hard to believe that we’re already a month into the fall semester of OLLI courses.
With so many OLLI course offerings, here are a few things to remember:
- This semester some of our courses are located in Sangren Hall, which is a new location for us. With the closing of a couple of parking lots and the construction that is occurring on campus, please plan to arrive early for your course. Unfortunately, parking might be a little challenging.
- Be mindful that you have an ‘R’ parking pass, if you park in other designated lots, you will be ticketed. We want to avoid that, so be vigilant, especially in the Sangren lot, that you park in ‘R’ spaces.
- You must be registered for the courses that you attend. If you are on a waitlist for a course and space becomes available, the office staff will contact you to assist you in getting registered. Thankfully some of you may have already received calls, as several instructors gave us permission to increase the course capacity.
Should you have questions, please feel free to contact me via email – @email Thanks for the love of and your investment in OLLI. We are privileged to have you as part of our very special OLLI at WMU.
Sincerely,
Toni Woolfork-Barnes, Ed.D.
Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU
In this issue:
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.
Note: picture taken by OLLI member Eli Thomssen of OLLI members registered for the Outstanding Contemporary Sculpture in Our Own Backyard course. Thank you.
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
When Living Becomes Assisted: A Journey into Caring for a Loved One with Dementia
OLLI’s Senior Readers Theatre—in collaboration with WMU’s Ethics Center and the Alzheimer’s Association—will present a free 20-minute play on October 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the College of Health and Human Services Auditorium (Room 1010).
Stay after the curtain call for an engaging, expert-led discussion, where professionals from WMU and the Alzheimer’s Association will unpack the themes of the play and invite audience reflection.
When Living Becomes Assisted, presented free to the public, offers powerful insight into the emotional and ethical challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia. Told through the eyes of a devoted daughter and her aging parent, the performance captures the initial denial and reluctant realization that so many families experience when faced with this disease.
It is more than a performance—it is a mirror of real-life struggles and a call to compassionate action. Whether you are navigating these challenges yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking greater understanding, this evening promises to educate, inspire, and remain with you long after the lights go down. Admission is free, but the impact is priceless.
Save the Date: Annual Meeting
Guest Speaker: Reid Williams, Director of Audience & Civic Engagement at NowKalamazoo and co-founder of the Local Journalism Foundation of Kalamazoo County.
Volunteer
Do You Have a Little Time?
You have heard me say that OLLI volunteers are the heartbeat of OLLI! Without you, we would not have such a vibrant OLLI. Here’s a little different approach, we would like to engage all OLLI members in the recruitment of instructors for OLLI at WMU.
I am sure that you are aware that every OLLI instructor volunteers their time to teach. Thanks to these talented, smart and gifted individuals, OLLI has been able to offer an array of educational, informative and fun courses. As we think of the many roles that volunteers play, we are asking you to volunteer to help the Curriculum Committee identify potential OLLI instructors for future semesters.
Currently, we are building the 2026 summer and fall curriculum. Here are some talking points (developed by the Curriculum Committee) that you can use when you are trying to recruit OLLI instructors.
OLLI Instructor Recruitment Talking Points
- Teaching for OLLI is Voluntary.
- Teaching for OLLI is an opportunity to share with an engaged and enthusiastic audience of lifelong learners.
- Teaching can be done online or in-person. Geographic location does not have to be a reason not to teach.
- Instructors receive a certificate for a free OLLI course at the end of the semester in which they teach.
- Class locations are secured by the OLLI staff unless the prospective instructor already has a location due to their connections.
- The instructor proposes, designs, and presents the course; the course proposal form is an online submission https://wmich.edu/olli/become-instructor
- Instructor orientation, tech and curriculum development support is available by the OLLI Staff.
- Some equipment is available for borrowing like voice amplifiers, laptops, etc.
- Teaching for OLLI is an opportunity to share with an engaged and enthusiastic audience of lifelong learners.
If you would like to recommend someone to teach and you are not comfortable recruiting them, please forward their name and email to me - Toni Woolfork-Barnes at (269) 387-4206 or @email and I or someone from the Curriculum Committee will follow up.
We need you and we are all in this together, so thank you for volunteering your time to help recruit OLLI instructors.
Wellness Moment
Exercise, Wellness, and Vigor
Written by Tyler Norman, Ph.D.
Manager of Corporate Outreach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist
NCFI Corporate Fitness Specialist
West Hills Athletic Club, WMU
vig•or
1. active strength or force; intensity; energy.
2. healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality
3. healthy growth in any living matter or organism
4. effective force
This is the word that comes to mind after spending a week in Florida in my Mom’s retirement community. She and her husband are 78, and 80 years of age and were running circles around us the whole trip. They, and their friends are like a community of energizer bunnies from the moment they wake up. My stepfather Dominic goes to the gym, plays tennis and golf, does 1000 crunches every day, rides his bike 30-50 miles a week, and sometimes goes Kayaking (Jack LaLanne’s got nothing on him). I know he’s an outlier but the whole community seems to be in constant motion. In the midst of all the activity, there was almost constant human interaction. Random friends would swing by on their golf carts throughout the day, gather (with distancing) in the evenings for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and their social calendar is ridiculous.
Serving on the WMU wellness committee, we often discuss the eight dimensions of wellness as the key to living long and living well. Wellness was originally defined as the absence of disease but now is generally defined as a balance of Mental, Environmental, Financial, Intellectual, Occupational, Physical, Social, and Spiritual health. When it comes to the prevention of chronic disease and living with VIGOR, exercise is at the top of the wellness wheel. Newton’s first law of motion comes to mind – objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Staying physically active, and having a complete exercise program that includes strength, aerobic, and flexibility will prolong our FUNCTIONAL lives and have a ripple effect on many of the other dimensions of wellness. I see it every day here at West Hills, with more than 600 WMU retirees with active memberships. The social interaction lends itself to social wellness, the exercise obviously addresses physical wellness which also helps to prevent chronic disease like hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Being active and fit will make us feel better about ourselves, improve our self-esteem, which will positively affect mental health. Live life with VIGOR!!
If you have questions about getting going on an exercise program or have questions about the West Hills membership benefits for WMU retirees and OLLI members, you can email me at @email.
Community Connections
Kalamazoo Literacy Council
The Kalamazoo Literacy Council is grateful for OLLI's ongoing support and collaboration. Your passion and commitment to lifelong learning align beautifully with our mission. We appreciate every volunteer hour, donated book, and kind word spoken. Whether you’ve been aware of us for years or are exploring literacy advocacy for the first time, your involvement helps realize a more literate, empowered Kalamazoo.
- Our promise: To ensure every adult in Kalamazoo has the reading, writing, and digital literacy skills needed to thrive in daily life, work, and academics.
- Our approach: Volunteer tutors, community partnerships, and accessible programming that respects each learner’s goals and pace.
Program highlights
- Adult Tutoring Program: One-on-one tutoring continues to be the heart of our organization.
- English as a Second Language: Our trained instructors serve adults from more than 20 countries across the globe.
- Digital Skills: We've expanded the curriculum to include using smartphones, navigating email, and leveraging online resources to access essential services.
- Family Literacy: We’re continuing to strengthen multigenerational learning initiatives with monthly events and special programs that empower parents & caregivers.
Upcoming events
- New Tutor Orientation: Thursday, November 6, at 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (in person or online). Learn how to become an effective tutor and what to expect from volunteer experience.
If you'd like to learn more and get involved, please contact Kito at @email or (269) 382-0490 ext. 4786. Visit us at kalamazooliteracy.org and follow us on Facebook or Instagram: @kzooliteracy.
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.