December 2023
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December 2023
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IN
THIS ISSUE
Like
so many non-profit organizations, Lifelong Learning only thrives thanks to
contributions of time and talent from dedicated volunteers and donations from
grateful members. Learn how you can support the quality programming you
have come to enjoy. Spring
term courses and events are ready to go; copy has been sent to the catalog
designer. Check below for just a few of the exciting new courses and
events. We
will be mailing a full-length catalog this term to members enrolledi n the
last three years and those added to the interest list since summer
2022. |
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If
you don’t receive a catalog by mid-January and want to enroll, be sure to
check the website or contact the office (540-231-1725) for a printed copy.
(There will be no flyer for spring term.) The
Program Committee is soliciting course, event, and field trip proposals for
Fall 2024. Learn how you can submit your ideas or recommendations for
consideration. While
we often hear that participants enjoyed or learned something new from an LLI
presentation, two programs this fall had an unexpected impact on individual
lives. Read how LLI events touched someone in a special way. |
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Support
Your LLI!
Your
donations make a more sustainable operation and more affordable fees for all.
Please consider a gift to the LLI Members Annual Fund when you are making
your year-end donations. Every gift, no matter the amount, is appreciated! To
donate online, please go to the Virginia
Tech Foundation/LLI giving page. Or make your check payable to Virginia
Tech Foundation FBO Lifelong Learning Institute and mail to:
Virginia Tech
Advancement, Gift Accounting
University Gateway Center (0336)
902 Prices Fork Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061 It's
not too late to request a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA for
the 2023 tax year. Contact your financial advisor or the investment company
that holds your IRA or retirement account and request their QCD form. Follow
their instructions to complete the form.
Virginia Tech Foundation
902 Prices Fork Rd
Blacksburg, VA 24061 |
Spring
Term Highlights
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Henry
Louis Gates,
Harvard professor, researcher, and host of PBS’s Finding Your Roots,
will be our special guest next term. LLI member Penny Tully shared
childhood experiences with the young “Skip” Gates growing up in West
Virginia. Join Penny in conversation with our guest on April 5. Participants
will get a chance to submit questions in advance. |
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Two
sessions of Wine Appreciation will be offered on Mondays and
Wednesdays this spring. Thanks to Randall Horst and Vintage Cellar for
accommodating the growing LLI fan club. |
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In
Multicultural Mysteries, you’ll unravel mysteries set in 1920s
India; Chinatown, San Francisco; and northern Thailand with Britton
Gildersleeve. Join the fun! |
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Matthew
Vollmer,
author of All of Us Together in the End, will be the first in our new
series of book discussions with local authors. |
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The
bus will be headed to Jefferson’s retreat Poplar Forest near Lynchburg
on April 18. |
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Take
a leisurely afternoon float trip down the New River and have dinner at
Palisades Restaurant on May 1. |
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Enjoy
The Marriage of Figaro at the Moss Center with greater insight,
thanks to a talk by musicologist, Christopher Campo-Bowen, and a panel
discussion with the Opera Roanoke artistic director, stage director
and lighting designer for the production. |
Call
for Fall 2024 Proposals: Courses, Special Events, Field Trips
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The
Program Committee is busy planning the Fall 2024 curriculum. We invite LLI
members and friends to submit proposals for courses, special events, and
field trips. Proposal forms can be downloaded from the LLI website at the
link below: https://www.cpe.vt.edu/lifelonglearning/course-proposals.html
The
Program Committee will hold its first meeting to plan fall semester the week
of February 12 and its last meeting in April. Proposals that reach us by
March 31 will arrive in time to be included on the agenda for this final
meeting, but sooner is better! Please
send proposals to Molly McClintock (mollymcclintock235@gmail.com)
and Nancy Metz (nancy.metz@vt.edu),
Program Committee Co-Chairs. We
are eager to hear from you. Nancy
and Molly Programs
with Impact
The Right Information at the Right Moment Can Change a
Life
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Nicole Thompson,
Palliative Nurse Specialist, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery |
Nicole
Thompson
from LewisGale Hospital Montgomery gave a great presentation on
palliative care on Nov 8. Many in the audience had a reason to be there –
they had their own experiences with an elderly parent or family member facing
difficult end-of-life treatment decisions and they wanted to be better prepared. But
in the audience were a brother and sister who were caring for a terminally
ill parent. What they needed was help at that moment. Nicole’s presentation
gave them a plan and a vital contact. When the mother had to be taken to the
emergency room that evening, they told the admitting physician that they had
attended Nicole’s presentation, and they wanted a consultation with her so
they could be referred to hospice. The
hospice nurse met with the mother and family the next day to begin that
journey. The family was deeply relieved to have this critical support at such
a challenging time. Thanks to Nicole and LewisGale for creating our Healthy
Dialogues series and helping families learn about options for comfort
care and hospice assistance. |
LLI Member Gifts a Very Special eTrike
Photo
and story shared by Ernie Haugh, eTrike evangelist |
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LLI
member Doug Sewall has been confined to a wheelchair since he
experienced childhood polio. But this has not kept him from an active medical
career and adventuresome life. He was ready, however, to sell his very
special hand/electric powered trike to someone who could use it. He brought
it to display at the September 22 LLI eBikes event at Warm Hearth. One
of the event hosts, Hugh Osmus, invited Megan Patoskie to
attend the session and check out the trike since her partner is also confined
to a wheelchair. After further discussion, Doug decided to give the trike to
him. Megan and Joey picked up the trike from neighbor (and broker) Ernie
Haugh the next day. |
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Jordan
"Joey" Erisman is the new owner of Doug Sewall's electric
trike. Thanks to all involved in facilitating the transfer of this
generous gift to a very grateful recipient. Don’t
need another tie or slippers for the holidays? How about an LLI Gift
Certificate?
LLI
gift certificates are now available. Options include gifting a membership,
individual classes, or a combination of membership and classes. Email llalonde@vt.edu for more information or to
purchase. Gift certificates for spring semester must be purchased prior to
January 22. Proud
Sponsors
Many
thanks to our sponsors for their continued support of the Lifelong Learning
Institute.
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Lifelong Learning
Institute at Virginia Tech |