Week of March 30

March 31, 2026

Week of March 30, 2026 đźŚĽ

TRAFFIC ALERT – ACCESS TO FLAGG RD WILL BE LIMITED UNTIL APR 3. The easiest way to access the Plains Rd Lot #25 – Take Rt.138 to Plains Rd – Take Plains Rd to Lot #25 on the right. The sidewalk from Lot #25 to OLLI (210 Flagg Rd) is OPEN & ACCESSIBLE

SPRING REGISTRATION IS ONGOING! – Click Here to browse the online catalog. Click Here to log into your OLLI account and register for classes or feel free to give us a call in the office at 401-874-4197. You can also visit us at 210 Flagg Rd or download and complete the Registration Form and include a check (made out to URI).  

NEW SPRING CLASS ADDITIONS (not listed in the catalog) –

Art in the Courthouse – 1 Session with Retired Justice Gilbert V. Indeglia at The McGrath Judicial Complex. Friday, June 5, 1:30PM-3:00PM. After a welcome by Hon. Gilbert V. Indeglia (Ret.) and Kara Picozzi of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, our tour will include a look into the current photography exhibit featured as part of our community art initiative “Art in the Courthouse.” The visit includes a conversation with the artist. The 90-minute tour includes a short walk and a Q & A with a judicial officer. Free parking onsite. Click for More info

The History of Modern Architecture and Urbanism, Part 2 – 3 Sessions with Richard Levy, beginning Thurs, May, 7 3-4:30PM $40 Click Here for More Info

Make Your Own Spring Flower Arrangement – 1 Session with Floral Designs by Donna, Thurs, Apr 2, 5:30-7:30PM $55 Click Here for More Info

Fostering Safe Spaces for Members of the LGBTQ Community – 1 Session with Gerri August & Annmarie Vaccaro, Thurs Apr 23, 10-11:30AM Click Here for More Info

Click Here to check out the virtual previews for some of OLLI’s spring classes. 

VOLUNTEER WITH US! –  OLLI continues to be a strong organization due in part to members serving on various committees providing leadership in partnership with the staff. It’s time to recruit new volunteers for our Curriculum, Finance, Program, & Events Committees. To learn more about these opportunities, please attend one of these upcoming meetings – Thursday, April 2, at 10AM or Friday April, 3 at 1PM 

OSHER ONLINE ORIENTATION –If you have enrolled in an Osher Online Class you will receive an email containing login information needed to access your course materials and ZOOM classroom. If this is your first time attending an Osher Online class and you were not able to attend the orientation on Tuesday, March 24, a recording will be available. 

OLLI NEW MEMBER WELCOME – Are you new to OLLI @ URI? or returning after being gone awhile? Both current and new members are invited to attend and learn about all OLLI has to offer. We’ll review our current programs, and our special interest groups, all while exploring and becoming more familiar with our OLLI website and registration software. Plenty of time for Q & A. Coffee & refreshments too! Join us! Bring a friend! Non-members welcome! If you are not a member and need a temporary parking pass, please call the OLLI office at 401-874-4197.Wed, Apr 8, 11:30AM Click Here to Register

SPRING IS HERE!🌷– Is there a more hopeful season especially after the winter we’ve endured? Come celebrate spring with us as we greet the new semester. We are always interested in learning from our members…What brings you purpose? What brings you joy? What brings you peace?  Please stop by the lobby during the first week of spring semester (April 6 -10). We encourage you to share your thoughts and reflections on our idea board that will be in the OLLI lobby for the week’s entirety.  Some small treats will also be on hand to help fuel your ideas.  We will collect your responses and share common themes that emerge with the greater OLLI community.

AND THE WINNER IS……NORM PARENTEAU!  This year’s OLLI Oscar Party was a big success! OLLI member Norm Parenteau correctly picked 20 academy award winners and won a $25 OLLI Gift Card! Congratulations Norm!

PARKING – OLLI Members continue to enjoy FREE parking (with permit) in the Plains Rd Lot (#25). Click Here for more information about parking and disabled parking or call the office at 401.874.4197 with any questions.

THIS WEEK AT OLLI 

Monday

  • 9:30AM Healthy Eating Made Simple
  • 11:30AM Square Foot Gardening

Tuesday

  • 12:30PM Drawn Together
  • 1:00PM Game On!

Wednesday

  • 9:30AM A History of Street Art (Osher Online)
  • 12:30PM Bowling
  • 1:00PM Siberia: Russia’s Frozen Wasteland (Osher Online)
  • 1:00PM Hiking
  • 2:00PM Cribbage
  • 3:00PM Short Stories From England (ZOOM)

Thursday

  • 11:00AM Current Events
  • 1:00PM JFK’s Quest for Peace (Osher Online)
  • 1:00PM Mah Jongg
  • 2:00PM AI For Regular People (Osher Online)

Friday

  • 10:00AM Photo Friday (ZOOM)
  • 1:00PM Writer’s Group (ZOOM)

Saturday

  • 9:30AM Learn to Play MahJong

2026 THEWLIS LECTURE – Optimism and Kindness: Ingredients for a Long and Healthy life Tuesday, April 7, 2026 5:30 PM Doors open, light refreshments 6–7 PM Lecture followed by Q&A Edwards Hall, Kingston Campus The 2026 Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics will feature social psychologist Laura Kubzansky, PhD, professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She will share her perspective on aging and longevity, focusing on how personal attributes such as optimism, gratitude, kindness, and a positive outlook relate to living a long and fulfilling life. This event is free and open to the public.  Free parking available in Briar Lane Lot behind the Visitors Center.  Registration is encouraged but not required. Register Here 

BIKING GROUP IS BACK – The first meeting of the Biking Group 2026 will be Tues, Apr 7 at 11AM. Park in the Southeast corner of Lot #25 on URI campus to access the URI Bike Path (Nearest the Ryan Center). Please arrive 15 minutes prior to start time. (Times may be seasonally changed for the comfort and safety of the group). Co-facilitators are Art Schloth and Liz O’Brien.

OLLI IN THE NEWS- Check out the recent article featuring OLLI in Rhody Today and this essay in WBUR.org written by an OLLI member about her experience with OLLI’s Learn to Skate program.

CYBER SENIORS – Stop by the lobby to get help with all your technology questions on Wednesdays, 10AM-12PM. No appointment necessary.  Click Here to Meet Oge

RHODY OUTPOST- URI’s principal basic needs pantry for students experiencing food insecurity.  The Outpost provides fresh and non-perishable food and personal care items at no charge to students. Click Here to view the updated list of all urgently needed items. You can also purchase items directly from Amazon on the Rhody Outpost Wish List.  

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES – In times of rapid change and uncertainty, strong leadership matters more than ever. The Women’s Leadership Council is proud to welcome Nancy McKinstry ’80, H.’05, former Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Executive Board of Wolters Kluwer, for a timely and engaging conversation on leadership through change. Register for this virtual program on March 31, 12:00PM-1:00PM. Click here to register.

FREE AMERICAN REVOLUTION TALK AT REDWOOD LIBRARY – Christian McBurney is speaking at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum in Newport on Tuesday, March 31, at 6:00 pm. The title of the talk is: “The Second American Revolution: Rhode Island’s Role in the Abolition Movement in the North, 1763 to 1784.” Attendance is free. To register, go to redwoodlibrary.org and click on Events. The address of the library is 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.  [This event was originally scheduled for February 25, but it was cancelled due to the Blizzard of 2026]

ANNUAL LECTURE SERIES – URI Metcalf Center will host a conversation with Meera Subramanian, award-winning environmental journalist and a 2012 Metcalf alum, about her new book, A Better World Is Possible: Global Youth Confront the Climate Crisis, which was created in collaboration with New York Times bestselling illustrator Danica Novgorodoff. Subramanian will be in conversation with Metcalf 2015 alum Elizabeth Rush, author of The Quickening: Antarctica, Motherhood, and Cultivating Hope in a Warming World.  Thurs, Apr 2, Hope Room of the Higgins Welcome Center at URI Kingston campus. Reception at 5:30PM, followed by conversation at 6PM. Books will be available for purchase and author signing. Click Here for Registration (encouraged for in-person attendees and required if you prefer the livestream link) Learn more at URI’s Metcalf Institute website.

URI WATERSHED WATCH – SEEKING VOLUNTEERS Ever dreamed of being a scientist? Or wanted to do more to protect your favorite water body? URI Cooperative Extension Program Watershed Watch, which has collected water quality data on lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, streams and the marine environment throughout southern New England for four decades, is seeking volunteer water quality monitors. URI Watershed Watch needs volunteers to help researchers understand how snowy winters, storm-water runoff, and droughts contribute to bacteria and surface algal blooms, affecting water quality. Volunteers contribute to better understanding how climate change impacts our local waters. Classroom training sessions will be held Thurs, April 2, from 6- 9PM and Sat, April 4, from 9AM-12PM. Field training will be held Sat, April 11 and Sat, April 25. Volunteers learn to collect and process samples and familiarize themselves with monitoring methods to help them successfully generate credible data. For more information or to register for the training sessions, contact Elizabeth Herron at 401-874-4552 or at eherron@uri.edu. Visit the website for detailed information about the program, the list of 2026 monitoring locations, and to complete a volunteer profile.

URI PHYSICAL THERAPY DEPT – Shoulder Motor Control Study: Rotator Cuff Seeking study Participants between 18-64 yrs old with or without shoulder surgery with no mobility limitations. Compensation $20 email: tyler.foster@uri.edu for more information See Flyer For Details

URI DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY (HIPLAB) – COPD Study Seeking study participants with COPD, 45 years or older, no hospitalizations or antibiotics in last 3 months Compensation up to $120  email:hiplab@uri.edu or call 401-874-5541 for more information See Flyer For Details