Week of January 19

January 20, 2026

Week of January 19, 2026

OLLI OFFICE CLOSED TODAY, JAN 19, 2026 DUE TO MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY

Winter Semester registration is ongoing. Register online, stop by the office or give us a call at 401.874.4197. Click Here to view the catalog online! And check out our Virtual Previews!  

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – As the winter semester begins, please remember that OLLI parking options have changed. Members will continue to enjoy FREE parking in the Plains Rd Lot (#25). There are new signs indicating there are some reserved spots for OLLI members. Please plan ahead and allow extra time for the short walk to OLLI or hop on the complimentary shuttle, which runs every 15 minutes beginning the week of January 20. For more information on URI shuttles, please click here. You can also check out the live shuttle tracking by clicking here. To take the shuttles, please look for the glass shelters located in the center of the Plains Road Lot. Click on the MAP for OLLI parking and handicapped parking options. If you need assistance locating either lot, please call the office at 401.874.4197 and we’ll be happy to show you. Come early, stay late, and enjoy a cup of coffee with your OLLI friends. 

DATE CHANGE – The date has been changed for the class Water: Too Much Or Too Little? (originally scheduled Wed, Jan 21) New Date is Tues, Feb 17, 10-11:30AM. If you cannot attend this date you will receive a full refund. Please contact the office 401.874.4197.

CORRECTION – OLLI Book Group date for January was listed in catalog/website as Jan 23 but the actual date was Jan 16. The correction was made and Book Group members were notified via email. 

CLASS LOCATION CHANGE – The location for the following classes has changed:

  • Food is Medicine: A Cooking Series beginning Friday, January 23, at 10:30 AM
  • A Taste of Italy: Cooking Demo Series  beginning Wednesday, Feb 25, at 1:30PM

New Location: Kingston Congregational Church 2610 Kingstown Rd (Rte 138), at the intersection of Upper College Rd.Please park behind the church and enter through the door marked “Main Entrance.” For additional details or directions, visit the church’s website: https://kingstonucc.org/

CANCELLED CLASS – What Does it Feel Like to Have Autism (Jan 23) has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Students were notified and refunds have been issued.

DON’T LET THESE CLASSES GET CANCELLED! – The following classes are in danger of cancellation due to low enrollment (click links to register):

How to Find Reliable Medical Information on the Internet – 2 Sessions with Ann MacDonald beginning Fri, Jan 30, 10-11:30AM

Introduction to QPR Suicide Prevention Training – 1 session with Ron Harrison, Mon, Feb 2, 10-11:30AM

Modern History through Allegory: Everyman’s Endeavoring – 3 ZOOM Sessions with Teresa Testa, beginning Tues, Feb 3, 3-4:30PM

WINTER ADD ON CLASSES- 

GALENTINE’S DAY FLORAL WORKSHOP 💘– 1 Session with Donna Humphries Thu, Feb 5, 5:30-7:30PM at Floral Designs By Donna Click Here For More Info & To Register

HEALTHY EATING MADE SIMPLE – 6 Sessions with Kathy Tonelli beginning Mon, Feb 9, 9:30AM -11:00AM Click Here For More Info & To Register

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING – 6 Sessions with Kathy Tonelli beginning Mon, Feb 9,11:30AM-1:00 PM  Click Here For More Info & To Register

WHERE WERE YOU IN THE LATE 1960s-EARLY 70s? – 2 Sessions with Jim Buxton beginning Wed, Feb 18, 1:30PM-3PM Click Here For More Info & To Register

FOOD IS MEDICINE: HEALING YOUR BODY ONE BITE AT A TIME – 1 Session with Sandra Musial Tues, Mar 24, 10-11:30AM Click Here For More Info & To Register

NEW SESSIONS-The following second sessions of full classes have been added to the winter semester. Please look at the dates carefully as these are second sessions and not the dates listed in the catalog (click links to register):

Ageless GraceⓇ – Wed, Jan 21 & 28, 12PM-1PM (Only 3 spots left) 

Travel Like A Pro – Fri, Feb 13, 10AM-12PM

My Kind of Winter: A Naturalist’s Look at Nature’s Post-Solstice Strategies – Wed, Feb 18, 11:30AM-1PM

The Adventurous and Eccentric Life of Joseph P. Hazard – Thurs, Feb 19, 1PM-2:30PM

CLASS SPOTLIGHT-  

VISUALIZE YOUR RETIREMENT: Visualizing what you want your life to be like in retirement is something that many people don’t do, either prior to or during their retirement. Join us as we discuss creating a vision for your retirement, establishing a framework, and creating an action plan. Wed, Jan 21, 12-1:30PM  Click Here To Register

THIS WEEK AT OLLI 

Monday Office Closed for MLK Day

Tuesday

  • 10:00AM Science in Science Fiction
  • 1:00PM Game On!
  • 1:00PM More Than Parks: A History of American Conservation (Osher Online)
  • 1:30PM Crime, Corruption and Conviction: The Daniel Green Story
  • 7:00PM Japanese History Through the Lens of Shogun (Osher Online)

Wednesday

  • 9:30AM The Winter’s Tale: Page to Stage
  • 10:00AM Slavery, Abolition and Women’s Suffrage (ZOOM)
  • 11:00AM Milestones in Medicine (Osher Online)
  • 12:00PM Ageless Grace® for Brain-Body Fitness
  • 12:00PM Visualize Your Retirement
  • 12:30PM Bowling
  • 1:00PM Hiking
  • 2:00PM Cribbage
  • 2:00PM Genealogical Research and Analysis

Thursday

  • 9:00AM Let’s Skate
  • 11:00AM Current Events
  • 11:00AM John James Audubon and the Birds of America (Osher Online)
  • 1:00PM Mah Jongg
  • 2:00PM The Adventurous and Eccentric Life of Joseph P. Hazard
  • 3:00PM  Pharmaceuticals and Poisons: Chemistry at the Edge (Osher Online)
  • 6:00PM Renaissance Art History (ZOOM)

Friday

  • 9:00AM QiGong for Vitality
  • 10:30AM QiGong for Vitality – Deepening Practice
  • 10:30AM Food Is Medicine (
  • 11:00AM How US Immigration System Works (Osher Online)
  • 1:00PM Music Biopics
  • 1:00PM Taking the Inward Journey

TRAVEL WITH OLLI – Join us at OLLI Mon, Jan 26, 3pm for a preview of two scheduled trips – Discover Croatia, Slovenia & The Adriatic Coast (Oct 10-21) and Nashville & the Smoky Mountains Holiday (Nov 28-Dec 5). Our Collette sales rep will be here to showcase these trips and answer any questions. CLICK HERE to visit our website for more information.

GREAT DECISIONS BOOKS – If you have registered for Great Decisions-America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy and/or Great Decisions-Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy (or plan to enroll in future GD classes) and you wish to purchase the 2026 GD Book  – we have 15 copies left on our website for the discounted price of $31. The GD book is not required to participate in the class but it is recommended. Click Here To Purchase

UPCOMING OLLI EVENTS (CLICK HERE for flyer)-

  • TRIVIA NIGHT – Tower Hill Brewery, South Kingstown, RI, Tues, Jan 27, 7PM (6:30 arrival) Gather your friends and fellow OLLI members for an evening of laughter, friendly competition, and community spirit! Registration is required by Sat, Jan 24 so we can ensure we have enough players for a team. Click To Register.

OLLI MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT – URI Campus Recreation offers OLLI members a special discount to access the Mackal Field House facilities.  A special day pass rate of $5 (regularly $10) includes use of the track, cardio room, weight room, and basketball courts. Please request a membership card from the OLLI office which must be presented each time you visit. Stay warm and fit this winter by taking advantage of this OLLI benefit. (If your card from last year has expired, stop by the office for a new one.) 

OLLI MERCH in Stock – beautiful and cozy OLLI winter scarves to help you stay warm through the winter! Represent OLLI at URI sporting events! CLICK HERE to view and purchase! ($15) Stop by the office or call 401.874.4197.

CYBER SENIORS – National Cyber Senior Hotline www.cyberseniors.org – Click Here to register for upcoming Webinars or Click Here  for recordings of previous webinars. If you would like to schedule a 1:1 session Click Here.

OLLI Cyber Senior drop in sessions will begin again when the URI students are back from Winter Break – please watch for more information in the OLLI weekly newsletter.

DISCOUNT URI BASKETBALL – CLICK HERE for OLLI discounted URI Basketball tickets

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.

INTERGENERATIONAL PEN PAL PROGRAM- URI student, Eve Masson is looking for volunteers to participate in her honors project and hoping to host an intergenerational pen pal program for LGBTQ+ students. If you are interested, the URI group will be meeting biweekly on Wednesdays at 6pm, beginning Wed, February 4th. Each participant from URI will have an older LGBTQ+ pen pal assigned to them. If you are interested in letter writing, learning about queer history and experience, and creating connections across generations, please fill out this form! You can contact Eve via email at gmasson@uri.edu with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

FREE SCREENING: THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD – Attend a free screening of “The Cigarette Surfboard” followed by a Q&A with director Ben Judkins. After a young designer realizes that a surfboard – which he crafted from thousands of littered cigarette butts picked up off California beaches – could captivate the eyes of millions across the globe, he decides to use it as the impetus to do something more.⁠ Join us for the first Rhode Island screening of this award-winning documentary and see the cigarette surfboards in person! ⁠The event takes place on Wednesday, January 28, 6:30PM at the Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium. Click here for more information and to register.  The event is free and open to the public but please register for your tickets.

URI MUSIC DEPARTMENT PRESENTS:  A Roger Williams Opera “Young Roger’s Day at the Fair” by Gerard Heroux at the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, 105 Upper College Rd., KIngston, RI 02881 Fri, Jan, 30, 7pm and Sun, Feb 1, 3pm. It will be a full production with sets and costumes, accompanied by a small orchestra.  The proceeds go towards music scholarships at URI. General Admission $15, Students $10, Seniors (60+) $10, Children 12 & under Free. In addition, it will be livestreamed and archived on the URI Music youtube channel – youtube.com/urimusic

SOUTH COUNTY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – Opportunity for OLLI members who may be interested in volunteering abroad with Habitat for Humanity in Guatemala this spring. This trip is open to the public, and Habitat Guatemala will be hosting a team of at least 12 volunteers from April 11-18, to help construct hybrid homes. Each participant would be responsible for program costs of up to $2,027, which cover in-country transportation, lodging, meals, and travel insurance. Airfare would be an additional expense. If interested, please contact Emily Passeroni at 401.213.6711 x301

IF YOU ARE ATTENDING CLASSES AT OLLI, YOU MUST HAVE A PARKING PASS! If you are not sure, please call the office at 401-874-4197. Parking is FREE with membership but you must register your vehicle now if you are taking classes in 2025 -2026. If you get a ticket you will be responsible for appealing it with the URI parking administration. If you would like us to renew your parking pass we need the following information as soon as possible: License Plate #, State, Car Make, Model & Color and if your car is gas, electric or hybrid. 

If you would like to view past This Week At OLLI weekly newsletters go to https://web.uri.edu/olli/news/