Week of January 26

Week of January 26, 2026❄️

OLLI INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:  OLLI follows URI’s policy of cancelling classes. If the University is closed due to inclement weather, OLLI will also be closed. Use the URI Alert Page (uri.edu/safety/alert) for information on power outages, weather alerts, and other campus notices. Your safety is our concern. Should the OLLI staff determine it is best to cancel OLLI classes, every attempt will be made to notify you two hours prior to the start of your scheduled class.If a class is canceled due to weather, we will work with instructors to reschedule whenever possible. Updated dates will be shared with members by email once confirmed.

Information about closings will be available:

  • Check OLLI website at uri.edu/olli
  • Call the OLLI office at 401-874-4197 for a recorded message.
  • Watch for email notifications from OLLI

THE FOLLOWING MON, JAN 26 CLASSES HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER!!

STOP THE BLEED – New Date/Time TBD – Email with details will be sent to students 

WOMEN IN COMBAT – New Date/Time: Mon, Feb 2 10-11:30AM

MY KIND OF WINTER: A Naturalist’s Look At Nature’s Post-Solstice Strategies- New Date/Time: Mon, Feb 16, 1:30-3PM

TRAVEL WITH OLLI MEETING (Croatia/Nashville)- New Date/Time: Mon, Feb 2, 3:30PM

If you can not make the new dates please call the OLLI office at 401.874.4197 and we will issue you a refund. 

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 – Keep in mind that OLLI parking options have changed. Members will continue to enjoy FREE parking in the Plains Rd Lot (#25). There are 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. 

QiGONG – Due to popular demand, a new beginner class has been added for the Winter Semester.  QiGong for Vitality – 9 sessions with Nancy Mayne beginning Fri, Jan 30, 11:30AM-12:30PM $70 Location: Studio at Mariner Square Click Here to Register or call the office at 401.874.4197

CANCELLED CLASS –  How to Find Reliable Medical Information on the Internet – (2 Sessions with Ann MacDonald beginning Fri, Jan 30, 10-11:30AM) has been cancelled due to low enrollment. Refunds have been issued. Please call the office at 401.874.4197 with any questions.

WINTER ADD ON CLASSES- 

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-There are still a few spots available in these second sessions of full classes. Please look at the dates carefully as these are second sessions and not the dates listed in the catalog (click links to register):

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-  

GALENTINE’S DAY FLORAL WORKSHOP– 1 Session with Donna Humphries Thu, Feb 5, 5:30-7:30PM at Floral Designs By Donna Join us for a delightful and inspiring floral experience to celebrate Galentine’s Day! Engage with fellow OLLI participants as you create a stunning open-heart wreath, adorned with beautiful red and pink flowers on a 12–14 inch frame. To add a sweet touch, the center of the heart will be filled with a selection of chocolates, serving as a lovely reminder to indulge yourself. This workshop offers a friendly and inclusive atmosphere, with guided instruction tailored for all skill levels. Click Here For More Info & To Register

CURRENT EVENTS-The next scheduled current events meeting will be held on Thurs, Feb 19, 11AM

THIS WEEK AT OLLI 

Monday

  • 10:00AM Writing A Legacy Letter (ZOOM)
  • 11:00AM Brain & Behavior (Osher Online)
  • 3:00PM Landscape & Adventure in Photography (Osher Online)
  • 5:00PM Post Impressionism/Abstraction (Osher Online)

Tuesday

  • 10:00AM Science in Science Fiction
  • 11:30AM Animal Farm: An Allegory for Our Time?
  • 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
  • 5:00PM Einstein Without Tears
  • 6:30PM Trivia Night (Tower Hill Brewing)
  • 7:00PM Japanese History Through the Lens of Shogun (Osher Online)

Wednesday

  • 9:30AM The Winter’s Tale: Page to Stage
  • 9:30AM Connected & Creative: Lifelong Learning With Today’s Tech
  • 10:00AM Slavery, Abolition and Women’s Suffrage (ZOOM)
  • 10:00AM Cyber Seniors
  • 11:00AM Milestones in Medicine (Osher Online)
  • 12:00PM Ageless Grace® for Brain-Body Fitness
  • 12:30PM Bowling
  • 1:00PM Hiking
  • 2:00PM Cribbage
  • 2:00PM Genealogical Research and Analysis

Thursday

  • 9:00AM Let’s Skate!
  • 11:00AM John James Audubon and the Birds of America (Osher Online)
  • 1:00PM Mah Jongg
  • 3:00PM  Pharmaceuticals and Poisons: Chemistry at the Edge (Osher Online)
  • 6:00PM Renaissance Art History (ZOOM)

Friday

  • 9:00AM QiGong for Vitality
  • 10:15AM QiGong for Vitality – Deepening Practice
  • 10:30AM Food Is Medicine
  • 11:00AM How US Immigration System Works (Osher Online)
  • 11:30AM QiGong for Vitality
  • 1:00PM Music Biopics
  • 1:00PM Taking the Inward Journey
  • 3:00PM Integrated Health (Osher Online)

OLLI 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! Click To Register.

CYBER SENIORS – Stop by the lobby to get help with all your technology questions beginning again Wed, Jan 28,10AM – 12PM No appointment necessary.  Click Here to Meet Oge

COFFEE DONATIONS – Let’s keep our coffee station up and running this Winter! Donations of caffeinated Keurig pods and ground coffee are appreciated. Drop them off in the office.

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 14 copies left 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 or give us a call in the office at 401.874.4197

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 – We have 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.

GILDED AGE UPDATE: You may remember OLLI instructors Nancy Markey and Kay Adams who recently taught a class for OLLI on the Gilded Age. They have a new book out about Ben Burton called A Harbor of Deceit. The book is available now on Amazon and other bookstores. And good news for us….Nancy and Kay have a new class coming this fall on Newport Kingscote’s original mansion owner, William Henry King. If you are not familiar with him, his brothers had him committed to an insane asylum and then after 30 years, a woman came forward claiming he was her long lost uncle. Stay tuned for more info!

YOGA NIDRA FOR BODY, MIND & SPIRIT– With OLLI Instructor Linda Morse. Yoga Nidra is shavasana with guided meditation – the restful space between sleeping and waking activates the body’s natural healing process and increases feelings of radiance, vitality, happiness and joy. Westminster Unitarian Church, 119 Kenyon Ave, E Greenwich,RI- 4th Thur of every month 10:30-11:30AM. Drop-in donation $5 Wear comfortable clothes and bring a pillow or blanket for support.  Call Linda with any questions – 401.318.0303. Click Here For Flyer

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.  

URI DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL THERAPY – A MATTER OF BALANCE – FREE Falls Prevention Workshop, 8 weeks beginning this Fri,. Jan 30, 9-10AM 25 West Independence Way, Suite J, Kingston, RI Click Here For Flyer. For more information, contact Allie Morelli at 401.874.5411, alliemorelli@uri.edu or visit www.ripin.org/chn 

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 Wed, Jan 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 Fri, Jan, 30, 7pm and Sun, Feb 1, 3pm. A full production with sets and costumes, accompanied by a small orchestra.  The proceeds go towards music scholarships at URI. Come if you can!  General Admission $15, Students $10, Seniors (60+) $10, Children 12 & under Free. Click Here for Flyer In addition, it will be livestreamed and archived on the URI Music youtube channel – youtube.com/urimusic

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. 

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