Week of September 21, 2026 

September 21, 2026

WELCOME BACK

You can browse the OLLI fall catalog online by Clicking Here. Give us a call in the office at 401.874.4197 or Click Here to register for classes online.

2026 ANNUAL MEETING- Register today for the OLLI Annual Meeting🌊 on Tuesday, October 20, at the Coast Guard House. The fee is $35 per member and space is limited. The event will be from 11:30AM to 3:30PM and will include hors d’oeuvres, plated luncheon, dessert and cash bar. Special guest speaker to be announced. Once you’ve registered, please check your class confirmation for a link for lunch selection. This event is limited to OLLI Members. Click here to register.

TRAVEL WITH OLLI- Join us TODAY at OLLI Mon, Sept 21, 3PM for a preview of scheduled trips – Scotland, Norway & Colorado Rockies. Our Collette sales rep will be here to showcase these trips with a virtual preview and answer any questions. CLICK HERE to visit our website for more information.

FALL ADD ON CLASSES- Click the Title to register or call the office: 401.874.4197

A Complicated History: The Land Beneath URI – 1 session with Debbie Suggs Thur, Oct 1, 4-5:30PM

Watercolor for the Birds – Birds are for Watercolor – 4 sessions with Pike Powers beginning Wed, Oct 14, 9:30-11:30AM

Dolly Parton: Her Life and Legacy – 2 sessions with Brett Morse beginning Fri, Oct 16, 1-2:30PM

Five Weeks with the RI Mob: A Juror’s Tale –1 session with Jean Gagnier Mon, Oct 26, 3-4:30PM

My Camera Has Wings – 1 session with Jan Armor Mon, Nov 9, 10-11:30AM

Granite and Grist – 1 session with Anne Holst Tue, Nov 17, 9:30-11AM

Getting to Know Gilbert Stuart and His Birthplace – 1 session with Bill DeCaporale, Thur, Dec 17 10-11:30AM

Edesia: Rhode Island’s Big Impact on Global Child Malnutrition – 1 session with Sandra Enos. Choose 1 date: Tue,Oct 6 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM or Wed, Oct 14, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.

FALL CLASSES IN DANGER OF CANCELLATION- Click the title to register or call the office 401.874.4197

Topics in Ecology 5 Sessions with Peter Stetson beginning Oct 2, 10AM-11:30AM

From Sesame Street to Youtube: How Children’s TV Shapes Young Minds 1 session with Sara Sweetman Mon, Nov 2, 9:30-11:30 AM 

What’s the Real Skinny with Fad Diets? 1 session with Renae Martin Fri, Nov 6, 10-11:30 AM

CANCELED CLASSES- the following class has been canceled due to low enrollment: 

Patanjali’s Yamas & Niyamas 6 Sessions with Linda Morse (scheduled to begin 9/18)

We apologize for any inconvenience!

OSHER ONLINE ORIENTATION- Tues, Sept 22, 2PM – Osher Online is a partnership in collaboration with the National Resource Center at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. If you are new to Osher Online and have registered for a course you should have received an invitation to a member orientation. Information about Osher Online and details about logging into your account will be provided. If you are not able to attend the session a recording will be available.If you have questions regarding Osher Online please call 312.503.5555 or email osheronline@northwestern.edu.  Click Here for a list of current Osher Online classes.

CAUTION – Due to URI construction there is a new temporary sidewalk from Flagg Road that leads to the OLLI building #210. From Flagg Road – Take a right at the OLLI sign, follow the temporary sidewalk to the old sidewalk which leads to the front door of the OLLI building. 

PARKING PERMITS- 2025/2026 Parking permits expired July 31. Parking is FREE in the Plains Road Lot #25 with your OLLI membership but you must have a current 2026/2027 permit. Please call the office to renew if you haven’t already done so. If you get a $50 ticket you will be responsible for appealing it with URI AIMS Parking.

THIS WEEK AT OLLI 

Monday

  • 9:30AM Slavery, Emancipation & Race in New England
  • 10:00AM Beneath the Breakers
  • 11:30AM Iran, USA and other Conflicts
  • 3:00PM Travel Presentation – Norway, Scotland & Colorado Rockies

Tuesday 

  • 9:30AM Paris in the Dark
  • 10:00AM Biking
  • 10:00AM Pen, Ink & Wash: Drawing Home Scapes
  • 11:30AM Iran, USA and other Conflicts
  • 1:00PM Game On!
  • 1:30PM “My Dearest Friend” Letters of Abigail & John Adams
  • 2:00PM Osher Online Orientation
  • 5:00PM Birth of English Detective Story: The Moonstone

Wednesday

  • 9:30AM Cancer Essentials
  • 11:30AM Hurricane History of Southern RI
  • 11:30AM Beginner French for Travel
  • 12:30PM Bowling
  • 1:00PM Hiking
  • 2:00PM Cribbage
  • 3:00PM Contemporary American Short Story, Part 1 (ZOOM)
  • 3:30PM Anton Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard & Stories
  • 5:00PM Birth, Life & Death of Voting Rights Act of 1965

Thursday

  • 10:00AM Beginner Mah Jongg
  • 12:00PM The Breakers – Third Floor Preservation in Progress
  • 1:00PM Mah Jongg
  • 1:30PM The History of Architecture & Urbanism: Brutalism-Present
  • 2:00PM Intergenerational Perspectives on Healthy Living Environments

Friday

  • 9:00AM Qi-Gong for Vitality – Intro
  • 9:30AM Fun with Engineering for Non-Engineers
  • 10:15AM QiGong Continuing Practice – Foundations
  • 11:15AM QiGong Continuing Practice – Deepening
  • 1:00PM The British Invasion

COFFEE DONATIONS – Let’s keep our coffee station up and running this fall! Donations of ground coffee are always appreciated. Drop off in the office.

RHODY OUTPOST – URI Fall Semester will be back in session soon! URI’s principal basic needs pantry, Rhody Outpost, is 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.  Reminder: Please no expired food!

URI FOOTBALL – CLICK HERE for OLLI discounted URI football* tickets as well as other Ryan Center events (John Mulaney: Mr. Whatever – Oct 24 & Derek Hough: Dance for the Holidays Dec 9) * 2026 URI Football Games will be played at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI 

RHODY WORKATHONS ARE BACK! What exactly are workathons? URI rowers can stop by to help provide general yard work, moving furniture, cleaning, painting, weeding, etc. a maximum of four to five hours at a time. You tell them the task, the number of rowers you need, and they schedule a time to help you out. Most rowers live in URI in dorms or the Narragansett area, so they can do anything within a reasonable distance. The hourly rate for each rower is $25 for returning customers and $30 for new customers, with the entire sum going to the team to help fund race costs, equipment, buses, etc. to help keep the team prospering. They will be starting all workathons on Sept 19 with weekend scheduling only. Dates not available for workathons due to regattas are 10/3, 10/10, 10/24 and based on rower availability. For any questions or scheduling your next workathon, you can email Keara and Brady at rhodyworkathon@gmail.com. They hope to hear from you soon! (Throughout the course of the year, they will be holding multiple fundraising events, such as alumni day, an erg-a-thon, and shoveling. Any additional donations are greatly appreciated and will help keep this team a “stroke” ahead of competition🚣)

2026-27 SPEAKER SERIES, THE CENTER FOR HUMANITIES PRESENTS: “AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS.” As the United States turns 250 years old, Americans and the world have reflected on the meanings of the American Revolution, then and now. They will feature seven events. In the fall, they will have four events on the Revolutionary War itself. In the spring, they will present three talks on the Revolution’s legacy, in Latin America, the Caribbean, and on the Civil War. The first talk is Thursday, September 24, at 4:00 PM in the Galanti Lounge in the Library. Robert Parkinson of SUNY-Binghamton will talk about “Everything You Wanted to Know about the Declaration but Were Afraid to Ask.” Click here for more information and to register.

URI FALL 2026 HONORS COLLOQUIUM Lecture Series – Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits  From black holes and distant exoplanets to gravitational waves rippling through the universe, and aspiring to travel to Mars and back to the moon, the cosmos teems with mysteries that both inspire awe and demand answers. Lecture 2: Tues, Sept 22, 5:30PM Edwards Hall  An Inclusive, Audacious Journey Transforms Life Here on Earth and Beyond with Mae Jemison Click Here To Register All lectures will be livestreamed and registration is required to receive stream links. 

LOVE TO SING? JOIN THE UNIVERSITY CHORUS THIS FALL! University Chorus is welcoming alumni and community members to learn and perform a variety of music with fun and engaging rehearsals. Chorus meets Wednesdays, 7–9:15PM in the Fine Arts Center starting Sept 9. No audition necessary. Email Elizabeth Woodhouse at ewoodhouse@uri.edu to join.

TABITHA’S CLOSET (Peacedale Congregational Church) – Now offering a complete selection of Fall & Winter Clothing gently used outerwear, sweaters, tops, pants, shoes, and boots, available for all ages—from infants to adults. Our goal is to provide quality seasonal essentials while protecting the dignity and self-worth of every person who walks through our doors. Shopping Days: Saturdays from 8:30AM- 12:30PM on the third Tues of each month from 4-7PM. If you have individuals or families in financial crisis, recovering from emergency hardships, or simply in need of seasonal wardrobe support, please direct them to reach out to us. Contact/Appointment Setup: email Tabitha@peacedalechurch.org or call 401.789.7313

WEST BAY CHORALE AUDITIONS AND OPEN REHEARSALS – Mon, Sept 21 6PM at St. Kevin’s Church in Warwick. All voices, all ages welcome. See flyer for more information.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY – Looking to give back to your local public lands? The Rhode Island NWR Complex is recruiting volunteers to support visitor services programs. Click for all the details.

THE RHODE ISLAND GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER is seeking volunteers to participate in the Introduction to Interdisciplinary Geriatrics and Teamwork program during the Fall 2026 semester. In this program, students from nursing, pharmacy, communicative disorders, nutrition, public health, and human development work in interdisciplinary teams to develop a care plan for a “patient” following their initial assessments. Click here for all the details.Contact Allie Morelli for more information: alliemorelii@uri.edu or call 401-874-5311.

URI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (in partnership with Hunter College and Cornell University) Seeking adults, ages 60 and older, to participate in a Family Study to understand how and why they support family members, especially adult children. Participants must meet the eligibility criteria below:

  • Age 60 and older
  • Living in the Northeast region of the US
  • Have an adult child in their 30s and 40s.

Interviews can be conducted via zoom or phone for 1.5-2 hrs. Each participant will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for their time. See Flyer for details, Click Here to register.

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