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CORRECTION: Please note the correct time for the Experiencing Dance at WMU OLLI course is 5:30 to 7:30 pm on the same day, Tuesday, February 8.

We continue our registration for our Winter/Spring courses and the course schedule is available for viewing on the website! Registering online is the quickest way to secure your spot for the courses you want to take. If you need assistance when registering online, email us at wmu-olli@wmich.edu or call (269) 387-4157. Please leave a voicemail if we cannot answer – we will see it in our email. 

There is still time to register for the following February courses and you can visit our website for the specific dates and times these courses are offered:  

• Environmental Justice
• Learn to Make Cyanotypes
• The Biggest Village in the USA: Kalamazoo History through 1884
• Internet of Things
• Is an Electric Car Right for Me?
• Experiencing Dance at WMU
• Tai Chi: Increasing Harmony and Energy (Intermediate Class)
• 7+ Life Lessons from Chaos
• A History of Racism – An Experiential Journey via the Power of Film
• An American Family Experiences China: 1910-1923
• Air Zoo: Women in Air and Space
• Justice, Equity, and the Human Experience
• Love & Samba: A Musical Journey to Brazil
• Getting the Last Word: Obituary Writing Basics
• The Amazing Wright Brothers

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Looking Ahead to OLLI CARES Fill-A-Trunk in May

First, a BIG THANK YOU to our members, instructors and guest speaker Dr. Ashlyn Kuersten for making our January Thaw event so successful! Now as we look ahead to spring, we want to highlight the organizations that OLLI members can support at our upcoming Fill-A-Trunk event in May. Next month, we’ll spotlight two more local organizations that will be joining us.

Since 1990, the has offered free, part-time childcare for income-eligible families so that parents can get to critical appointments for employment, housing, etc. 

Serving some of the most vulnerable members of our community, offers emergency services from shelter to meals and clothing along with long-term programming, advocacy and support. 

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Secrets to Vitality Series 

Introducing Regina Buckner… 

Regina with her trainer Mike Wolfe

I have had the pleasure of knowing Regina for nearly three years as a member of West Hills. She is a retired WMU librarian in her mid-seventies, and lives with more vitality than any 20-year-old I know. The overarching theme that I took away from our interview is that she is a seeker. She is perpetually seeking to learn new things, to better herself daily, and to help others. 

Talking with Regina reminds me of the Franklin Covey habit #7: Sharpen the Saw. She wasn’t happy to simply accept the effects of aging and the limits they can place on an individual. I remember in her initial consultation she commented on her declining energy and was looking for an exercise program that would restore her motivation to attack the day. When I see her now, waiting for her workout with her trainer Mike Wolfe, she’s bouncing from one foot to the other like a boxer getting ready for a fight. Her energy has been restored and then some! 

Being the librarian that she is, she prepared some notes for our interview that she shared with me. So instead of paraphrasing her words, I decided to include her secrets to vitality in her own words. Besides, she’s a better writer than I am. 

In Regina’s words – 

“My Life’s Continued Vitality is sourced by: 

My Faith is precious and vital to me – and is the basic belief for how I live. It sustains me and brings me hope. My Faith, however, does not own all the responsibility for my commitment to it; I readily accept I must practice it, giving my time and energy to it. Within this context, I record my daily gratitude, recognizing I have so much for which to be grateful! 

I have several mantras by which I live: 

• Offer assistance to others in small or large ways, offering my time and financial support to causes/organizations I believe in. 
• Routinely feed my soul through meaningful activities, such as viewing and acknowledging the beauty around me, through inspiring or unique readings and activities that bring a new awareness and initiating greetings and interactions. 
• Never stop learning, trying something new or different often and being curious in all things, seeking the why, what, and how. 
• Don’t just follow others – do things differently within reason. 
• Take daily care of myself by getting enough sleep, stretching, and doing core exercises like Yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi. 
• Be prepared for physical challenges that have not been active in my life to this point, such as my balance, eyesight, and hearing, understanding I will have a new “normal.” 

She later elaborates on the value of her nutrition and exercise program, her personal trainer, West Hills community, and her family in her life and living with vitality. She is a member of OLLI and the Optimists, follows the Optimist creed, and doesn’t think of herself as old. She ran her first 5K last fall admitting she walked at times but still had the determination to finish! That makes you an athlete Regina, and thanks for the inspiration!  

Regina works on her posture and her balance
simultaneously with a rear-deltoid extension
while standing on an unstable foam surface

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Do you follow us on Facebook? , “Like” our page, and then visit regularly for information and announcements about different OLLI, WMU and Community events and programs. This is a great way to stay connected and we love to see your comments on our page!

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