Spring is just around the corner and, with spring, I am in hopes of new and exciting things being on the horizon. To quote Lewis Grizzard, “ Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” As things begin to blossom, we have hopes of new beginnings. We have new classes starting and new doors opening for exciting adventures.

Many of you may have received your vaccine or have your appointments scheduled to do so and this is allowing more people to feel safe to return to in-person instruction. We are excited to welcome you back! I know many of you have learned new skills and picked up new hobbies. I want to hear what new hobbies you have. I spoke with an OLLI student that always loved to play Bridge in college and walked away from the game when he got busy with his life and family. Working from home has allowed him to start playing again. He is eagerly awaiting to sign up for a bridge class to learn the latest techniques and to connect with others that like to play. I am sure that many of you can appreciate this sentiment and we would love to add new classes to expand your knowledge of any new hobbies that you have developed. We offer classes in photography, art, writing, history, language, genealogy, American Sign Language; the list goes on and on. We offer something for everyone regardless of your age. I recently have had many people reach out for information about our Pilates, Yoga and Tai Chi courses. Many of us have worked from home and are now back in the world and ready to get active again. I am eager to hear what you would like to learn. Please email and let me know. Our team is always ready to start the development of new courses and new programs to offer you.

One of the most interesting things about my job is that our department serves the youngest and the most senior of our population. We have something
for everyone. For our youngest Community students, we are preparing for Summer University. We will be offering 8 weeks in June and July of every camp that you can imagine. We offer everything from Raspberry Pi Programming, Robotics, Comic book/Manga, Game Development, Lego’s, Hogwart’s and Chef ’s camp. Every child or teenager will be able to find a camp that they will enjoy. Check out our website for the full Summer University schedule.

I enjoy the opportunity to connect with you so, please, let me know your thoughts. Each quarter I sit down to write this article and I reflect over the last three months. This time, I am looking forward, not back. I look forward to the next article and writing about the world around us being a little better than it is today and each of us feeling a little safer. I am ready to see your faces in person again. Stay safe and be well.

I have missed you!