May 2023 Newsletter

Your May eNewsletter is Here!
The Inside Scoop


Welcome to The Inside Scoop, our electronic newsletter. Please enjoy this issue and share your feedback by email. We always look forward to hearing from you. This is the May 2023 edition of The Inside Scoop.

Meet Our New Board


Our sincere thanks goes out to everyone who voted in our recent election and attended the Encore Learning Annual Meeting on May 18. We announced our new Officers and Board Members, had an organizational update, heard from several Committee Chairs, received a report from our Treasurer and showed our appreciation to our amazing volunteers, without whom this organization could not function.


Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Board:


  • Marylin Marton* - Vice President (term ending June 2025)
  • Mildred Patterson - Vice President (term ending June 2024)
  • Steve Shapiro - Treasurer (term ending June 2025)
  • Joan Carter - Secretary (term ending June 2025)
  • Jeanne LaBella - Academic Programs Committee Co-Chair
  • Deborah Spero - Academic Programs Committee Co-Chair
  • Gail Massot - Class Aides Committee Co-Chair
  • Carol Fuller* - Class Aides Committee Co-Chair
  • David Briggs* - Community Advisory Council Chair
  • Martin Suydam - Information Technology Committee Co-Chair
  • Richard Rubin - Information Technology Committee Co-Chair
  • Jean Falvey* - Membership Committee Chair
  • Ann Kaupp - Publications Committee Co-Chair
  • Bill Reilly* - Publications Committee Co-Chair
  • Kris McLaughlin - Special Events Committee Chair
  • Sandra Borden* - Volunteer Committee Chair


(*new board members)


Marilyn Marton has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as President for July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024. An individual will be appointed to fill the vacant two-year Vice President term in July by the new incoming Board of Directors.

15.Sandra Borden* - Volunteer Committee Chair

You can read the bios of our new Board members here. You can watch the entire Annual Meeting, including introductions of our new board members here.


Following the annual business meeting, we offered a dynamic workshop on keeping your brain active. We know that an active brain helps ward off dementia. Popular instructor, Kay Yong, certified practitioner in dementia therapies, led all participants in an interactive workshop - you all are awesome at trivia. Did you notice your brain more awake? Thank you, Kay!

Year in Review


We hope you enjoyed the past year as much as we did. Checkout this slideshow with highlights from the year including the 20th Anniversary, courses, clubs, events and other outings. You can view the slideshow here.

May Is National Older Americans Month


This year marks the 60th anniversary of Older Americans Month. First proclaimed by President John F. Kennedy, Older Americans Month recognizes the contributions of older Americans across the nation. Every President since then has issued a Proclamation encouraging the nation to pay tribute to older persons in their communities.


When President Kennedy created this event in 1963, only 17 million Americans reached their 65th birthday. Today, there are 44 million-plus Americans over 65 and senior citizens continue to be major contributors in the arts, education, business and all aspects of life. We have much to celebrate!


You can read about the history of Older Americans Month here.

Recruiting Volunteers To Assist With Our Website


Are you enthusiastic about web development and consider yourself tech-savvy? We are launching a small working group to assist with our Encore Learning website. The team will consider ways to improve user experience and implement changes to boost its search engine ranking. 


Please email info@encorelearning.net if you are interested in joining this group for a short summer project.


Summer is a great time to start volunteering with Encore Learning.

Club News

Cinema Club


The Encore Cinema Club is alive and well! Recently, we've seen Imagining the Indian, The Lost King, and A Man Called Otto. Join us for a morning movie each month, followed by lunch nearby, where we discuss and rate the movie. We usually go to Cinema Arts Theater in Fairfax or Angelika Mosaic.


Co-chairs are Dru Dowdy and new co-chair Caroline Wooden. If you would like to be placed on the email list for the Cinema Club, send an email to info@encorelearning.net. 

Travel Club


The Travel Club met on the May 19 on Zoom. Charlie Hallahan presented the 2014 trip to Laos that he took with his wife, Claire. They visited the old capital of Luang Prang and the current capital in Vientiane. The trip included a trip down the Mekong to visit a cave where discarded Buddha went to rest and lots and lots of Buddhist temples called Wats.


On Friday, June 16, Judy Ballard will bring us to Israel. The meetings are monthly on Zoom, usually on the 3rd Friday of the month. Contact the Encore Learning office at info@encorelearning.net if you would like to be added to the club email list.

Nonfiction Book Club


The Encore Learning Nonfiction Book Club will meet on July 10 to discuss These Precious Things, a collection of essays written by Ann Patchett. We'll meet in the Bluemont Room of the Arlington central library. The meeting will begin at 1:30 PM and last about an hour. 


All Encore Learning members are welcome.  If you would like to join the club, email info@encorelearning.net.

Community Events
 

Join Encore Learning and many other organizations and vendors at a free 55+ Fitness Day and Health Fair on Wednesday, May 31 from 10:00 AM - Noon at Lubber Run Community Center.


Click here for more information.

Come support our partner, the AASP Alliance, for a barbeque fundraiser on Tuesday, June 13 at Rocklands Barbeque. Bring a friend or two!


Click here for more info or to print the flyer.

Join Encore Learning at Pops In The Park


Be among your friends and neighbors with the Arlington Philharmonic at the Lubber Run Amphitheater on Sunday, June 25 at 5:00 PM. No ticket or advance registration is needed, donations are requested.


We'll have a table set up at the event so come say hello! Wear your Encore Learning name badge and receive a special gift! If you do not have a badge, email info@encorelearning.net by June 15 and we'll bring one for you.


Here is a link to the entire season line-up for the Arlington Philharmonic.

Staff Corner


This May has been a joy to wrap up the course semester and convene our 20th Annual Meeting. If you missed the event on May 18, I encourage you to watch the 45-minute meeting for a great recap of the year and an introduction to our new board members. I personally want to thank Tom Adams for serving as chair/emcee of the meeting and Mildred Patterson who has served as President since late March. We are fortunate to have your continued leadership.


The summer has exciting Special Events and clubs to checkout so there are many ways to stay in touch with Encore Learning. Look for us at the upcoming Health Fair on May 31 and the Pops in the Park on June 25.


The Fall 2023 Semester will be announced in early August; save the dates for the Preview on September 7, registration on September 11 and courses beginning October 2. You'll be delighted with what you can learn this fall.


Thank you for your ongoing volunteerism, support and kind words. Continue to tell your friends about the benefits of Encore Learning. The bargain, the friends and educational value can't be beat.


Lora Pollari-Welbes

Executive Director

Welcome To Our New Members

During April 2023, we welcomed some new members and look forward to having them become active participants in Encore Learning. Please introduce yourself to them if you meet them in a class, club or event. Welcome to our newest members:

  • Jasper Mathis
  • Susan Ross
  • Susan Tatum

THANK YOU to Joan Carter for referring a friend last month to Encore Learning. Thank you to the Membership Committee for their efforts to spread the word about Encore Learning. If you'd like to bring Encore Learning into your community (residential building or neighborhood) to share information about membership, let us know. Tell a friend about Encore Learning so you can see your name here!

Encore Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Any donation is a charitable contribution deductible from income tax to the full extent permitted by law. Members, friends and organizations wishing to support Encore Learning may direct contributions to our General Fund to support our sustainability or to the Arthur W. Gosling Youth Scholarship Fund. If you wish to designate a charitable gift in someone's honor or memory, please email us indicating how the gift should be recognized. If you would like to discuss tax benefits of charitable giving and charitable remainder trusts, please view our Donate page or contact the office.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Inside Scoop. If you would like to submit an article or share some photos of members participating in Encore Learning activities, please email us at info@encorelearning.net.

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 Lifelong Learning For Those Over 50