• The Jollytologist: Film and Q&A with Sky Bergman

• The Jollytologist® reminds us that laughter isn’t just a reaction—it’s a powerful tool for hope and healing.

  This film is more than a portrait of one man’s life—it’s a call to rediscover joy in the most unexpected places. Allen Klein has spent decades helping people cope with loss, illness, and adversity through humor. His message is both timely and timeless: even in our darkest hours, we can find light through humor and laughter.

  The Jollytologist® celebrates the human spirit and shows how small moments of positivity and humor—what Allen calls “mini-miracles”—can transform our lives. Whether you’re facing personal challenges or just looking for a smile, this film offers inspiration, wisdom, and joy.

   

  The filmmaking is being led by Sky Bergman, a nationally broadcast PBS filmmaker whose work has touched the lives of millions. Her film Lives Well Lived, currently airing on PBS, celebrates the wisdom of older adults from 75-100. Her latest documentary, The Mochi Movie includes George Takei, perhaps best known for his role in Star Trek.
  
  Sky creates films that connect, inspire, and celebrate the richness of the human experience. At the heart of every film is a belief in the impact of shared stories to foster empathy, understanding, and a more connected world.
   

   

• Instructor: Sky Bergman

  Capacity Remaining: 100

• Dates: 9/18/2026 - 9/18/2026

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: F

• Building: Richmond Visual Arts Center

  Room: Room 2008

• Fees: Free, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to fully RSVP

• 107 Days at Sea: The Journey that Changed Everything - Author Talk

• At 63, Jill Siegal Chalsty boarded a ship alone, grieving her husband’s death, facing breast and lung cancer, and unsure what the next chapter of her life would hold. What began as a 107-day voyage around the world became far more than a trip—it became a journey of healing, rediscovery, and renewed purpose.

  In this course, Jill shares the story behind her debut memoir Packets of Hope: A Journey of Healing and Rediscovery, inviting participants to travel alongside her through the ports she visited, the people she met, and the reflections that transformed personal adversity into strength and global impact. She also shares her “packets of hope”—envelopes filled with free life skills resources from her nonprofit, Overcoming Obstacles—that she delivered along the way. After the voyage, Jill’s journey continued. In her second memoir, Packets of Hope: The Journey Continues, she recounts traveling across Europe, expanding her mission to educators and ministers of education while facing cruelty, disdain, and prejudice that tested her resolve.

  Through storytelling and reflection, Jill demonstrates how one person’s courage and service can create ripples of hope that span continents and generations. Participants are encouraged to read her first memoir, available for free at www.packetsofhope.com , before the presentation.

   

• Instructor: Jill Chalsty

  Capacity Remaining: 100

• Dates: 10/23/2026 - 10/23/2026

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: F

• Building: Richmond Visual Arts Center

  Room: Room 2008

• Fees: Free, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to fully RSVP

• Brain Games SIG

• Keep your brain stimulated with challenges that have you thinking way outside the box to solve picture, number, and word puzzles. You will enjoy laughing and discussing how we are "programmed" in our thinking. Feel free to challenge the group with your Brain Games.

   

• Instructor: Norman Bober

  Capacity Remaining: 5

• Dates: 8/13/2026 - 12/10/2026

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 5

  Days: Th

• Building: Consumers Credit Union

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

   

  Meets the 2nd Thursday of every month from 10 a.m. to Noon. at Consumers Credit Union, 1900 S Drake Road. Kalamazoo MI

• Addressing the Metacrisis

• There are numerous crises currently facing humanity, including: climate change, poverty, wars, political polarization. There are many thought leaderssaying that we must change our thinking, or our basic worldview, to have a chance of dealing with these challenges. One of the basic changes is therealization that these are all interconnected and based on our current way of thinking. We will investigate and discuss various points of view, and howthey might help us to develop a path forward that sustains our species.

   

• Instructor: Robin Skitt

  Capacity Remaining: 18

• Dates: 8/12/2026 - 12/31/2026

  Times: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

• Sessions: 0

  Days:

• Building:

  Room:

• Meets Monthly, Dates TBD

  Contact Robin Skitt for more details raskitt11@gmail.com

• German Language

• Sprechen sie Deutsch? If you have taken the German courses offered by OLLI, or have taken at least one year of college or high school German, you are welcome in this group.

   

• Instructor: Gail Ledbetter

  Capacity Remaining: 19

• Dates: 8/1/2026 - 12/31/2026

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 0

  Days: F

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

  Fridays - On going

• Downsize or Declutter for the Life of Me

• “Declutter or Downsize for the Life of Me”, meets monthly to address the practical and emotional sides of simple decluttering or full-out downsizing, including what questions to ask ourselves, where to donate, how to get help, what works, what doesn’t, and actions to begin immediately. Whether you need to clear out a single drawer or an entire household, the same tips and methods apply. So, please join us for motivation and inspiration, as we explore and celebrate a simpler life together!

   

• Instructor: Niki Nimmo

  Capacity Remaining: 15

• Dates: 8/7/2026 - 12/11/2026

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 0

  Days: F

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

  Meets the First Friday of Every Month from 1 to 3 p.m. at Kalamazoo Therapy Group - Meeting Room. 1901 Parkview Avenue, Suite 1. Kalamazoo, MI 49008

• Introduction to Film

• This SIG is a result of the current collaboration with the Kalamazoo Film Society and Celebration Cinema, located in Portage behind the Crossroads Mall, which began in July 2017. This SIG will analyze the writing, music, cinematography, editing, and direction of selected film screenings. Because dates and films are scheduled a month in advance, those who register will be given specific information by email or a phone call as soon as it is available. The discussion will take place after the midweek afternoon matinee. As time allows, we will also discuss film theory and how it has influenced current filmmakers. The SIG is free, but there is a charge for the films; members of the Kalamazoo Film Society pay less. Go to www.kalamazoofilmsociety.com for further information about the KFS.

   

• Instructor: Michael Marchak

  Capacity Remaining: 10

• Dates: 12/31/2026 - 12/31/2026

  Times: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

• Sessions: 0

  Days:

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

  Dates TBD

• Virtual Happy Hour

• Do you suffer from the winter doldrums and find yourself inside more than outside? Missing events and friends due to the weather being cold, gray and snowy?

  You now have an antidote to your OLLI at WMU membership! Join the new “Virtual Happy Hour” via Zoom. What’s a Virtual Happy Hour, you ask? It’s an online group of folks who bring their favorite beverage and discuss a pre-determined topic with each other or with a special guest.

  OLLI at WMU's Virtual Happy Hour starts anew from November 2026 through April 2027, the 2nd Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m.!   OLLI members are invited to join this SIG that is designed for people wanting to get to know OLLI members better as well as being educational and fun, with interesting topics discussed each time.  It lasts from 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours depending on how many people are attending.  Judy Sivak, Co-Chair of the Membership/Marketing Team is hosting the group via Zoom.  You can sign up when you register for classes or  by contacting Judy directly at judysivak@gmail.com.  You will then receive an email with the Zoom link the week of the meeting. 

   

• Instructor: Judy Sivak

  Capacity Remaining: 17

• Dates: 11/12/2026 - 2/11/2027

  Times: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

• Sessions: 4

  Days: Th

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

• EDISON: EDucation IS ON - Resident Scholars Group

• The EDISON: EDucation IS ON – Resident Scholars Group is a new Special Interest Group (SIG) of the WMU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The purpose of this SIG is to increase engagement of OLLI members in the exploration, research, interpretation, and discussion of the history, heritage, and culture of the Edison neighborhood. Edison is Kalamazoo’s largest and most diverse neighborhood. It is often defined by its challenges of high poverty, crime, health disparities, struggling academic achievement, and low literacy rates instead of the opportunities and innovation that is taking place through the resilience and action of its people. This SIG envisions the Edison neighborhood as a learning neighborhood by interpreting its characteristics through a humanities lens that includes educational, historical, and cultural perspectives.

  The Edison Resident Scholars meet monthly at Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan at 420 E. Alcott Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001. Meeting times vary, but are on evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This group is committed to building a healthy, safe, and inviting community through participation and representation and are dedicated to learning and leadership in the Edison neighborhood. They represent the diverse community in which they live, work, and play. This includes a diversity of thought, backgrounds, and lived experience. They represent people with less than a high school diploma, to high school diploma and general educational development, to college graduates. They are committed members of their community, living in the Edison neighborhood for an average of 15 to 20 years. The Edison Resident Scholars are committed to making sustainable changes to their neighborhood. They are engaged in community-based research to inform policy that shapes the environment in their community and changes the perception of their neighborhood.

   

• Instructor: Michael Evans

  Capacity Remaining: 30

• Dates: 8/12/2026 - 12/31/2026

  Times: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

• Sessions: 0

  Days: F

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

  Monthly meeting dates vary but are always from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at Goodwill Industries of SW Michigan, 420 E Alcott St, Kalamazoo MI 49001

• Photography

• This newly organized SIG brings together OLLI members who are excited about photography and wish to share their experiences and learn from others. The group will look at examples of each other’s work and share constructive suggestions. We also share techniques for taking photos (whether on smart phones or dedicated cameras), for editing and organizing images and displaying our work

   

• Instructor: Gillian Stoltman, Carole Smith

  Capacity Remaining: 47

• Dates: 8/12/2026 - 12/16/2026

  Times: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

• Sessions: 0

  Days:

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

  For More Information contact, Gillian Stoltman and Carole Smith at: gillianstoltman@gmail.com or carolesmith@chartermi.net

• Play Pétanque Monday Mornings!

• Come ready to play because playing is the best way to learn this game! Pétanque and bocce are similar in that the goal is to be closer to the target than your opponent, scoring with as many of your team’s boules as possible. Pétanque doesn’t require a strong athlete to toss the baseball-sized boules, which are smaller, lighter, and made of steel. Played outside on a gravel terrain, teams of two or three players work together using six balls per team. You’ll learn the terms, rules, throwing techniques, and strategies hands-on during gameplay.

   

• Instructor: Martha Beverly, Stanley Sackett

  Capacity Remaining: 16

• Dates: 8/17/2026 - 11/30/2026

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 15

  Days: M

• Building: KVCC Texas Township Campus

  Room:

• We play weekly on Mondays, 10 a.m. to Noon.

  Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

• Readers Theater Comes Alive

• Ready to meet great people and tap into your dramatic side? Join the OLLI Reader’s Theater. No experience? No problem! No memorization required—just show up, have fun, and bring scripts to life with your voice. Whether you're a natural performer or simply curious, this group is your chance to laugh, learn, and shine.

  Schedule: Wednesdays, ongoing, 1 to 3 p.m.

  Location: Parkview Hills Clubhouse

   

• Instructor: Mary VanDerMaas

• Dates: 8/12/2026 - 12/31/2026

  Times: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

• Sessions: 0

  Days:

• Building:

  Room:

• Fees: Free to members, registration is required. You must sign in to your account to verify membership before the add to cart button will appear.

This class is full. Please use the button below to be added to the waitlist.