NEWS FROM CALL MARCH 2020

Sketch by Anne Lefebvre, member of the Tuesday Sketch Club

MARCH EVENTS

Public Policy Issues

Canadian Federalism in 2020

Join us for a special, three-part mini-series presented by Audrey Doerr, PhD. Audrey is a former academic who has published in the fields of Canadian government, Canadian federalism and Indigenous policy. She has also held senior positions in policy development and management with the federal government.

March 11, 18, 25
1:00 - 2:30 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Dr. NW

• Wed. March 11: Canadian Federalism: Where are we going?
• Wed. March 18: Is Alberta the lone cowboy of Confederation?
• Wed. March 25: How does Indigenous government fit in Canadian federalism?

March CALL Café: An Irish Tale for St. Paddy’s Day

Monday, March 9
1:00 to 3:00 pm - Program starts at 1:30
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Presenter: Brian Brennan
His Cork ancestors were famine survivors. Many lost their farms and homes, but escaped the hunger and avoided the workhouses by emigrating to North America.

Lunch & Learn

Ever wonder what goes on backstage at Theatre Calgary?
Save Saturday March 14 for the next Lunch & Learn.

Watch for registration.
** You must be a member of CALL to register

CALL Volunteers

by Mary Ndlovu

Volunteers are the lifeblood of CALL. Doubtless if you are a member you have received numerous notifications that volunteers are being sought for specific roles, and many of you have offered your time and energy. In fact, it is believed that about 1 in 4 members is volunteering for one activity or another.

For the past few years, Marika Kohut has been fulfilling the role of volunteer co-ordinator, ensuring that someone was recruited and in place for whatever special task had to be performed. This has been a very demanding position, but far from thankless, as we know how much energy Marika has expended for our benefit. As she steps down we wish to express our appreciation for all she has done to build this organization. Marika has been replaced by a team of four who will share the load of co-ordinating others. One of these will be fully occupied with the next Ukefest, already in the planning stages and requiring more volunteers.

Volunteers are everywhere, sitting on the board to make and implement policy, working in committees such as programmes, communications, membership, website, and finance. Some of these require special expertise, for example in finance or IT, others simply require commitment of time and ideas. There is someone responsible for organizing each of the Speaker Series, and someone managing each category of Interest Groups. Every group you belong to has at least one facilitator. And every time there is a CALL Café or a conference or special meeting, a team of tea-makers is in the kitchen and teams of furniture movers and IT managers in the meeting room.

Being a volunteer, in whatever role, deepens and enriches the CALL experience, develops friendships, and most of all, can be lots of fun. So don’t hesitate to sign up if you think you fit the bill. You will not regret it.

Interest Group News

• Medieval History - 1066 and Some of That - there is a new session starting March 3.
• Inner Peace and Joy starting March 26
• New Members welcome in the Indigenous Literature Discussion Group
• Want to Fly a Kite Indoors?
  The kite interest group has been flying indoors (soccer dome) twice a week since November. We are flying/learning mainly using stunt kites (two-line) but also fly single- and four-line kites. We will also be starting to fly outdoors, hopefully in April. If there is interest, we will conduct a kite flying school for beginning kite flyers or those wanting a ‘refresher’. This spring we will also be introducing kite fighting (North American style). Please contact the kite interest group facilitator for more information.

If you would like to propose a topic for a new program or interest group or become a facilitator, please e-mail program. You can also propose a new interest group verbally at a monthly CALL Café.

CALL Bus Trips

Keep your eyes open for bus trips that are being organized by CALL volunteers! You can find the information and a link for ticket purchase on the website listed under Upcoming on the Home Page. Three are now on the website. More to come!

• April: MEDALTA Medicine Hat Potteries ticket information available at the link
• May: Bear Valley Horse Rescue ticket information available at the link
• June: Rosebud Theatre ticket information available at the link

Music@Noon

Our partners at Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW, invite CALL members to join them for these Music@Noon concerts at the church:

• Friday March 27, 12:00 - 3:00: Perfect Cadence Wind Quintet
• Friday, April 24, 12:00 - 3:00: Claire Butler - Pianist

Concerts are free. Donations are accepted.

You are invited to join them for a hot lunch following the concert. Lunch is $7.00; you can reserve your spot at the table by one of the following methods:
Email music.at.noon@vapc.ca with your name and number in your party or
Call the office at 403-288-054

2021 Ukulele Festival Organizing Committee Volunteers

CALL is recruiting for key positions on the 2021 Ukulele Festival Organizing Committee. One does not have to be a Ukulele player!

Important decisions need to be made well in advance, so we're starting early. The event will comprise workshops, a concert open to the public, and perhaps a Community Theatre. The 2021 festival will be the third event organized by CALL.

The following 3 key positions need to be filled ASAP:

• Director
• Project Coordinator
• Venue Coordinator

The remaining 15 - 20 positions for the 2021 Organizing Committee will be filled later. There are many returning volunteers from previous festivals.

If any of the 3 key positions pique your interest, please email Volunteer Coordinator

April is Poetry Month

Join Readers Theatre in celebrating Poetry Month on Friday April 24 from 10.30-noon in Rm 310 at C-Space.

We will be reading a variety of poems and invite you to bring along a favourite poem to share with us. Or read us one of your own poems.

'Fake News' and the Future of Democracy

A Community Conference Sponsored by CALL

Saturday, May 9, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Doors open 9:00 AM
Cost: $40
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Advances in technology have enabled citizens to become better informed than ever before; however, they have also made it increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction: ‘Fake news’ is becoming a growth industry.

• A keynote address: Fact or Faux? On the Crisis of News and Democracy in a Tweet-As-You-Go Era by Dr. Maria Bakardjieva, Professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Film, University of Calgary, a specialist in media and democracy
• An expert panel
• Q & A
• Facilitator-led break-out groups

Come join the conversation! Coffee and lunch are included.
Space is limited, so register soon!

The following Speaker Series are free for CALL members. For some there is a $5 charge at the door for non-members. See the website for details. Guests are welcome. No registration is required.

Science and Environment

Bill C-69: Promises Made Vs Promises Kept

Tuesday, March 3
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Speaker: Joanna Skrajny, Conservation Specialist, Alberta Wilderness Association
Opinions about Bill C-69, Ottawa’s wide-ranging law amending the federal environmental protection regime, are many and varied. Joanna Skrajny, Conservation Specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, will walk through the history behind Bill C-69 and will discuss the implications of this new review process on our environment.

Building Calgary Communities

Calgary's Jewish Community

Friday, March 6
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Room 310, cSpace
1721-29 Ave. SW

Presenter: Harry Sanders
Like other Calgarians of diverse backgrounds, Jews have made notable contributions to city life. Though no more than two per cent of Calgary's population at its peak, the community and its members have engaged as fully as possible with the broader population.

Arts and Humanities

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Ordinary People

Friday, March 13
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Room 310, cSpace
1721-29 Ave. SW

Speaker: Doug Coats
Almost everyone in Canada has an immigration story in their family’s past. This is the story of my great-grandparents and grandparents, leaving England to start new lives in Manitoba in the 1880’s and then Alberta before it became a province.

Treks and Travels

South

Belize and Maya

Tuesday, March 10
7:30-9:00 pm
Haysboro Community Hall,
1204 89 Ave SW

Presenter: Terry Vulcano
Learn about Modern Belize and Ancient Maya from the presenter's extensive travels, work and volunteer experiences.

North

Oaxaca Mexico: The Day of the Dead

Wednesday, March 18
7:30-9:00 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Dr NW

Owen Tobert and Paul Fesko will talk about their week in Oaxaca Mexico during this holiday last November.
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is celebrated throughout Mexico. It is a multi-day holiday where family remember friends and family members who have died.

TED Talks

Viruses- Friendly and Otherwise

Friday, March 20,
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Room 310 cSpace
1721-29 Ave. SW

Facilitator: Joe Boivin
SARS, Zika, Ebola and now Covid-19 are all caused by viruses that are spread from animals to humans and also between humans. Learn more about the spread of these diseases and a possible new approach to treating diseases with viruses.

**Please note: Registration is limited to 25 people due to space limitations at cSpace. You should register early, but if your plans change please be kind enough to let us know ASAP. Our last talk had a few no-shows, which is unfair to those on the wait list. If this continues to be a problem, we will have to block the no-show from registering for the next talk.

Health and Wellness

Age Friendly Calgary

Tuesday, March 24
1:00 - 2:30 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Dr. NW

Presenter: Angie Catenacci, Age Friendly Coordinator Assistant
The Seniors Age-Friendly Strategy identified six priority areas that will help prepare our city for an aging population.

ARE YOU INTERESTED?

Fly Tying, Fly Fishing
There is a nucleus of an Interest group on Fly Tying and Fly Fishing within the CALL membership. There is a facilitator, now we want you if you would like to learn the craft or have expertise to share on the subject.

These are possible new Interest Groups in the works!
Ideas for new Bookclubs: Foreign Authors Translated; Biography and Memoirs; History.

Your CALL Newsletter

The CALL Newsletter is our way to communicate what's going on in our community. Did a recent Speaker Series presentation intrigue you? Write a review of it. Is your Interest Group doing amazing things? Let us know! We would like to include a variety of feature photos from interest groups.

If you have any ideas and suggestions, please submit them to newsletter@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity; not every submission will necessarily be published.

First Aid Kits in CALL Venues

CALL would like to draw your attention to the location of the First aid Kits in CALL Venues:

• CSpace: 1st floor (sink area) and 4th floor (storage area where the sink is). Sticker on the cupboard indicates their placement. Check in at the office for help. In addition, there is a small CALL First Aid Kit in the cupboard in Rm 310.
• Haysboro Community Centre: First Aid Kit is in the kitchen on the south wall.
• Marda Loop Community Centre: First Aid Kit is in the kitchen.
• Recreational Centre of Prominence Rise: looked after by the facilitator.
• St Mathews Church: In the room where the Shakespeare Course is held.
• St Stephen’s Anglican Church: A full-fledged First Aid Kit is available in the office. Band aids in the Accountability Room, also in the Sanctuary where the coats are hung – in the cupboard on the left hand side.
• Varsity Acres Church: They have a large First Aid Box very visible and accessible on the wall in the lobby area.
• Rosedale: There is a very small First Aid Kit at Rosedale in the CALL storage room, on the lower shelf to the left of the door.

The CALL kits are bright yellow. They are single use sterile kits with various sized bandages, a sterile gauze dressing with tape as well as a safety pin.

If you have to use the kit, please let us know so we can replace it with another sterile kit.

Lost and Found at cSpace

Have you lost anything in Room 310 at CSpace? A water bottle maybe? A hat? Some Notes? The Lost and Found is in the bottom drawer of the cabinet on the west wall in Room 310. Please check it out and retrieve what is yours.

Anything left after the end of March will be donated to charity.

Consider a Donation to CALL

As I hope you know, CALL is a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, so any donations will provide you with some tax relief.

Our membership fees are kept low so that everyone can afford to belong. While volunteers do all the work of CALL, there are expenses for renting space, insurance, honoraria and providing hospitality. Some these costs are rising sharply.

Anytime, a donation to CALL is always welcome.

We will provide tax receipts for donation $20 and more.

Please send a cheque made out to Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners to:
Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners
#310, 1721 – 29 Avenue SW
Calgary AB T2T 6T7

PARKING AT VARSITY ACRES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: 4612 VARSITY DRIVE NW

Be aware that the parking lot on the west side of the church has two entrances, but they do not link up and if there are no spots, you will have to back up to get out.

There is parking on the street along Varsity Drive as well as in the neighbourhood north of the Church. Turn north on Viscount Drive (the street just east of the Church), and drive past the signs that restrict parking (loading zones or parking by permit only) where you will find parking on the streets further away from Varsity Drive.

Be aware that the parking in the shopping centre across Varsity Drive is reserved for customers during business hours, but could be used in the evening. Varsity Community Centre, further east on Varsity Drive, is also a possibility for evening parking, but it may be required for its own activities.

PROBLEMS REGISTERING FOR INTEREST GROUPS?

If you are experiencing a problem, or nothing happens when you click the Register button for an Interest Group it is likely because there is no default email client set on the device (smartphone, desktop, tablet ..) you are using. A quick solution is to switch to a device which has a default email client set or to setup the default email client on the problem device.

FULL INTEREST GROUPS

If you are unable to join an Interest Group because it is full please leave your name at the registration email so CALL is able to judge demand for specific groups.

If you have ideas for Interest Groups you would like to see developed please email program@calgarylifelonglearners.ca with your suggestion along with any potential facilitators or resources you may be aware of.

Volunteers

Volunteers are the backbone of CALL. We sincerely thank all of our dedicated volunteers who have contributed and who continue to contribute in making CALL such a wonderfully diverse and interesting organization! We are truly lucky to have such a rich range of life experience in our membership. Your time and talent is immeasurable. Simply put… without YOU - our volunteers - CALL WOULD NOT EXIST!

As CALL is growing we have need for more people to help maintain the quality of what we offer. Take some time and get involved in CALL… meet new people, develop new friendships while providing valuable help. Please email Volunteer Coordinator.

CALL Interest Groups

CALL presents a growing and ever-changing list of Interest Groups. Members, working with the Program Committee volunteers, plan and organize groups to share interests, perspectives and knowledge.

Is there a topic you would like to explore? Contact the Program Committee program@calgarylifelonglearners.ca to discuss your ideas.

See the full list of current Interest Groups with detailed descriptions and information about signing up. Many continuing groups have space for new members and some groups are starting anew in January and looking for participants. If you are interested, check with the group facilitator. You must be a member of CALL to participate in Interest Groups.