Celebration Lifelong Clubs – Fall-Winter 2024

Join us as we focus on topics and fun activities targeting all dimensions of brain health. Directly address every function of the brain, including attention, memory, motor skills, visual/spatial skills and executive abilities within the gentle encouragement of a friendly group setting. Receive the latest research updates, the most reliable information on a brain-healthy lifestyle and great suggestions on successfully incorporating brain training into everyday life. Learn to preserve all of your cognitive abilities to live independently and happily into your later years! (Meets every other month alternating with Wellness Club)

Facilitator: Alexis Saire

Meets Monthly During Club Week on Tuesdays, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

Do your diet and exercise plans fall apart after a few weeks or never get started at all? Would you like to achieve lasting improvement in areas of health and wellness such as fitness, nutrition, energy, quality sleep and stress management? Discover how to clarify your direction, create a realistic plan of action and make permanent lifestyle changes in a positive, non-judgmental group environment. The built-in support system of a group provides accountability, new perspectives and creative strategies to unlock your wellness potential. Be motivated, confident, and empowered as you travel on your journey to health and celebrate your achievements with your Wellness Club! (Meets every other month alternating with Brain Train Club)

Facilitator: Alexis Saire

Meets Monthly During Club Week on Tuesdays, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

2024: Commemorating Heritage, History, and Awareness Months

Hispanic Heritage Month
September 4 – The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (1984)

The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes — sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous — Sandra Cisneros’ masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery.

Italian American Heritage Month
October 2 – Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (2023)

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, so when he meets Julia Padavano, he falls in love with her and her big, loving, chaotic Italian family. An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it. An Oprah’s Book Club Pick, it was named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and Time.

Native American Heritage Month
October 30 – There, There by Tommy Orange (2018)

A Pulitzer Prize Finalist and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner, There, There is a wondrous and shattering novel that follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize.

Universal Human Rights Month
December 4 — Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017)

Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko follows four generations of Korean immigrants through struggles, trials, war, and death. In this historical novel, Lee forces the reader to consider what it means to belong to a community. “Pachinko reminds us of the fundamental need for human rights, especially among impoverished and minority communities.” – Luci Meade, Program Associate, Global Development Policy and Learning

January 8 – To be announced in December

February 5 – To be announced in December

Are you a good cook? Do you like to cook but always struggle with what to make? Or maybe you are like me–love to eat, love to cook great food, and always on the lookout for new recipes and ways of bringing new life to foods you eat every week.

In this club, guess what? We will meet and share recipes! We can highlight the holidays, feature individual food groups, and yes, we can discuss healthy eating and how to alter fattening recipes.

We meet outdoors under a rooftop so we can still have fun getting together and sharing the stories that make them special to us. I see a Celebration cookbook in the making!

Come join Meryl in this club adventure. Expand your taste buds and your recipe collection!

Facilitator: Meryl Rachlin

Meets Monthly During Club Week on Wednesdays, 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM

NOTE: This club will be held outdoors at the North Village Pavilion.