Are you looking for a noon-time activity that teaches, inspires or entertains? Join us on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Forest Hills Community/Senior Center for The Learning Cafe!
Reserve your spot today through DigitalSignup or call (616) 493-8950.
Free Videos to Watch and Enjoy!
Watch interesting videos of Learning Café presenters and musicians. Click on each program’s link to view the video. Some handouts are also included as a PDF document. Closed-captions/subtitles are available on most of the presentation videos (click on “CC”).
Wellness, History, and Lifestyle Videos
- “Better Balance and Stability” by Sally Talbot
- “Topiary Tales” by Ian Warnock
- “Castles of West Ireland” by Tom Buettner
- “Six Pillars of Brain Health” by Jennifer Feuerstein
- “Mercy Health: Strokes and TIAs”
- “Looking Up When Life is Pushing You Down” by Dave Kampfschulte
- Download Handout/Notes
- This program is sponsored by Aquinas’ OLLI program
- “Mathias Alten’s Grand Rapids Connection” Presented by Dr. Ellen Adams
- “History of Transportation in Grand Rapids” by Caroline Cook
- “Chair Yoga” with Kathy Julien
- “Pottery Demonstration” by Rita Shields
- “Chicken Tortellini Soup: Big Flavor, Smaller Portions” Cooking Demo with Syndy Sweeney
- “Healthy Cooking for One or Two” by Laura Lauinger RD
- “Grand History of River City” by Caroline Cook
- “Power of Positivity” with Ray Paget
- Download Handout/Notes
- Ray is with the Holland Home Speaker’s Bureau
- “How to Hear What’s Not Being Said” with Dave Kampfschulte
- Download Handout/Notes
- This program is sponsored by Aquinas’ OLLI program
- “Turning Loss into Found” with Ray Paget
- Download Handout/Notes
- Ray is with the Holland Home Speaker’s Bureau
- “The Science of Happiness” by Tim Cusack
- Sponsored by AARP Michigan
- “Downsizing Made Easy” by Laura Kelso
- “Teddy Roosevelt and His Nature Legacy” by John Pinheiro
- Sponsored by Cascade Trails Senior Living
- “Understanding and Overcoming Arthritis” by Sally Talbot
- “Power of Story” by Dave Kampfschulte
Music Performance Videos
- “Great American Songbook” with Robin Connell
- “Johnny Cash: An American Legend” Performed by Leonard Kurtz and Anna Kurtz
- “We’ll Meet Again Music Program” with Mary Rademacher, Tom & Cherie Lynn Hagen
- “Songs of Mercer & Carmichael” by Tom & Cherie Lynn Hagen
- “Easy Listening Music by Leonard Kurtz”
- “Mary Rademacher and Mark Kahny”
- “Music by Christopher Sloan”
- “Music by the Dusty Chaps” featuring Dale Thomas, Tom Davis, and Luke Lenhart
The Sharing Café
Here’s an opportunity for our senior citizens to share more about themselves with fellow Learning Café friends! The Sharing Café provides a free, one-on-one session that gives a senior the opportunity to be video recorded telling their own short story.
In a relaxed environment at the Fine Arts Center, you will be seated in front of the camera. There will not be anyone else in the room besides you and the camera operator. Don’t worry about sounding just right or about making any mistakes. We have the capability of editing the video!
Topics could be (but not limited to):
- Lesson(s) learned as a child
- Important history which you lived through
- An unforgettable trip you took
- Fun or funny experiences you’ve had
- Favorite family memories
- Words of wisdom for the next generation
- How you overcame hardship
- Examples of artwork/crafts you’ve made
- Other “show and tell” items
To help during your video recording, please be prepared. Only a 10-20 minute story, please. Perhaps bring a written version of it, along with one or two photos, to the recording session. You can either read your story, or tell it in a conversational manner.
If you bring a photo or two, we will take a snapshot and edit the photo(s) directly into the video. If it’s a “show and tell,” bring only a small selection of the items with you.
A couple of weeks later, your short video will be uploaded onto the Forest Hills Community Services’ website. It’ll be placed in a special category next to the Learning Café videos for all to see!
Fellow Learning Café attendees (and family members and friends) will be able to access and watch your video. You can share the free video link with anyone you wish. No username or password is required.
You may register for a video recording time slot by calling our office at (616) 493-8950.
