Michigan Friends Center (MFC) in Chelsea, Michigan

Past Program Schedule

Spring 2008

For More Information

Saturday, March 15 / 10am-noon

Learn Pysanky! The ancient Eastern European art of Egg Decoration

Cost is $10; $5 additional, per person for family ($25 max)

Materials fee: $10 for complete starter set to use and take home; extra family member materials fee $5 per person

This workshop will be led by local artist, Nicole Pangas Henry. Nicole will demonstrate this ancient egg decorating technique that uses non-edible, permanent dyes with a process similar to batik. Participants will learn the basic processes from start to finish and be able to take home a finished pysanka or two and have the supplies and instructions to continue making pysanky at home.

Nicole is a visual artist living in Chelsea. She has studied art at the LaCoste School of the Arts in France, the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, The Cleveland Institute of Art, and the College for Creative Studies. She spent a year as Artist in Residence at Pewabic Pottery in Detroit. Her work has been exhibited throughout Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. She includes the Cleveland Institute of Art, Pewabic Pottery and the College for Creative Studies among her teaching credits. You can view her work at www.nicolepangas.com

Friday, March 28 / 9am-5pm

Reconstructing Life Stories as Outreach Programs for Older Adults with Sally Lawler

Cost: $100.00 including lunch, snacks and handouts; pre-registration required.

This program has been created for library and museum staff interested in expanding outreach programs to seniors as well as professional and family caregivers working with elders.  The course will include an overview of narrative therapy, life review, reminiscence, and guided autobiographical writing groups;  leadership training in guiding others to tell their story;  a reflective understanding of our own journey;  and use of photographs and life stories in memory books.

March 30 / 1-3:30pm

Islam: Interpretations and Controversies by Paul Kubicek

Cost: $15

Paul Kubicek is Professor of Political Science at Oakland University, where he teaches, among other courses, Middle Eastern Politics. He has also taught in Ukraine, Turkey, Austria, and Slovenia. The program will feature reading and discussion of materials from the Koran, Islamic thinkers, and Western scholars of Islam. 

April 11-June 6 / Two sessions to choose from 1-3pm or 3-5pm

Reconstructing Life Stories with Sally Lawler

Cost: $80

Learn how to create your autobiography in an eight week writing class for older adults led by University of Michigan Library's subject specialist in gerontology, Sally Lawler. No class on May 9. 

Sally Haines Lawler, B.A., B.S., A.M.L.S.,  and Specialization in Aging Certificate; Social Work Public Services Librarian.  Since childhood Sally has been interested in reminiscence, first inspired by her grandmother who was born in 1879. She elicits stories about grandparents to begin guided autobiographical writing groups at the Ann Arbor District Library, highlighting the social and historical issues inherent in those stories. Recently she has been gathering life stories and assembling memory books with digital images and family photographs for memory-impaired patients and their caregivers. Her experience and education have convinced her that life review is an effective intervention with health, social, and community benefits, appropriate for library and museum outreach programs, as well as within home and institutional caregiver services.  Contact Information:

Sally Haines Lawler, Public Services Librarian
Social Work Library, University of Michigan
B700 School of Social Work Building
1080 South University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
cell phone: 734 474-2041; email: slawler@umich.edu

April 19 / 12-5pm

Family Peace Day with Motive Peace

Cost is $15 per family (may be deducted from your fee should you enroll in MFC summer camp.)

Join us on Saturday, April 19, 12-5pm, for an introduction to the work of Motive Peace for the whole family.  Participants will have the opportunity to choose from activities to improve peace-making and conflict resolution skills.  Families will have fun working towards peace:  thinking, singing, laughing and playing together.  Pre-registration required. Cost is $15 per family and this may be deducted from your fee should you enroll in either MFC camp. Pre-registration required.

April 25 / 6-9pm

Earth Day Celebration and Kick off party

Cost is $15 to support Earth Day. 

This fundraiser will draw together the community of Chelsea to kick-off the first Earth Day festival.   Join us for dinner as we honor members of the community who are doing the work of environmental stewardship and celebrate the efforts of those who have created this new community festival. 

May 3 / 1:30 – 3:30 pm

Rev. Bob Brown speaks on his friendship with Arun Gandhi

Cost is $10 - suggested donation

Bob Brown will share what he has learned from Arun Gandhi, Mathatma Gandhi's grandson, of Mathatma Gandhi's thought and his understanding of the nature of violence. Based on these principles he will discuss how we might begin to move towards a culture of nonviolence.  There will be opportunity for interactions and questions.  

Bob Brown's interest in nonviolence began in high school during World War II and continued as he prepared for ordained ministry in The Methodist Church. At that time Mohandas K. Gandhi was at the climax of leading the nonviolent movement toward Indian independence from Great Britain.  In reading about Mohandas Gandhi's work and his success in applying this approach, Bob Brown became convinced that nonviolent resistance was not only workable, even on an international scale, but that it was also completely in keeping with his Christian faith.  This conviction has guided him throughout 62 years of ministry and beyond.

In 2004 he heard a lecture given by Dr. Arun Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. This led Bob and his daughter to join the Gandhian Legacy Tour.  In 2005 they spent nineteen eventful days in India under Arun Gandhi's leadership.  Since then he has been in regular correspondence and had multiple meetings with Arun Gandhi. He now feels it is his privilege to share with others what he has learned from Arun Gandhi about Mohandas Gandhi's concept of nonviolence.