Friday, March 28
Reconstructing Life Stories as Outreach Programs for Older Adults with Sally Lawler, 9am-5pm.
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.

April 11-June 6
Reconstructing Life Stories – with Sally Lawler
Two sessions to choose from 1-3pm or 3-5pm. 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

March 30
Islam: Interpretations and Controversies, 1-3:30pm 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 19
Family Peace Day with Motive Peace, 12-5pm.
Cost is $15 per family (may be deducted from your fee should you enroll in MFC summer camp.)

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.

April 25
Earth Day Celebration and Kick off party 6-9pm.
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
Rev. Bob Brown speaks on his friendship with Arun Gandhi, 1:30 – 3:30 pm.
Cost is $15 - 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.

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