UWRA Monthly Bulletin - March 2025
- The UWRA Monthly Bulletin: this is our third bulletin of the year. What do you think?
- Events Calendar: This is a new feature on our website to help you stay up to date on all UWRA activities.
- UWRA Spring Luncheon is being held on March 18 at Village at University Gates.
- Giving Back, Moving Forward: Volunteerism in Retirement: UWRA is hosting a panel of four community volunteers on March 25 to offer valuable perspectives for anyone considering how to make the most of their retirement through meaningful service.
- Have a passion you鈥檇 love to share with other retirees? We want to facilitate an ongoing series of enriching exchanges. Let鈥檚 celebrate the diverse experiences and talents within our community鈥攂ecause we all have a story worth sharing!
- Take a garden tour through the British Isles with Dr. Allan Armitage: He will share his experience, expertise and wonderful photography as we walk (Zoom) with him through gardens in Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Wales Australia and Canada, to name but a few.
- Bloom(in)Box: Just on time for spring, this fundraiser offers all-in-one garden kits to help you grow a garden, no matter what conditions it weathers!
- Free Store Seed Library is a new Sustainability Office initiative to promote sustainable food systems, enhance food security, and support biodiversity within our community.
- Pain holding you back? A back pain and sciatic workshop is planned for April 12 with Ryan Wark from SOS Physiotherapy.
- Volunteers needed Psychology, Convocation and CEE want your help.
- Mark your calendar
- Resource of the month
- On campus lecture: 鈥淢oving Forward Together: The Power of Collaboration鈥 - The Global Engagement Seminar: Finding Our Future City - Health, Housing, and Humanity has opened its lectures to the public. The final lecture takes place March 12 on campus.
- Did you know?
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The UWRA Monthly Bulletin! We love letting you know what鈥檚 happening and what鈥檚 coming up for U蓝莓视频 retirees. Let us know if you鈥檙e still enjoying the Monthly Bulletin. Look here for contact information for your Board of Directors. You can also send ideas and comments to UWRA.President@uwaterloo.ca.
New! Bookmark our shiny-new Events Calendar so that you are in the know with all UWRA activities, such as upcoming Brew Crew and ski trail dates. The calendar includes both one-time and ongoing activities for retirees so be sure to check back often!
The annual UWRA Spring Luncheon is being planned for March 18 at the Village at University Gates. Guest speaker Shabnam Ivkoviic has titled her talk, 鈥淢eet the future 鈥 A front seat to an evolving technology landscape. Sounds fascinating! This event is SOLD OUT.
Join us on March 25 from 1 to 3 p.m. for Giving Back, Moving Forward: Volunteerism in Retirement when four individuals will share their personal experiences and insights into the profound impact of volunteerism鈥攐n themselves, the organizations they serve, and society at large. This session promises to be engaging and inspiring, offering valuable perspectives for anyone considering how to make the most of their retirement through meaningful service. There are two ways to join this event: come to the Renison College 鈥 Dunker Family Lounge and pay $10 each OR attend virtually for $5. Register today!
We鈥檙e excited to introduce a new UWRA initiative鈥攁n opportunity for retirees, staff, and faculty to come together and share their passions, experiences, and research with one another. This will be a chance to connect, inspire, and learn in a welcoming and engaging environment. Do you have a special hobby鈥攇ardening, painting, cooking, music, or something unique? Have you had a memorable travel experience, an ongoing research project, or a fascinating story from living abroad? We鈥檇 love to hear about it!
You can participate in two ways:
- 鈥 Join the conversation 鈥 Share your passion in an informal gathering with fellow UWRA members.
- 鈥 Write an article 鈥 If you鈥檇 prefer, submit an article for possible inclusion in WATTIMES.
- How to Get Involved
- 鈥 Vera Golini is leading this initiative. Email Vera at vgolini1974@gmail.com with your ideas. Vera will coordinate responses and arrange a time, date, and location for our first gathering.
We hope this will evolve into an ongoing series of enriching exchanges. Let鈥檚 celebrate the diverse experiences and talents within our community鈥攂ecause we all have a story worth sharing!
UWRA is delighted to host its next distinguished speaker, Dr. Allan Armitage, one of the world鈥檚 leading horticulturists. You鈥檙e invited to hear him present Great Gardens of the British Isles on April 2, 2025. Dr. Armitage has led tours to some of the planet鈥檚 most extraordinary gardens for over 30 years. From 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. via Zoom, he will share his experience, expertise and wonderful photography as we walk with him through gardens in Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Wales Australia and Canada, to name but a few. His photos have been featured in books and plant tags and his garden app, Armitage鈥檚 Great Garden Plants is widely used by retailers, landscapers and gardeners throughout North America. Learn more about Dr. Armitage. The cost for this presentation is $10 and registration is required.
Bloom(in)Box: Do you want to grow a garden with native flower to attract different kinds of bees and other pollinators? Reep Green Solution鈥檚 annual Spring plant fundraiser offers all-in-one garden kits to help you grow a garden, no matter what conditions it weathers! All proceeds from this fundraiser go towards helping people live sustainably.
The Sustainability Office has announced a Free Store Seed Library, a new initiative to promote sustainable food systems, enhance food security, and support biodiversity within our community. The Seed Library will offer free access to native wildflower and grass seeds, and non-invasive fruit and vegetable seeds, empowering members to grow their own gardens and cultivate a meaningful connection with nature. To build the library, the Sustainability Office welcomed members of the university community to stop by the Sustainability Office (CPH 2385) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. to donate seeds. The official launch of the Free Store Seed Library is March 6!
A Back Pain and Sciatic Workshop is being presented by SOS Physiotherapy at their Northfield location on Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 am. This session will cover the top three causes of low back injury and sciatic nerve entrapment, the biggest mistake people with back pain make, and what proper low back treatment looks like. There will also be three or four simple exercises to help address your tight areas and lower back aches and pains. These workshops typically run approximately one hour and ample time for questions and discussions at the end.
- 鈥 an online exercise psychology study that is investigating physical activity decision making in older adults
- 鈥 Spring 2025 Convocation: Watch for details on how retirees can become ambassadors for Convocation, which takes place June 10 to 14
- 鈥 Help shape a student鈥檚 career success! Co-operative & Experiential Education (CEE) is looking for volunteers for a variety of student coaching and mentoring opportunities that would require approximately 6-12 hours of time three times a year. Volunteers can commit to a specific term or for the year as their schedule allows. As more and more students find themselves struggling to start their co-op journey, your time and efforts will make a lifelong impression on their careers. Volunteers often find this experience deeply rewarding and impactful. By participating, you can inspire and support the next generation and share your valuable experience and insights. To volunteer, please email Suman Armitage at suman@uwaterloo.ca by March 25. You will be consulted on your time availability to create a customized volunteer experience that values your contribution and allows for flexibility. Thank you for considering this opportunity. We are truly grateful for your support and look forward to working with you.
- 鈥 The UWRA 2025 AGM is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, when new governance documents will be presented for members鈥 approval. Please plan to attend. Visit the UWRA Events Calendar for these and other events and presentations.
- 鈥 Registration is now open for this year鈥檚 CURAC National Conference, which will be in Montreal, May 21-23, hosted by McGill. Don't miss this opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, make new acquaintances, share valuable information about your associations, and partake in presentations by local academics based on the conference theme, The Well-Being of the Person, the Community and the Planet. This will be the first CURAC conference that will offer simultaneous translation and the opportunity to join virtually. Check out CURAC鈥檚
Events Calendar for other upcoming activities.
Resource of the month: McMaster Optimal Aging Portal is a source for healthy aging information you can trust. Their new video posts feature McMaster experts discussing a wide range of topics related to healthy aging. Featuring: Insomnia and sleep disorders: Understanding and managing these as we age. Sleep problems are common in older adults and can include difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia), breathing problems, or abnormal behaviours during sleep. In this webinar recording, geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Sophiya Benjamin provides an overview of both the causes and effects of poor sleep, exploring disorders and medications associated with sleep disturbances.
Moving Forward Together: The Power of Collaboration - Retirees are invited to hear Sandy Little, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the City of 蓝莓视频, explore linkages between housing, health (with a focus on planetary health specific to climate change), and humanity highlighting homelessness and the importance of connecting and collaborating with municipal divisions, other levels of government, and community strategic partners in this work. Everyone is welcome to attend this final lecture in the 2025 Global Engagement Seminar Speaker Series - no registration required! This lecture takes place on Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Arts Lecture (AL) 208 and will include a talk and Q&A.
Did you know? WATtimes is turning 30! We are planning ways to mark this milestone so stay tuned.
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