News & Updates

There’s good news today! The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond is excited to announce two free Open University online classes!

William Neer, curatorial assistant for exhibitions, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will teach Japanese Prints in History, Art, and Popular Culture on Monday, May 11, and Monday, May 18.

Colleen Yarger, assistant curator, European Art and the Mellon Collections, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will teach Modern Masters of Printmaking on Thursday, May 14, and Thursday, May 21.

These FREE classes are held online using Zoom to connect teacher and student. Never used (or heard of) Zoom before? No problem. To get you up and running, TSCOR’s Lifelong Learning Coordinator, Erin Reibel, will hold two Zoom tutorials next week on Monday, May 4 and Thursday, May 7. Take the tutorials, get your thinking caps out, find your school supplies, and we’ll virtually see YOU at the OU!

For complete information read here.

Questions? Please contact Erin Reibel at ereibel@tscor.org

Today is the last post in honor of National Volunteer Week, but it is not the last day we celebrate the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond volunteers.

We have one very important fact left to visit: there are 245 TSCOR volunteers.* That’s 245 people contributing 245 diverse skill sets, 245 passions and interests, 245 pairs of busy hands, and 245 good hearts, all with 245 different reasons why they choose to volunteer. Two hundred and forty-five outstanding volunteers – that’s something to celebrate every day. And everyone on the receiving end of these gifts, the time these volunteers give, from clients and students, to travelers, members and donors, knows this to be true.

TSCOR volunteers make a difference. Thank you for the contributions of your time, heart, and skill. Happy National Volunteer Week!!!

*For more info, see TSCOR’s Annual Report here.

Everyone knows it takes a village to…raise a nonprofit? Well, that’s a variation on a theme, but the sentiment holds true. If you prefer a horse of a different color you could just as easily say, “All hands on deck” or, “There is no I in team.” It all means the same thing: everyone takes part in the work before them. In this matter, board and committee volunteers of the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond are no different, but they are exceptional.

Facts are our friends, so let’s visit them often: 18 board members and 50 committee members, working across 11 committees, carrying out the mission of TSCOR.*  Those committees are: Board Governance, Client Services, Development, Diversity, Education, Executive, Finance, Investment, Hospitality, Public Relations and Travel (don’t forget Travel – what other committee gets you to Broadway and the White House?). This is our village and our volunteers raised this nonprofit well.

TSCOR volunteers make a difference. Thank you for the contributions of your time, heart, and skill.

*For more info, see TSCOR’s Annual Report here.

Raise your hand if you love Open University.

That’s a lot of hands! Part of the mission of the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond is “encouraging older adults to remain active and independent through enrichment programs.” This part of the mission is upheld through many, many (many) hours of planning, coordination, scheduling, instruction and dedication by volunteers who make the Open University come to life.

Let’s look at some fun facts. Last fiscal year, 130 instructors taught 270 students and provided 49 presentations, 29 courses and 60 lunch speakers.* And don’t forget those on the sidelines as well as behind-the-scenes; from the moment you walk in the door with a greeting from a helpful front-desk volunteer, to the “my-wasn’t-that-visual-presentation-well-done,” to the piece of cake you sit down to at lunch, every minute is made possible by volunteers. Now, who feels enriched? Raise your hand.

TSCOR volunteers make a difference. Thank you for the contributions of your time, heart, and skill.

*For more info, see TSCOR’s Annual Report here.

Today we continue to celebrate volunteers of the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond and to honor their dedication to TSCOR’s mission.

As we draw closer to the end of this fiscal year, let’s take a quick look at the previous year (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) and reflect on some incredible numbers: 72 volunteer drivers gave 210 clients 1,348 free rides to medical appointments and grocery stores.*  

This happened – and continues to happen – because TSCOR drivers are a special kind of volunteer. Our clients are endlessly grateful for what these volunteers provide: independence, companionship, access to health care and food, dignity, safety, and love. To see them in action, watch the driver video here. (Many thanks to the entire fleet of determined volunteers involved in the successful creation of this video!)

TSCOR volunteers make a difference. Thank you for the contributions of your time, heart, and skill.

*For more info, see TSCOR’s Annual Report here.

 

 

Do you know an entire week is dedicated to celebrating volunteers? April 19 – 25th is National Volunteer Week!  It was first conceived in Canada in 1943 as a way to celebrate the contribution made by women on the home front to the war effort, and was established in the United States via a Presidential Proclamation, signed by Richard Nixon in 1974. But, anyone involved with the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond – from clients and students, to members and donors – does NOT need a signed presidential proclamation to know how WONDERFUL OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE! So, to celebrate, all week we’ll be posting about the joys of volunteering – because OUR volunteers bring joy to all.

 

 

It seems that the email version of my posts about Betsy’s course doesn’t like her photo – it keeps sending a link in its place.  So sorry!  Here is the information without the photo.  To see Betsy’s picture, it is displaying correctly on the “Blog/Latest News” tab on our website.

Online Art History: More than Just Stuff: Understanding Signs & Symbols in Paintings, Part 1

Friday, March 27, 12:00 pm ET (11:00 am CT)

Presented by Betsy Solomon, MA, Art Historian;  Executive Director, Shepherd’s Center of Webster-Kirkwood;  Chair, Shepherd’s Centers of America

Description: Animals, plants and objects of all kinds – these items are not simply incidental details in paintings.  They reveal layers of meaning that help us to fully understand masterworks.  We will explore the meaning that lies beneath symbols in a selection of well known, and a few lesser known, works of art.

To sign-up:

• email your name to bsolomon@shepherdscenter-wk.org
• subject line should read “Art History”

You will receive an email back with instructions on how to login to Zoom for the online lecture on your computer or smart phone.

I’ve been keeping my eyes open for useful things to share with everyone.  The first search was for were those free Ivy League courses that I heard about on the news.  This search led me to an NPR article that had a link for those courses, as well as a whole bunch of other incredible links to Broadway, music, fitness and even sports. To read the article Getting Bored? Here’s A List Of Free Things That Weren’t Free Before Coronavirus, click on the title and enjoy!

I got an email from a board member the other morning, telling me about a very timely article: I Spent a Year in Space, and I Have Tips on Isolation to Share, by astronaut Scott Kelly.  A good read and sage advice!

I also want to reiterate the offering I told you about in my previous post.  The executive director of a fellow Shepherd’s Center (yes, we are a part of a national network of almost 60 Shepherd’s Centers) is offering an online art history course this Friday.  See the details below.  I will be in attendance!  Sending well wishes to all!  Take good care – Julie

Online Art History: More than Just Stuff: Understanding Signs & Symbols in Paintings, Part 1

Friday, March 27, 12:00 pm ET (11:00 am CT)

Presented by Betsy Solomon, MA, Art Historian;  Executive Director, Shepherd’s Center of Webster-Kirkwood;  Chair, Shepherd’s Centers of America

Description: Animals, plants and objects of all kinds – these items are not simply incidental details in paintings.  They reveal layers of meaning that help us to fully understand masterworks.  We will explore the meaning that lies beneath symbols in a selection of well known, and a few lesser known, works of art.

To sign-up:

• email your name to bsolomon@shepherdscenter-wk.org
• subject line should read “Art History”

You will receive an email back with instructions on how to login to Zoom for the online lecture on your computer or smart phone.

Missing the Open University?  Well, one of our network centers is offering a free online Adventures in Learning class (this is what a lot of Shepherd’s Centers call their lifelong learning programs). Join Betsy Solomon this Friday, March 27 at 12:00 pm ET (11:00 am CT). Registration details are listed below. Participants need to download the Zoom app on their smart phone or computer, and register with Betsy. Both the class and Zoom are free.

Online Art History: More than Just Stuff: Understanding Signs & Symbols in Paintings, Part 1

Presented by Betsy Solomon, MA, Art Historian;   Executive Director, Shepherd’s Center of Webster-Kirkwood;   Chair, Shepherd’s Centers of America

Description: Animals, plants and objects of all kinds – these items are not simply incidental details in paintings.  They reveal layers of meaning that help us to fully understand masterworks.  We will explore the meaning that lies beneath symbols in a selection of well known, and a few lesser known, works of art.

Friday, March 27, 12:00 pm ET (11:00 am CT)

To sign-up:

• email your name to bsolomon@shepherdscenter-wk.org
• subject line should read “Art History”

You will receive an email back with instructions on how to login to Zoom for the online lecture on your computer or smart phone.