News & Updates

Because of the recent spike in Omicron cases, no in-person classes will be held during the upcoming winter session of Open University. Instead, classes will be online-only via Zoom. This is a change from our previous plan to have both in-person and online classes. While we expect a few changes to our course offerings, we are hopeful there will not be many. We are working with instructors and an updated schedule will be posted to our website this week.

What we can tell you now:

• Monday classes, originally planned for both in-person and online, change to online-only.
• Tuesday language classes, originally planned for online-only, remain as scheduled with the potential addition of two more courses (to be announced).
• The Wednesday Lunch & Life lecture series, originally planned for in-person at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, changes to online-only.
• Thursday classes, originally planned for online-only, remain unchanged.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to finalize an updated schedule; we apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may cause. The safety of our students, volunteers and staff remains a priority. We will continue to stay the course and see this through until it is safe to gather together again.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office at 355-7282 or countryman@tscor.org.

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on.”
– Hal Borland

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”
– Rainer Maria Wilke

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.”
– Charles Schultz

Many happy wishes for a peaceful, kind and wonderful new year,
from all of us at The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond

As we move from the current year into the next, please remember The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond in your end-of-year giving. Our financial needs rely on voluntary donations – they allow the programs and services of TSCOR to continue serving older adults in RVA.

You can donate online here. Or, if you wish, checks can be made payable to The Shepherd’s Center and mailed to: TSCOR, 3111 Northside Ave., #400, Richmond, VA 23228.

Another way to donate – and save money – is by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA. If you are required to take an annual required minimum distribution (RMD) from your traditional IRA, you can save money and lower your tax bill by donating money directly from your IRA to a 501(c)(3) organization such as TSCOR. This will give you a number of benefits:
– You can credit the donation amount toward your RMD.
– You will get a tax benefit from your donation without having to itemize deductions on your tax return.
– You won’t have to include the amount of the RMD in your taxable income. This will keep from increasing your adjusted gross income (AGI), possibly resulting in additional benefits to you.
– You can donate all, part, or more than your RMD, up to a maximum of $100,000 a year.
The distribution from your IRA to the charity must be made directly from your IRA account to the charity and you must be at least 70½ years old when the distribution is made. If you’ve already made your RMD for 2021, keep this great tax break in mind for the coming year. For more information, consult your financial advisor or search online for “Qualified Charitable Distribution.”

Thank you for your donation. It makes a difference!

Whatever is beautiful.
Whatever is meaningful.
Whatever brings you happiness.
May it be yours this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

From all of us at The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond.

For some of you, the Open University schedule is the present you’ve been waiting for all season long. But the best part? Open University is IN PERSON on Mondays and Wednesdays! We’ll have virtual classes and speakers via Zoom, too, so be sure to take a look and see what’s happening in the winter session. Classes begin Monday, Jan. 17.

See the schedule here.

Register online here.

Please note that receiving two doses of a vaccine and a booster shot are required to attend in person. Masking and social distancing will also be observed. Let’s stay safe out there, everyone!

In person events are subject to change depending on pandemic status. Changes are announced via email, available on TSCOR’s voicemail recording and posted to our website.

Nope. That’s the sound of millions of people shopping Black Friday online. Cha-ching! Cha-ching!

Now that you’ve given thanks and enjoyed a fine meal with loved ones, (my, how time flies when you’re trying to savor the moment), some of you may be turning your attention to finding the perfect gifts.

Just a friendly reminder while you’re doing that: AmazonSmile enables you to donate 0.5% of your purchase to TSCOR every time you shop Amazon, at no cost to you. It’s easy to do. On your first visit to AmazonSmile select The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond as the charitable organization you wish to receive donations and they’ll remember your choice every time you shop.

So if you find yourself online this Black Friday or Cyber Monday, please keep TSCOR in mind and make those sleigh bells ring!

If The Shepherd’s Center Of Richmond had a table big enough to gather all of its volunteers, students, members, donors, board members, committee members and staff together for Thanksgiving, well, that would be a pretty big table. But the moment before the meal, when we take time to reflect on what we’re thankful for, that would be very brief. Because, quite simply, we are thankful for YOU.

May the spirit of Thanksgiving bring you love, laughter and a warm heart.

Ellis West, political science professor, emeritus, UR, will present The (Not So Surprising) Failure of the Redistricting Commission in place of the previously scheduled Coming to America. This change is due to the unexpected passing of our speaker, Patricia Naggiar. Ms. Naggiar died suddenly last week at the age of 95. We extend our condolences to her family.