Participants of the July 7 Personal Enrichment, Action, and Knowledge Series (PEAKS) program take to the floor to dance as UNG's Dr. Marie Graham, assistant professor and coordinator of music education, gives instructions.
Article By: Denise Ray
The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Blue Ridge Campus is home to not only undergraduates, but also older adults engaged in lifelong learning and building new friendships.
The Personal Enrichment, Action, and Knowledge Series (PEAKS) has held free workshops, presentations and events every Thursday in June and July on UNG's Blue Ridge Campus.
PEAKS started as a vision that both Dr. Pamela Elfenbein, director of the UNG Institute for Healthy Aging, and Sandy Ott, Blue Ridge Campus executive director, had for engaging UNG with the rapidly growing population of older adults in the region by creating a lifelong learning program on the campus.
When you're 55-plus, you have to keep busy, you have to keep learning, you have to be social.
Carol Furtwengler
UNG PEAKS Mah Jongg program instructor
UNG's Institute for Healthy Aging and Blue Ridge Campus collaborated with community members to develop PEAKS programming, which included opportunities to share life experiences and stories about professions, pastimes and passions.
Carl Riggs, one of 12 PEAKS advisory board members, said the program is beneficial to the community because it provides a wide variety of programs.
This summer includes 18 programs for participants from which participants could choose. All programming was free of charge, and lunch was provided for all of the participants, allowing time for meeting new people and continuing conversations started during sessions. Community businesses and organizations provided funding for the meals.
Several members come to learn the tile-based game Mah Jongg, picking up nuances as they go, Carol Furtwengler, who teaches the game, said.
"When you're 55-plus, you have to keep busy, you have to keep learning, you have to be social," Carol Furtwengler said. "It's good for you mentally to play Mah Jongg. It really is a mental exercise like crossword puzzles. It's good for your mind."
Recently, a former water skier from Cypress Gardens shared her experiences with the group.
"It was so much fun because we had all probably been to Cypress Gardens. We brought back great memories and learned a lot about that lifestyle," Riggs said.
The average attendance up to now has been almost 50 people per week, and Riggs said people will come, enjoy the program and return with a friend, so numbers continue to grow.
The July 7 program was titled "Appalachian Story-telling, Blue Grass, and BBQ." A very animated Kanute Rarey captivated the audience with his adventures of whitewater kayaking. Leslie Shelley shared childhood memories of family gatherings on Sundays. The energy was high in the afternoon as the sound of music filled the building with UNG music faculty member Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis and students Zane Cook, Maddie Mosley, and Dexter Anderson providing "old-time Appalachian" music for dancing. Dr. Marie Graham, assistant professor and coordinator of music education, gave instructions.
The inaugural season will come to a close from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on July 28 with a celebration of lifelong learning and an opportunity for participants, presenters and sponsors to come together for an ice cream social and help plan for upcoming seasons of PEAKS.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the PEAKS In-Person Facebook page.
