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Creative Retirement began in 1997 as a program of seniors, by seniors, and for seniors, to enhance life through learning opportunities and other activities, whether retired or not.) The program is sponsored by Iowa Valley Business and Community Solutions (BCS), formerly Iowa Valley Continuing Education on the Marshalltown Community College campus. The group offers classes and discussion groups on a wide variety of topics. The group celebrates 25 years in 2022 and is offering a robust list of classes and sessions this fall.

This fall, six classes will be offered throughout October and November. The schedule includes:

1. “The American Experience Reflected in Idioms”, by Ron Palumbo. This 3-week class beginning October 5^th from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. is an introduction to our national experience through distinctively American catchphrases.
2. “Living Fully – Dying Well”, led by Reverend Walden Paige, begins on October 6th from 1:30 – 3:30 PM. Based on the book by Bishop Reuben P. Job, we will explore how to face openly and unafraid the benefits and limitations of aging and end-of-life decisions.
3. The two-session class “Your Amazing Body” starts on October 6^th from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Instructor Barbara Hawkins, RN says, “We tend to take for granted the things our body does automatically. By better understanding our bodies and how they function we can better appreciate them and care for them.”
4. Robert “Bob” Moore will lead “Oliver Sacks: The Poet Laureate of Medicine,” beginning October 10^th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. for two weeks. Using the book: The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat we will discuss the stories of individuals with perceptual and intellectual disorders. We will cover patients: who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts, who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects, whose limbs seem alien to them, who lack some skills yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. Sam Wormley, who taught as an adjunct professor of astronomy at Marshalltown Community College for 17 years and regularly teaches science and technology classes for OLLI at Iowa State and OLLI at Drake University will lead the last two 4-week classes:
5. Overview of Contemporary Astronomy, starting on November 7^th with classes running from 1:30 – 3:30 pm.
6. Learning iPhones beginning November 8^th from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Both Astronomy and iPhone classes will be held on Zoom.

Participants may choose to participate on their own devices or attend the Zoom session at Iowa Valley. Registration fees for the classes vary. These individual classes are open to all; members of Creative Retirement receive a discount with the $25 membership paid annually.

In addition to individual classes, membership in Creative Retirement includes free attendance at Roundtable discussions led by members and scheduled every other Friday from 9:30 – 11:30 am throughout the year, except for weeks with a holiday on Friday.

To learn more about Creative Retirement programs, visit the Iowa Valley Business and Community Solutions website at IowaValley.com and search “Community” in the header. Participants can also register by calling 641-752-4645, or register for events in person at 3702 S. Center St. Marshalltown.