January 2024 Fort Myers CRA News
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| Hundreds of lectures. Knowledgeable instructors. Join us in-person at one of our 19 locations or participate online.  JANUARY – MAY 2024 PROGRAM REGISTRATION IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE OR VIA PHONE Keep your mind active and engaged in the new year! Register for a lecture with FGCU Academy! Register for a Day Trip with FGCU Academy! Greetings, Join us for any one of our lectures or day trips. See a sample of upcoming day trips below along with what is happening this upcoming week. Join us for a supervised Mah Jongg. Play with others while an expert is nearby to help you make the right decisions. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2024 WINTER-SPRING PROGRAM GUIDE ONLINE! WINTER-SPRING REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN AVAILABLE ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE Call our offices anytime for assistance at 239.434.4737 Featured Classes for Week of January 22- 26 Click on any topic below to learn more.  Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution 1865-1877 January 23 | 10- 11:30 am Tuesday Naples Center / Online via Zoom This lecture explores the complicated period directly following the Civil War known as Reconstruction. Perhaps no other period in American history has seen such a complete overthrow of the widely accepted earlier interpretation of what took place in the defeat- ed South after the Civil War. This new interpretation and the research behind it are explored.  The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and the Center of the World January 26 | 10 – 11:30 am Friday Naples Center / Online via Zoom Join us as we travel from the high mountain city of Quito, Ecuador and cruise the remote volcanic Galapagos Islands – the inspiration for Darwin’s famous Theory of Evolution. We see everything from the actual Equator line to the strange and unique wildlife that is only found on the islands in this remote corner of the world.  Cult Thinking and Echo Chambers January 26 | 1:30 – 3 pm Friday Brooks Enrichment Club Why does someone join a cult? Using the case study of the Koreshans of Estero, you’ll better understand cultic dynamics and how today’s echo chambers work. DAY TRIPS  Flagler Mansion and Gilded Age Tea Lunch February 13 | 7:30 – 7 pm West Palm Beach This tour offers participants the opportunity to visit the mansion of Henry Flagler, the man single-handedly responsible for developing the East Coast of Florida. Whitehall, the 60,000 square-foot home that he built in Palm Beach as a wedding present for his wife, was described in 1902 by the New York Herald as “more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” Included are transportation, driver gratuity, and a docent-led tour of the mansion’s first floor and lunch. Departure information will be emailed 3 days prior to the trip. Itineraries are subject to change. No refunds 10 business days of departure.  Tour of Immokalee February 14 | 9 – 5 pm Immokalee The bus will depart North Naples at 9am. An all-day tour of Immokalee, including the history of the community; samples at the Casa Dulce Mexican Bakery; RCMA’s beautiful historical mural; a drive through one of the largest Habitat for Humanity communities; Lake Trafford Memorial Gardens where the graves are beautifully decorated in a way that seems to keep the dead alive; Lake Trafford Marina and the rustic zoo with talking birds and a 17-foot python (safe in a large cage); the Immokalee Pioneer Museum; lunch on your own at Lozano’s restaurant; a stop at the Farmer’s Market; and a quick drive through neighboring Ave Maria on the way home! Departure information will be emailed 3 days prior to the trip. Itineraries are subject to change. No refunds within 10 business days of departure. The Week Ahead Monday January 22 –Addressing Ageism in Everyday Life –Five Eyes: Global Espionage, Eavesdropping and the Collection of Communications Intelligence Tuesday January 23 –The Rosenberg Trial –A Sliver of Gulf Coast Life: Birds, Seashells, and Flora Along the Beach Wednesday January 24 –The Balkan Countries – Clash of Cultures and Religion Thursday January 25 –Supervised Mah Jongg Play for Beginners –Perceptual Illusions: Seeing (Is or Is Not) Believing –The Lewis and Clark Expedition Friday January 26 – iPhone/iPad Messages App –The National Gallery of Art: The Artistic Treasure House of America TAKE A LECTURE AT ONE OF OUR 19 LOCATIONS The Arlington, Naples (AR) Aston Gardens, North Naples (AG) Bentley Village, North Naples (BV) Bonita Bay Community Assoc., Bonita (BB) Brooks Enrichment Center, Bonita (BR) The Collaboratory, Ft. Myers (CO) Cypress Cove, Ft. Myers (CC) FGCU Main Campus, Ft. Myers (FG) Grey Oaks Country Club, Naples (GR) Hideaway Beach Club, Marco island (HB) The Island Country Club, Marco island (IC) Moorings Park Grande Lake, Naples (GL) Moorings Park at Grey Oaks, Naples (GO) Moorings Park Original Campus, Naples (MP) Naples Center, Naples (NC) Siena Lakes, North Naples (SL) The TwinEagles Club, North Naples (TE) United Church of Marco Island, Marco (UC) Wyndemere Country Club, Naples (WC) (see page 4 of the Winter-Spring 2024 Program Guide for location addresses) FGCU Academy  Click Below to View 2024 Travel Open House Presentation  Classic Safari: Kenya & Tanzania August 13-28, 2024 16 days for $11,196 View Brochure  Exploring Iceland August 15-25, 2024 11 days for $6,692 View Brochure  Southern Italy & Sicily September 4-18, 2024 15 days for $6,674 View Brochure  Scotland: Highlands & Islands September 9-20, 2024 12 days for $5,896 View Brochure  Sensations of Lyon & Provence 2024 River Cruise September 17 – 28, 2024 12 days from $5,469 View Brochure  Jewels of the Rhine 2024 River Cruise September 20 – 30, 2024 11 days from $4,925 View Brochure  Provincial French Countryside September 27-October 11, 2024 15 days for $6,297 View Brochure  New Zealand Adventure October 10-25, 2024 16 days for $8,124 View Brochure  Southeast Asia Odysseys October 31-November 18, 2024 19 days for $7,597 View Brochure  Travel Abroad with FGCU Academy Call our office 239.434.4737 for assistance with registration or Click to View our Website DONATE NOW FGCU Academy Needs Your Support Today to Ensure that Our Critical Mission of Adult Education and Enrichment Continues! FGCU Academy is ready to serve the SWFL community for the Winter-Spring 2024 Season— Learning, Growing, Sharing and Socializing. With nearly 700 programs at more than nineteen locations, there is something for everyone. If we have had the opportunity to meet in person or if you have heard me speak, I hope I was able to share with you my passion about FGCU Academy and its mission to provide lifelong learning and enrichment to the SWFL community. I believe it is critical to our well-being to keep exploring new avenues for growth to keep our minds engaged in our past, present and future. Since we are a non-credit programmatic offering, Florida Gulf Coast University can provide $0.00 of support to the Academy. We must be financially self-sustaining. The fact is that the revenue generated through memberships and program fees provides for only 50% of our annual operating costs. Additionally, our attendance has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, so revenue is much lower than in the past. As an educator, I find myself slightly uncomfortable talking about the financial needs of the Academy beyond thanking everyone for their participation. But, this year and for the near future, it is important that I find the words to ask for additional support through philanthropic donations. Our passion keeps us moving forward and your donations will do the same. Please take a moment to consider a year-end donation to ensure our continued success. All amounts make a difference in strengthening the work we do in the community. Your gift will allow the Academy to offer more than 1,000 diverse and fascinating programs at more than twenty locations throughout SWFL. Through our mission we promise to enrich the lives, minds and social well-being of more than 10,000 SWFL adults and seniors that participate in our programs each year. CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW or mail your donation to FGCU Academy 704 Goodlette Frank Road North, Suite 330 Naples, FL 34102 I look forward to seeing you at a FGCU Academy program in 2024. Please contact me directly at [email protected] or 239.434.4838 with questions or to learn more. In gratitude, John J. Guerra Director of FGCU Academy     FGCU Academy FGCU ACADEMY NAPLES CENTER 704 Goodlette-Frank Rd N Suite 330 Naples, FL 34102 239.434.4737 [email protected] |