PLATO Weekly Update

September 2, 2025

NEW! PLATO members are invited to participate in a free community event hosted by AgeBetter's SAIL program to learn about ageism and what to do about it! PLATO is proud to partner with SAIL (Sharing Active Independent Lives) and other popular local senior programs to facilitate this afternoon event, and we hope to see PLATO members participate. Learn more and register here.

CURRICULUM

FALL COURSES
Registration for Fall Courses continues! Fall courses are often popular and some are already full. Here's a list of Fall Courses that likely still have space: 

· Drawing as a Sacred Activity

· Money Skills for Retirees

· Biography

· History of the Hollywood Musical

· Jazz

· Gentle Chair Yoga for Stress Reduction

· Mindfulness of Mind: Emotion & Thinking

· Two Major Art Centers in Europe: Paris and Vienna

· Global Affairs and the Media

· Discussions in Philosophy

· Film History

· What in the World Happened

· Learning the Language and Logics of Autism

· PLATO Travel Group

Visit the Courses webpage to find the link to the Fall Course Schedule and contact the course coordinator to register.

To renew or to become a member, visit the Join PLATO webpage.

SPECIAL EVENTS

BREAKFAST & COFFEE GATHERINGS
These social events offer members and their guests opportunities to share conversation over coffee and breakfast or breakfast snacks.

THIS WEEK! First Friday Breakfast Gathering at the Pancake Café on Gammon Road on Friday, September 5, from 9:00-11:00am. Learn more and RSVP here.

NEXT WEEK! Second Friday Breakfast Gathering at the Lakeside Street Coffee House on September 12, from 9:30-11:30am. Learn more and RSVP here.

LECTURES

SAVE THE DATES for PLATO Lectures – review this flyer for lecture dates through December 2025.

NEXT WEEK! Pre-Civil War Quilts: Secret Codes to Freedom on the Underground Railroad on Tuesday, September 9 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts and Education Center. In her lecture, Connie Martin tells the history of the Underground Railroad and how quilt codes were used to communicate. Registration is not required, guests are welcome, and parking is free. Learn more here.

THIS MONTH! Healing the Heart through Forgiveness on Thursday, September 25 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts and Education Center. In her lecture, Lisa Rickert will reflect on her last two decades of working with defense teams on death penalty cases and the awe she has experienced in witnessing people who chose mercy in response to unspeakable pain, and the power of forgives in the healing process. Registration is not required, guests are welcome, and parking is free. Learn more here.

NEXT MONTH! Beyond Politics: The Content of Wisconsin's Character, Past & Present by award-winning journalist and whistleblower Mike McCabe on Thursday, October 9 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts and Education Center. Registration is not required, guests are welcome, and parking is free. Learn more here.

Enjoy recorded PLATO Lectures at your convenience presented by PLATO members and local, national, and international special guest presenters.

THEATER TRIPS

SAVE THE DATES for PLATO Theater Trips – review this flyer for theater trips for the upcoming membership year!

Only a handful of spots remain! Join us for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at The Fireside Dinner Theater in Fort Atkinson. Note that PLATO is partnering with the Verona Senior Center and UW Retirement Association on this travel opportunity so pick-up locations are different from PLATO's usual trips. Registration deadline is Monday, September 15. Learn more and register here.