PHOTO SUBMITTED / New officers of the Institute for Learning in Retirement committee include (from left): Joy Wesbrooks, president; Ray Watson, member at large; Nora Berch, vice president; back row – Teresa Beeson, treasurer; Phyllis Sanders, associate secretary; Doris Diffrient, member at large; Peggy Hawkins, member at large; and Mary Ann Smith, secretary.

Going on adventures around the South and learning about a wide variety of subjects with a group of friends may seem like a pipedream for many older citizens, but Copiah-Lincoln Community College has made it a reality for local residents.

And now those who haven’t been participating in the group can learn more. The Institute for Learning in Retirement at Co-Lin will be hosting its bi-annual membership social Aug. 14 at 10:30 a.m. in the Thames Center on the Wesson campus. This purpose of the event is to connect older members with new members and people who are thinking about joining the group.

“Getting involved is the best way to make new friends, explore new places, exchange ideas, develop new interests and just have fun,” said Marilyn Brown, program coordinator.

The ILR is a non-profit extension of Co-Lin. The group was established in 1996 as a way for adults age 50 and older and retired or semi-retired locals to join in educational experiences. ILR hosts social events, membership meetings, luncheon lectures, seminars and fieldtrips. Members are welcome to attend any of the activities each spring and fall semester.

“We like to have activities that keep people learning, having fun, active and making new friends,” said Brown. She added that this is a way for people to learn and participate in activities that they might not be able to as an individual.

Membership is $65 a year, which pays for many of the events, but some activities may require an additional fee. Group officers and committees plan and organize the activities for the year. Brown said the member-driven organization is dedicated to meeting the learning needs of the maturing population.

Some of the group’s routine activities include a monthly luncheon with a guest speaker or entertainer, special seasonal workshops, dinner and movie nights and an end of the year picnic. Previously the group has had poetry classes, entertained representatives such as officials from the Mississippi attorney general’s Office, held history and geography classes and traveled to southern tourist destinations such as Memphis Tennessee, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and San Antonio, Texas.

This fall semester the group will travel to Dallas, take a Christmas tour of the Governor’s Mansion, visit the Hindu Temple in Brandon and take a tour of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Station in Port Gibson.

Even though the group is available to adults 50 and older, Brown said the current group is primarily made up of 70 to 80 year olds. Most events are held during the day, which Brown said might account for the lack of younger participants.

“We have been failing to reach that younger group, but this summer we have made a real effort with recruiting,” said Brown. “We need a mix of everybody to make this effective and serve a need.”

There are about 80 current members from Copiah, Lincoln, Lawrence and Franklin Counties, although the program is offered to any county served by Co-Lin.

“They like to learn, they like to eat, they like to have fun and they like to go,” said Brown.

The Co-Lin IRL is a member of the Elderhostel Institute Network. Every program that is a member of the EIN has to be hosted by a college or university, requires ownership of the program by its members by paying fees and participation is voluntary. The network was founded in 1975 to give adults affordable learning opportunities, even though the first known IRL was established in 1962. The EIN helped established the Co-Lin group, but now the IRL is self-sufficient.

“The membership fee is like tuition,” said Brown. She added that it is more financially feasible to travel and participate in activities as a group than it is as an individual.