By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
Edgewater seniors will have the opportunity of experiencing a Mardi Gras luncheon and entertainment offered by Mather Edgewater on Monday, Feb. 14, at St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church at 5649 N. Sheridan Rd. Membership in Mather is free and the luncheon and program costs $6 to members who are pre-registered. Mather is an organization sponsored by several community outreach programs on the north and northwest sides of the city. Besides the Edgewater location, Mather operates centers in the Galewood-Montclare, Norwood Park, and Portage-Craigin areas. Another branch is open in the South Side Chatham neighborhood. While most of the Edgewater events take place at St. Andrew's, Mather's Edgewater headquarters are at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
While Mather offers a series of 849 programs of interest to seniors each quarter, the frosting on the cake is the hot meals being offered at very reasonable prices to members. A recent example, also at St. Andrew's, offered a luncheon and a program by Gerald Rizzer, a pianist and artistic director of the Chicago Ensemble. Total cost was $6. A kosher friendly meal was also offered for $7.
Mather LifeWays offers an opportunity for seniors to meet with their peers in three different contexts. One, called Community Initiatives, consists of Mather: More Than a Café, Mather Info Plus, Legacy Corps for Health and Independent Living and "Staying Put." A second group, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, offers Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a Mather Lecture Series, Information and Issues newsletter, a Healthy Aging series and a faculty development program for geriatric nursing. The final segment of Mather is Mather LifeWays for Senior Living, which includes Mather Place at the Georgian, Mather Place of Wilmette, Mather Gardens, Mather Pavilion, and a proposed Evanston Community.
The broad range of programs offered by Mather Edgewater include, besides the Mardi Gras event, day trips to apple orchards in the fall, a Taste of Italy program, a beginner-level writers' workshop, jewelry making, square and folk dancing, exercise classes with a personal trainer in attendance, gentle yoga, and a bridge club. The lecture series has programs that range from the everyday needs of seniors to more exotic subject matter including a feature film series, jazz music, four classes on the music of Tchaikovsky, the 500th anniversary of Nostradamus, Masterpieces of Art and Architecture in Rome and Florence and—well, you get the idea that there is no limit on subject matter for this program schedule.
Lectures are either free or at reduced cost for members of Mather. Mather, which opened in 2000, is a not-for-profit organization. There's a toll-free information line for seniors over 55 and for their families at (888) 600-2560. Call this number for assistance with problems, information on programs and reservations for upcoming events sponsored by the group. |
