PrimeTime Institute (PTI) provides a wide variety of educational programs for people age 50+ that foster wellness, encourage personal and intellectual growth, and that provide an environment for developing new interests, making new friends, and becoming involved as volunteers.
PTI is a program of ElderCare of Alachua County, a non-profit organization providing various services for seniors such as Meals-on-Wheels, Alz Place, etc. All PTI programs and activities are planned and presented entirely by volunteer members and speakers, with expenses supported by optional memberships and donations. Additional information about PTI, including program updates, is available at our website www.primetimeinstitute.org or by contacting Susan Williams at 352-214-6219.
We appreciate the speakers who provide free programs for our seniors; however, please understand that PTI does not endorse any company, product, or service.
We continue with HYBRID programs — the speaker in-person at the Senior Recreation Center, along with attendees willing to gather there, and a simultaneous online webinar option through Zoom. We have learned that many people are able to participate online who are unable to come to the Center for a variety of reasons. Watch for Sunday messages each week to learn of any changes in that week’s Thursday program.
To participate in the webinar version of a program, you can log in on your Internet-connected computer, tablet, or phone as the program gets underway. Advance registration is required for attending online. Please send your request to primetime.inst@gmail.com.
If you do register for the webinar version, you will receive a confirmation message and, at an appropriate time, a link to click on so you can join in. No camera or microphone is needed to see and hear the presentations online.
Our programs are also recorded for people who are not available on Thursdays. We share links to those recordings when the Senior Center staff has them available so people can watch at their convenience. Those links are shared in the program reminder messages we send each Sunday to those on PTI's email distribution list.
TIME: Unless otherwise noted, programs will be on Thursdays from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Oct. 2nd, OUF College of Law Tax Clinic Tax Clinic Director Derek Wheeler and law students will explain the free Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic.nbsp; In addition to Alachua County, the clinic serves 12 other counties.nbsp; The clinic can connect clients with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs.nbsp; Common tax Issues the clinic addresses are earned income tax credit, innocent spouse relief, collections, offers in compromise, frozen tax refunds, stolen identity and more.nbsp; To be eligible, people must be within 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Oct. 9th, Memory and Aging Dr. Robin West, of the Everyday Memory Clinic, has done extensive research on aging and memory beliefs and how to improve memory. She will talk with us on the changes in memory that happen with normal age-related memory changes.
Oct. 16th, NO PROGRAM UF Health has not been able to arrange a program for this month.
Oct 23rd, Field Trip to the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo
[Note the special time for this program. There will be no HYBRID access or recording for this program.]
Fall is a nice time to be outside, so we have planned a field trip! Gainesville is fortunate to have the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, a unique ten-acre zoo which is the only zoo on a college campus accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Coordinated by ten full time staff members and home to over 70 different species of animals, it is maintained by students enrolled in the college's premier Zoo Animal Technology program. Please sign up by 10/16 at a PTI program or by contacting Marie Samec at samecmm@aol.com ("Zoo" in subject line) or 352-317-6729. A map with directions is provided and can also be found at this"Link, then click on "Directions".
REMEMBER that you must register for any Zoom-based sessions (webinar or meeting) you want to participate in at primetime.inst@gmail.com
Recent Events
Strolling to the River Sink
Outing to O'Leno State Park
Located along the banks of the scenic Santa Fe River, a tributary of the Suwannee River, the park features sinkholes, hardwood hammocks, river swamps, and sandhills. As the river courses through the park, it disappears underground and reemerges over three miles away in the River Rise State Preserve. One of Florida's first state parks, O'Leno was first developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The suspension bridge built by the CCC still spans the river. During our visit, park staff gave a fascinating presentation on the exploration of the underground portion of the Santa Fe.