Springing to Life

A Social and Educational Program Debuts in Saugerties

by Lorrie Klosterman and illustrations by Annie Internicola, August 31, 2009

What if you’d enjoyed years of sumptuous meals and then suddenly had to settle for oatmeal? It can be like that for many retirees: after a rich working life, bingo just isn’t going to satisfy. Lifespring, a new adult learning community in Saugerties, is fixing that with stimulation for the mind and community for the soul.

An intriguing concept appeared in the 1970s: Create group trips and activities for the older set like those that younger people enjoyed through international hostelling. In 1974, Elderhostel was founded by David Bianco to provide “intellectual stimulation, personal growth, fellowship, exploration, self-discovery, and a lot of fun.” Today, as the organization is poised to change its name (neither “elder” nor “hostel” convey its flavor), millions of people are taking part in Elderhostel adventures. Among them are Lifetime Learning Institutes, or LLIs, which are locally organized on campuses across the nation. In the Hudson Valley, LLIs can be found at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, Marist College in Poughkeepsie, Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, SUNY’s New Paltz campus, and Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. They are tremendously popular: Bard had to close to new members when its capacity maxed out at well over 200 people; SUNY New Paltz’s program had 175 people signed up at its opening.

But in Saugerties, where there is no college and no LLI, a new program is taking the lifetime learning model a step further. Lifespring: Saugerties Adult Learning Community aims to nourish intellect and curiosity while building a community-based social network. Lifespring is the cocreative effort of volunteers under the guiding vision of dynamic duo Susan Puretz and Arzi McKeown. Puretz is the program’s spearhead and president, McKeown its curriculum chair and consultant. The women met when Puretz asked McKeown to help out and bring her many years of experience at Bard’s LLI with her.

The women agree their collaboration has been magically synergistic, and for months they and a core group of dedicated volunteers worked on the program, which takes flight later this month as classes begin on September 22 at Saugerties United Methodist Church on Washington Avenue and Post Street, near the Saugerties library.