Registration opened on August 13 for the Center for Lifelong Learning’s fall semester, offering Fort Walton Beach area residents 86 classes and expert-guided tours designed to keep minds sharp and bodies active while building community connections.
- The nonprofit organization, celebrating 32 years on the Emerald Coast, will begin its eight-week fall semester September 8 at the University of West Florida Emerald Coast Campus and various locations throughout Okaloosa County.
“Our semester lasts eight weeks and ends with our famous ‘Final Follies’ and a Halloween party since it is scheduled on Friday, October 31. Final Follies is a showcase of our semester where our dance classes perform and students share some of their writings, art projects, etc. and we have a time to enjoy being together before the holidays,” said Holly Brelia, CLL president.
The organization offers courses spanning educational classes, arts and crafts, technology, yoga, dance, mindfulness, self-defense, current events and pickleball. Multi-week classes cost $20 each, while single-day expert-guided tours are $10. Automatic membership is included when participants sign up for a class or tour.
Founded in 1993 by retired educator Dr. Ed Dennery and colleagues as the “Senior Center for Lifelong Learning,” the organization later changed its name to attract adults of all ages, though there was never a minimum age requirement for enrollment.
- The all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization has provided more than $42,000 in scholarships and $14,000 to children’s charities, including children in crisis programs. Course fees support only operating expenses, scholarships and charitable giving.
“In 2023, we started offering one-day tours and they were so successful that we have 26 planned for the fall semester. Some of the places we tour include Veterans Park (led by County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel), 911 Communication Center, Magnolia Grill, Choctawhatchee Audubon Society, Battle Axes and Okaloosa Technical College which ends with a fabulous lunch prepared by the culinary students,” Brelia said.
The program emphasizes building community connections, bringing learners together and providing educational opportunities alongside social interaction for participants to meet people with similar interests.
Catherine McIntyre, a volunteer who moved to the area from Texas in 2020, described how the program exposed her to new experiences.
- “When we talk about learning, we are exposed to things that we never had an opportunity to be exposed to before. For example, I never knew anything about fusing glass, and there’s a business in town, Paradise Glass, that when people take classes with them they realize they can make all kinds of beautiful glass gifts for family and friends,” McIntosh said.
The organization serves between 450-600 participants each term and maintains a partnership with UWF Emerald Coast Campus, which provides office space and classroom facilities. Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa County both recognized the organization’s community impact by declaring February 16, 2023, as “Center for Lifelong Learning Day.”
CLL is a member of the Red Scholar Institute Network and offers courses during fall and spring semesters, with spring typically featuring larger enrollment when visiting residents join local participants.
Registration remains open throughout the semester, allowing participants to join tours and classes that still have availability.
Those interested may register online here. For more information, email CLL@uwf.edu or call 850-863-6548.
