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The Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) will welcome travel writer Rick Steves to its Dorothy Jennings Speaker Series at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Edmonds for an evening dedicated to the journey of lifelong learning.
“I’m well into the ‘lifelong learning’ stage of my life, and it’s clear to me that when you mix LLL with LOL and swizzle it with travel (virtual or actual), you enjoy a kind of fountain of youth,” said Steves. “Learning, laughing and getting out keeps us frisky. And that’s what CRI is all about.”
According to a CRI announcement, the event will highlight the kind of community-based CRI teaching that stokes the curiosity and wanderlust of people who understand, as Steves says, that “age only matters if you’re a cheese and that it’s never too late to have a happy childhood.” Featuring storytelling from his New York Times best-selling memoir, Steves will recount how his 1978 adventure on the “Hippie Trial” from Istanbul to Kathmandu shaped his worldview, inspiring a life spent encouraging others to embrace travel as a path to self-growth and the true gift of a global perspective.
CRI is equally dedicated to self-growth and expanding personal horizons, the announcement said, noting that a founding member of CRI — Dr. Maybelle Chapman — had a personal connection to Steves in his youth.
“She was my Dead Poets Society teaching inspiration when I was figuring out Who am I? back at Edmonds High School,” Steves said. “As my history teacher, she used tough teaching love to inspire me to raise my bar, understand the world and then use my life to make a difference. And since she also inspired CRI, it just seems right that I do what I can to support Dr. Chapman in spirit by supporting the ‘embrace life with gusto’ organization that is her legacy.”
CRI, a program within Edmonds College, was founded to provide affordable, quality, lifelong learning opportunities for adults in a supportive environment. “Rick Steves has inspired countless individuals to see the world anew,” said CRI volunteer and board member Maria Montalvo. “CRI is much more than a schedule of classes — it is a place for those 55+ to grow and learn together. We are honored Rick sees the value in a program like CRI.”
The CRI event will be hosted at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N., Edmonds. Admission is free, but registration is required. For more information and to reserve your seat, visit ricksteves.com/cri.
Attendees are invited to make a donation at the event, which will support CRI’s ongoing educational programs. In appreciation, donors will receive a complimentary copy of Rick Steves’ book, On the Hippie Trail.
To learn more about CRI, visit edmonds.edu/cri.
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