CRYSTAL LAKE – It’s that time of year again. Kids everywhere are heading back to school, toting a backpack full of fresh supplies. With McHenry County College’s RAP Program, so are many adults 50 and older. Only with MCC’s RAP Program, it is with the ease of a no-pressure, test-free atmosphere, where adults 55 and older may “Rediscover the joy of learning through active participation with like-minded peers.”
For $25 per year (plus a nominal class fee, where fees apply), MCC’s Retired Adults Program for lifelong learners offers participants myriad classes, such as Current Issues, Political Focus, Book Nook, Great Masters of Music, World War I, World Religions, among so many others that will appeal to the tastes of every adult learner.
“[The RAP Program] is open to anyone [not only retired individuals] who has the time during the day to take some classes, listen to some lectures, and … expand their mind a bit,” said RAP board member and N.33 resident Linda Wiza. “There is no testing involved, there are no credits. This is a bunch of like-minded people who really enjoy learning all their lives and want to continue doing so.”
Classes are led by facilitators or presenters, experts in a particular field, or, in some cases, by the participants themselves, said Wiza. She also emphasized that the RAP Program is open to any individuals 50 and older, not only those residing in McHenry County.
What: No-pressure educational program for individuals 50 and older.
Where: McHenry County College
Membership: $25 annually (good for one year from point of registration). May be submitted with class registration form. Nominal fees for classes where fees apply.
Registration: Mail in: Print registration form found at www.mchenry.edu (click on “Continuing Ed” menu option, click on RAP link under “Programs,” click on “membership/registration form. Complete form and mail with payment to Registration Office, MCC, 8900 U.S. Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012. Telephone: Call (815) 455-8588 and speak directly to a registration clerk. You must use a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card to register by phone. In Person: MCC Registration Office, Building A, Room A258. Online: www.mchenry.edu (with student ID # and PIN #).
More info: For more information, please call Cindy Kearns, the Coordinator for Lifelong Learning, the RAP Program, at (815) 479-7605 or send an e-mail to ckearns@mchenry.edu.
“[The RAP Program] appeals to all kinds of groups,” Wiza said.
Wiza has been involved in the RAP Program for three years and is an activate participant in many classes. Currently, she said, there are more than 100 people on the current roster.
“We start forming a bond. We’ll go out to lunch and … talk about different things in our lives,” Wiza said about the program’s social atmosphere. “It’s really good for our age group.”
Unlike classes in an official academic setting, RAP classes run for varying durations, one per week for three weeks, or one per month, for example.
As active participant in RAP, Wiza said she’s learning a lot of things that she didn’t have the time to learn in her working life.
“Now I can spend the time learning about things that I was curious about before but never had the time to spend on it,” Wiza said. “I’m doing a lot of learning at my later stage in life.”
Wiza said that the relaxed atmosphere of the RAP Program presents participants with an opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment and, most of all, from each other.
“When we have our discussion groups … it’s all very friendly but yet lively conversation,” said Wiza. “Everybody presents their own views, so it really expands our horizons. No exams, homework, or grades. That’s the best part.”
