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Diane White sees herself as an ā€œorchestra leaderā€ who coordinates and keeps track of the varied SIG activities, and as the groupā€™s ā€œcheerleader.ā€ Along with Donna, she has overseen the growth in membership as well as its activities.

ā€œThatā€™s the thing about SIGs ā€“ they evolve,ā€ Diane says. ā€œPeople wanted a biking group. Judy Hanna came to me with the idea. I said, ā€˜Sure, put it out there and see who shows up.ā€™ There was a lot of interest, and a subgroup was formed. Same with the kayak group and the dog-walking events. If someone is interested in starting something, I say, ā€˜put it on the calendar and just make it happen.ā€™ā€

Other team members credit the SIGā€™s success to Dianeā€™s leadership. Says Judy Hanna, ā€œDiane White facilitates this SIG with vision, openness, and a collaborative approach. I continue to work hard because Diane is empowering.ā€

Co-leader Donna McGrew calls Diane ā€œthe driving forceā€ behind the Outdoors SIG. But in a more low-key way, Donna, too, is an important reason Outdoors is so successful.

Donna is in charge of the Outdoors Facebook page and sends reminders to SIG members who need to renew their OLLI membership. She also works with Diane on developing ideas for activities, setting up programs, and leading hikes.

ā€œIt takes a group to get this done. Sheā€™s a great support,ā€ Diane says.

The Bike Group began as a single biking event coordinated by Judy Hanna and Larry Weatherby. It has since grown to a group of 35 members who ride together once or twice a month and then meet for conversation at a coffee shop or restaurant.

Judy is the groupā€™s coordinator. Hereā€™s how Judy describes her role: ā€œMembers usually volunteer to lead a ride, then decide the location and date and choose the place to socialize. I describe the ride on Meetup (before the event). Following the ride, I pen a writeup for the newsletters and Facebook. Larry Weatherby takes a picture before each ride, and then he posts the ride report and picture on Facebook. We have an annual holiday party with the paddlers that is hosted by Boyd Ballard.  We all work together to make it happen. I just encourage the group and keep us on track.ā€

Another of Judyā€™s roles is planning programs for Outdoors' monthly Zoom meetings. ā€œZoom meeting planning begins in the summer when Diane, Donna and I put together a list of potential speakers recommended by members or ones we have found in our various other activities. Then the three of us divvy up the list, contact the speaker, make a calendar, get the description and CV, communicate periodically, host during the presentation, and thank them afterwards,ā€ Judy says.

ā€œI also coordinate a bonus hike each season,ā€ Judy says. Bonus hikes are really just something I want to do related to outdoors and arrange an event with friends: St Pete murals, an artist at the Tampa Bay History Center, a visit to an apiary - simple.ā€

Anne Haywood coordinates Outdoorsā€™ Paddling Group. Similar to the bikers, the group began with Outdoors members meeting for a kayak trip.

ā€œCharlie Delp used to set us up at the USF property to kayak the Lettuce Lake area of the Hillsborough River. Several years ago, he and I co-planned a Lettuce Lake paddle, and I began scheduling some paddles after that. Karen Wright took that role for a year, and Iā€™m loosely scheduling some paddles again this year,ā€ Anne says.

ā€œThe task involves identifying appropriate waterways to paddle on by kayak or canoe and a leader to guide the trip,ā€ she says. ā€œSince not everyone has a boat of their own, we have to utilize those sites that have affordable rental equipment. We have to be cognizant of weather conditions; some sites wonā€™t allow folks out on the water if the wind is too high, for instance.

ā€œI got involved because I enjoy the sport and wanted to do more of it. I enjoy SIGs because they encourage all members to be engaged in the planning and completion of events and programs.ā€

Delia Palermo is all about membership for OLLI Outdoors. She sends out the welcome letters and other information to new members and answers their questions about the group and its activities. She also maintains the membership roster, adding new membersā€™ names and contact information and removing those who havenā€™t renewed their membership or no longer wish to be Outdoors members.

An acknowledged ā€œbookwormā€ who rarely went outdoors, Delia joined the Outdoors SIG shortly after retirement in order to do something entirely different. She has made so many new friends and learned so much about nature and about herself since her first hike with the group. Now she wants to help other people have the same experience.

ā€œI took a hiking class with Gail Parsons (thank you, Mary Ettinger) and joined her newly formed hiking group. And here I have been for many years, still enjoying the adventures in the outdoors,ā€ Delia says.

ā€œOn hikes, I catch up with old friends and meet new ones, and still I am outdoors observing and learning about nature. So if this acknowledged bookworm could leave the library and find joy outside, I could encourage others to try it as well,ā€ she says.

For many years, Nancy Wisgerhof kept Outdoors members informed every month on past activities and upcoming events in a newsletter filled with colorful pictures and lively writing.

Nancy retired from her role a few months ago, and Outdoors has yet to find someone to fill her shoes.

ā€œNancy Wisgerhof was an integral part of the team,ā€ Judy says. ā€œNancy assembled the information describing the events and photographs each month, then designed a beautiful newsletter for us all to enjoy. These made you wish you had attended any event you missed or spurred you on to attend in the future.ā€

Adding to those sentiments, Donna says, ā€œNancy Wisgerhof's wizardry with creating and publishing the newsletter kept us informed and entertained.ā€ 

Says Delia, ā€œNancy wove a serene and beautiful web out of the pieces we gave her of our hiking, biking and kayaking experiences. She had a gift for arranging the pictures and the text to be warm memories for those who had been there and subtle invitations for those who hadnā€™t. I ask every new member if he or she would like to edit the newsletter now that Nancy has stepped down. I send the last newsletter along so they can see what the previous editor did. No one has asked to be the new Nancy."

Responding to those comments, Nancy says, ā€œI loved creating something that gave people joy and just wish I had time for it now. Being the newsletter editor gave me an inside look at the amazing leadership team this SIG enjoys. They are certainly the biggest reason the OLLI Outdoors SIG has grown so quickly.ā€