Above: LLI members had fun attending a cooking class and lunch at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center of Arts and Education in Ocean Springs on October 27.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Lifelong Learning Institute has released its spring 2016 schedule, which includes luncheon seminars, classes, day and overnight trips, and other activities for LLI members. Geared toward individuals 50 years and older, the group has chapters on the Jackson County, Jefferson Davis, Perkinston campuses and the George County Center. Members can attend any function on any campus.

Established in 1996 by a group of retirees wanting to continue traveling and learning, LLI offers its members the opportunity to stay involved, get fit and travel. The members also get student rates at athletic and performing arts events on campus, use of the fitness centers, access to the Learning Resource Center, student parking access, and membership in the Alumni Association. They can also take college courses for no tuition through the Plus 50 Encore Completion program.

With 350 members across the college’s four-county district, LLI members enjoy getting together for trips to New Orleans, the Georgia mountains, the Mississippi Delta, and places closer to home like the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, the Biloxi Lighthouse and the White House Hotel. In spring 2016, the group will visit New Orleans for the Broadway production of “Wicked” and the Fair Grounds Race Course for thoroughbred racing, take a tour of Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, and go on a nature tour at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Jackson County. Overnight trips include a visit to St. Augustine, Florida, and Mississippi Backroads in the Delta Region. LLI members are also invited to participate in the Travel to Learn trip to Hawaii in June.

Jenifer Freridge, coordinator of College Events and Special Programs at MGCCC, said that members get to choose the classes and have input on the trips they would like to take. “We get together each semester to discuss what they are interested in,” she said. “The most popular classes are fitness and exercise classes, computer classes and smartphone basics. They love to travel, so we discuss which locations they would like to visit. They all want to remain active and are interested in anything that keeps them learning, moving and involved.”

For $50 a year, members may participate in monthly luncheons, classes, eight day trips a year and four overnight trips along with all the other benefits such as student prices on college events. For more information or a copy of the LLI spring 2016 schedule, visit The Lifelong Learning Institute or call Jenifer Freridge at (601) 928-6288.