Interest Groups
Join an Interest Group, or express your interest in learning more, by completing this form or contacting directly the coordinator listed below.
Bon Appetit Gourmet Cooking Group
4+ GATHERINGS PER YEAR
Gourmet cooking groups of 8 - 20 people will meet to share food, fun, recipes, and cooking tips. Themes, times and places will be decided by members of the groups. Partners may attend. Although this club is FULL and CLOSED to new members, a new cooking group will be forming if enough members sign up.
Contact: Rusty Bowman
Group full- Waiting list available TOP
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Book Groups
BOOK CLUB 2 - 3rd Thursday, 1:00 PM - Group full at this time
BOOK CLUB 3 (BBBs) - 2nd Wednesday, noon - Open to additional members
Contact: Sally Lester
BOOK CLUB 4 (Happy Bookers) - 2nd Wednesday, 1- 2:30 PM - Waiting list available
Contact: Eleanor Southers
BOOK CLUB 5 - 3rd Monday, 1:00 - 3 PM - Open to additional members TOP
Contact: Mary Jane Chambers
Bridge for Fun
2 Mondays per month, 1:30 PM
Bridge for intermediate and advanced players.
Group full at this time
Contact: Linda Koval
Campus Events
Dates vary.
This interest group is dedicated to keeping our eyes and ears open for interesting events happening at UCSC. The planning committee looks for plays, musical performances, campus facility tours, art exhibits, lectures, etc. that might be of interest to our members and then we reach out to invite our members to join us in attending these events.
Contact: Donna Cavaillé
English in Action
Visiting international students, scholars and/or spouses are invited to participate in our volunteer program, known as English in Action. A volunteer from the University Community Connections’s Club will meet on a weekly basis for an hour with the participant. The program consists of an informal, non-structured meeting which gives the scholar, student or spouse an opportunity to practice conversational English and ask questions about the community. The meeting time and place will be arranged between the participant and the volunteer. Meetings between students and volunteers can be virtual or in person, depending on the preference of the people involved. We don’t have group meetings for volunteers. There is no charge for this program. It is not a class, but a one-to-one conversation.
Open to additional members TOP
Contact: Karin Grobe
FIAT MUSICA - A Choral Group
Thursdays at 7:00-8:30 PM
Do you love to sing? Are you interested in sharing the joy of music with other women? The interest group Fiat Musica is a women's choir which performs throughout the community, including holiday concerts, two performances for UCSC Community Connections and an annual Family and Friends Concert in May or June. We sing many styles of music: classical, pop and oldies, folk and world music and Broadway show tunes.Fiat Musica welcomes new singers. The best times to join are October and January.
Contact: Emily Sinclair TOP
Financial Planning & Investment Management - Solutions for Women in 2022 and Beyond
Meeting dates and times to be determined by the group's preferences
New and returning members are welcome to meet at Jane's office*. We will meet in person, socially distanced. Guest speakers will be included and topics scheduled in advance. Topics will be varied and include aspects of foundational planning and investment insights which are pertinent for those single, partnered/married, working, aiming toward retirement or retired.
*Jane McKenzie's Office - 1010 Fair Avenue, Suite G, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Contacts: Jane McKenzie (preferred) or cell phone - 831-234-5730 TOP
Garden Group
2nd Monday, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM ALL YEAR LONG
This club is CLOSED to new members due to its size. If there is enough interest, a new club can be formed.
Contact: Cherry Thompson
Liaison to Community Connections Board: Trician Comings TOP
Hiking/Walking Group
2nd Thursday, 9:30 AM
The Wiking Club members enjoy the wonders of Northern California hiking trails in our immediate area. Members of the group rotate the responsibility of leading a hike and contacting everyone by email with details of time and meeting place to carpool. If the walk is during the lunch hour, everyone takes their own picnic lunch.
Open to additional members
Contact: Laurie Salatich
Learn to Play Bridge
Weekly on Thursdays, 1-3:30 PM at members' homes
This is a group for people who have never played bridge or who used to play but have forgotten so much that a regular bridge group is frightening!
Contact: Debbie Hencke (831-359-9391) for more information TOP
Lunch Bunch
3rd Friday at 11:30 AM; LOCATIONS VARY
Lunches are a great place to meet new friends and to see familiar faces. The group meets at a different restaurant each month. Members take turns as host, choosing the venue and making arrangements with the restaurant. The coordinator sends out a reminder by email to the group each month.
Contact: Toni Wagner
Mah Jongg Groups
Mah Jongg Group 1
(Weekly on Tuesdays at 1:00 PM) The group is currently meeting outside.
The group welcomes experienced Mah Jongg players; lessons will be offered to beginners.
Contact: Hazel Powell
Mah Jongg Group 2
Weekly on Tuesday, 10 AM - 12:30 PM
Dorothy Carroll invites UCSC Community Connections members to join her at her home in Watsonville to play/learn this fascinating game. She says, "Every time you play, there’s something new and something learned, and all for fun! We play the Chinese game as taught by Helen Palmer. Please come and have fun. If you can't play every week, come when you can."
Contact: Dorothy Carroll; 768-8268 TOP
Group is full at this time
Meditate Together
45 minutes once a week; Monday at noon
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME! Let's connect and meditate together over Zoom. Meditation offers an opportunity to practice tuning into the present moment, cultivating calm and awareness, and supporting colleagues. Mondays at noon, we will connect for 45 minutes. Each session will include 15-20 minutes of silence for meditation and some time to reflect and share together. Sign up here. Questions? Please contact Andrea Cohen.
Contact: Andrea Cohen TOP
Travel Group
Last Monday of the month, 10:00 - 11:30 AM in members' homes with a Zoom connection offered.
Members of the group share information about foreign and domestic travel from their own experiences or from invited speakers.
Although this club is CLOSED to new members, a new Travel Club will be forming if enough members sign up.
Contact: Rusty Bowman
Open to additional members while on Zoom TOP
Volunteers in Motion (VIM)
The group promotes children's well-being, coordinating efforts with Jacob's Heart & CASANew members welcomedContact: Leader needed TOP
See Also
