Association of Retired Personnel

A Message to the OCCARP Membership

OCCARP is an association devoted to advancing the interest of all Oakland Community College retirees, both longstanding and of more recent ventage.

As OCC retirees, all of us have dedicated a significant portion of our lives to college.  Even though our period of service is completed, the OCC retirees’ organization is an excellent way to maintain our ties with old friends and the college.

The monthly newsletter with the support of Vice Chancellor Christina Ayar, Executive Director of the OCC Foundation, continues to inform you of OCCARP activities, obituaries, and developments throughout the college community.

This membership handbook contains members’ home addresses, enabling you to contact more than 190 old colleagues and friends.

As a member you and your spouse still have a college tuition waiver for one class each semester and/or personal Enrichment and Professional Development money up to $200 for yourself to explore your creative side.  This money can be used towards a new hobby, taking up a craft, or enrolling in many of the course offerings through your community senior citizens organizations.   All of this for only $18 a year.

As an association, we continue to support students and in December, $2,000 was donated to the scholarship fund. Since 1994, OCCARP had donated over $30,000, sponsoring 57 students.

This past June, the picnic was re-located to the Beverly Hills park, making the annual picnic more senior citizen friendly in location, parking and restrooms. Other activities this past year included the Million-Dollar Quartet at the Meadowbrook theater, Cranbrook Science Museum, Mental Health training program for employees and alumni, tour of Pewabic Pottery, Discover the Power of AI presentation, and the Holiday Luncheon at the new Oakland Community Colleges’ Culinary Studies Institute building, located at the Royal Oak Campus.

As I have written in past messages  “every night is Friday night, every morning is Saturday morning, and the 25th of every month is Christmas (pension arrives)”.  Enjoy retirement, we all have earned it,

On behalf of my fellow Board members, I want to extend our best wishes to you and yours for health and happiness in the coming year.

Bob Zemke
OCCARP Board Chair