40th Anniversary Archives - Oasis Institute https://www.oasisnet.org/tag/40th-anniversary/ Lifelong Adventure Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:03:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 Oasis’ 40th Anniversary Tribute https://www.oasisnet.org/40th/ https://www.oasisnet.org/40th/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2022 07:16:29 +0000 https://www.oasisnet.org/?p=6759 Cheers to 40 years! Join us in celebrating 40 years of impact and service to older adults! Donate to St. Louis Oasis in honor of our 40th Anniversary

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40th Anniversary Banner

Cheers to 40 years!

Oasis turns 40 this year!

Oasis was founded in 1982 by Marylen Mann in St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly thereafter Oasis expanded to a national organization opening additional centers in Baltimore, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Today, Oasis supports over 587,000 older adults serving more than 200 communities in 33 states.

The story of Oasis began with Marylen spending a day in senior centers visiting with older adults as they made crafts, played bingo and sat idly around the rooms. Marylen saw a world of potential going to waste. She begged the question, “Why should the people in these centers, who had raised families and held productive jobs, have such limited opportunities as they aged?”

At the end of the day, Mann remarked, “We can do better for older adults.”

After touring more senior centers across the city and observing much of the same, an advisory committee for programming ideas and support was formed. Instructors from local colleges taught poetry, painting and drawing. Lecturers led book discussions, conducted history classes on the times in which their students had lived and facilitated conversations about current events. The best of the classes were intergenerational—events that brought together older adults and adolescents.

In 1982, with a small demonstration grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging, Marylen founded Oasis and became a pioneer in healthy aging during a time when it was difficult to fight for people who were a low priority for decision makers in government, business and philanthropic organizations.

Marylen set out to “do better” for older adults, and that is exactly what she did through Oasis.

Join us as we celebrate 40 years of impact and service to older adults. You are an integral part of the Oasis family through your participation in classes, volunteerism, and support of your local Oasis and Oasis Everywhere virtual learning. Keep an eye out for more activities commemorating 40 years and help us grow by spreading the word!

OASIS IMPACT TO DATE

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Supported over 587,000 older adults through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and volunteer engagement
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Tutored more than 525,000 students through the Intergenerational Tutoring Program
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Provided more than 13.7 million volunteers hours to local communities
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Cumulative impact of nearly 400 million dollars in volunteer service
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Partnered with more than 800 organizations nationwide

Join us in celebrating 40 years of impact and service to older adults!

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]]> https://www.oasisnet.org/40th/feed/ 3 We Can Do Better for Older Adults: The 40-Year History of Oasis https://www.oasisnet.org/we-can-do-better-for-older-adults-the-40-year-history-of-oasis/ https://www.oasisnet.org/we-can-do-better-for-older-adults-the-40-year-history-of-oasis/#respond Wed, 13 Apr 2022 19:14:43 +0000 https://www.oasisnet.org/?p=9264 Join us for a free virtual presentation with Oasis founder Marylen Mann to discuss the past, present, and future of Oasis and how its mission revolutionized society's outlook of older adulthood. We Can Do Better for Older Adults: The 40-Year History of Oasis Anyone who knows and loves an older adult can Read more...

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Join us for a free virtual presentation with Oasis founder Marylen Mann to discuss the past, present, and future of Oasis and how its mission revolutionized society’s outlook of older adulthood.

We Can Do Better for Older Adults:
The 40-Year History of Oasis

Anyone who knows and loves an older adult can relate to the Oasis mission. Chances are, whether it be a parent, grandparent, neighbor, or friend—an aging adult in your life has benefitted from Oasis, if not directly, through influence on planners of community programs, makers of government policy, and the general public’s ideological beliefs. The plans Oasis initiated were unheard of forty years ago. At the time of its inception, little effort was put into creating programs geared toward maintaining the livelihood of older adults and appreciating them as still-useful members of a community.

Join us for an in-depth panel discussion of how Oasis transformed our culture’s philosophy of aging adults’ (undervalued) place in society. What began with a few visits to senior centers—observing older adults sitting idly around the room, working on rudimentary crafts, and playing bingo—ignited an initiative in Oasis founder and St. Louis native Marylen Mann. After the tours that day, Marylen remarked, “ We can do better for older adults. ” With that small grant, a starter program transformed into a national nonprofit organization that would revolutionize our concept of successful aging—changing the course of how Americans view and value an older population. Forty years later, through Oasis’ national presence, post-retirement adults retain a sense of purpose and worth and remain active contributors to society while expanding their knowledge beyond academic years in personal interests through enlightening learning classes.

This panel discussion will be led by Oasis founder and inaugural president Marylen Mann, former president Marcia Kerz, and current president Paul Weiss. Moderated by Ida Early of Washington University, we will cover the history of aging adults’ undervalued place in society and how Oasis pioneered the path to change that.

4j0th Anniversary

Oasis Everywhere – Zoom
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
1–2 p.m. Central Time

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