Confessions of a Professional Sports Photographer

“Zoom” in for an engaging dialogue between two long-time friends sharing stories and career images about life behind the lens of a professional sports photographer.

Zoom Meetings to require Passcodes or Waiting Rooms

Zoom has just announced some changes that will affect anyone scheduling Zoom Meetings on a paid account. These changes were made to enhance security but will affect how Zoom Meetings are scheduled in the future.

The bottom line is that, after July 19, all Zoom Meetings will require either a Passcode or a Waiting Room to be enabled. Notice that Zoom is now calling what used to be known as passwords Passcodes.

If you don’t choose to enable a Passcode, Zoom will automatically enable the Waiting Room. If a Passcodes is enabled, the Passcode will automatically be embedded in Meeting links.

This will automatically change any Meetings you have already scheduled after July 19. If you choose to enable a Passcode, you may have to resend the meeting invitation.

These changes only apply to Meetings, not Webinars. But expect more changes as Zoom continues to evolve. For more information  read the FAQ.

Visit Oasis Connections for more information on Zoom or take an online Oasis class through Zoom Video at Oasis Everywhere.

Ken Charvoz CPACC

A message on Racial Injustice from Oasis Institute President, Paul Weiss

It is the natural inclination of social impact organizations to measure words carefully in public forums. The nonprofit community depends on the grace and generosity of a broad constellation of donors, public and private. However, in this singular moment in American life, I believe having a platform carries with it the responsibility of using your voice.

George Floyd, yet another human being whose name is sadly woven into the tapestry of Black men and women killed or persecuted at the hands of law enforcement. Another victim of a pandemic—not viral, an epidemic of systemic oppression of people of color—one that has ravaged this country for decades. An epidemic not curable by any vaccine. This man, another casualty, leading to a nationwide scream of outrage—justified and righteous protest, unfortunate violence and vandalism, and reinjury of a never healed wound. The senseless loss of George Floyd’s life occurred not only within the context of several other recent acts of violence against Black men and women but against the backdrop of a global health pandemic—one that is undeniably more lethal within low income and minority communities, further exposing a crisis in health disparities. Confronting inequalities in access and outcomes is central to our work at Oasis. While a vaccine will come for the COVID pandemic, when will it happen for the racial pandemic? How many more names need to be added to the list to drive REAL change?

The Oasis Institute was founded in 1982 in St. Louis, Missouri, where the headquarter office resides. North County communities in St. Louis, like Ferguson, a township with a 70% Black racial makeup, known nationally because of the death of Michael Brown and considered the birthplace of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, experience disproportionate variances in investment for education, infant mortality rates, lifespan, the incidence of chronic disease, and all measures of resources and infrastructure.

Two years ago, The Oasis Institute in St. Louis partnered with North County communities and faith-based organizations to expand our reach into North County and North St. Louis. My colleagues and I formed new relationships with over 1,200 new North County registrants for lifelong learning, health and exercise programs, and over 400 older adults volunteering in North County schools for the Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring program. We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants in predominantly Black communities emphasizing the difference Oasis programs have made in their lives.

Oasis stands to defy ageism. It follows directly from this “organizational DNA” that Oasis stands against racism with equal vigor.

We believe in the value of lives at any age, of all races, from all communities. These fundamental guiding principles are not just constitutional. They are biblical, and part of every social impact organization working to lift the marginalized.

At Oasis, older adult lives matter. Black lives matter.

I am a White man; I will never know what it feels like to grow up Black in America. But I’m also the son of a Jewish father who immigrated to America in 1940 as our family fled fascism in Europe. I don’t know that fight either, only the stories of it. What I know is that silence is the enemy of change. We are committed to standing with the Black and Brown community. I hope the collective will of local and national nonprofit communities, regardless of mission, will amplify and sustain the voices of Black and Brown men and women. We are the vaccine against racism in America. Herd Immunity to racism is achieved when the majority speak up, act up, and lift up. We must do better. We can do better.

Staying healthy, socially active and adapting to the new normal

Coronavirus has changed everything, hasn’t it?

It’s altered how we shop, socialize, exercise, work, and even think. This public health crisis brings to light existing societal fractures such as a fragmented healthcare system, our dependence on public schools (and other organizations) for square meals for countless children and how prevalent health inequities are in communities of color. It exposes many Americans to a first-hand experience of what it’s like to be socially isolated. Many older adults face social isolation during ‘normal’ times and many more experience isolation now. The scary thing is—none of us really know how long we’re going to be holed up.

I’m a public health professional, but I am not an infectious disease expert. However, I’m preparing, mentally, to be living in versions of this new normal for another year. I think older adults will be the last group of people who are recommended (and willing) to reassemble into groups—and for good reason. We should all be very cautious of COVID-19. As the weeks roll on and we continue social distancing, the negative impacts of isolation may begin to set in. And impact may not feel good.

Research over the last six years spotlights how social isolation affects overall health. It can lead to a greater risk of depression, falls and exacerbating other chronic conditions like heart disease. It can impact your overall health as negatively as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. For nearly 20 years, Oasis continues providing programs to reduce isolation among older adults, but now it’s more important than ever.

How do you stay engaged in the era of social distancing?

1. Stay in touch with your family and friends! Even though many of us may not have much new news to talk about, it’s important to keep ‘hanging out’ through video chats and phone calls any way you can. My partner and I make sure we video chat with his mother every few days so she can watch her first grandchild eat new foods, play peekaboo and take baths. Oasis members can participate in Conversations that Count, a phone-based program providing interesting conversations guided by a volunteer.
2. Keep active. Even though the weather is nice now, some parks may still be closed. Be sure you’re staying active. It’s not easy to create a new routine while it’s unclear when gyms will be back open. However, I don’t think it’s going to be soon. We must find a new exercise routine that can be done from home or around the neighborhood. I subscribe to an exercise app and the activity significantly raises my mood.
3. Keep learning something. This is the perfect time to learn a new hobby (that can be done at home). Read something you’ve never had the time for or re-read something you haven’t touched in decades. Watch all the Ken Burns documentaries (that may take you through this quarantine). Join an Oasis Zoom Video class! Also, no judgment if you want to watch trashy reality shows. Just keep your mind engaged!
4. Do what you can to avoid feeling lonely, even if you’re isolated. There is a difference between loneliness and isolation and they’re not necessarily correlated. We may be isolated, but we can work to not be lonely. The above recommendations can help reduce loneliness, as well as any kind of interaction with others. Social media is another great tool to stay in touch with others (forewarning—for some social media has an adverse emotional effect and should be turned off if it feels toxic). I personally find social media platforms to be a happy place because I’ve curated my feeds to pictures of friends and family, cute animal videos and funny memes. I chose to minimize exposure to extreme political posts because I don’t like them.

We can find routines during this “new normal” that feel sustainable in keeping us healthy. We may have to get used to being six feet apart from people for a while, but we can still find ways to feel better, both physically and mentally.

Juliet Simone
Oasis National Program and Health Director
health.oasisnet.org

What activities are you doing?

What have you found to keep yourself socially connected and healthy during social distancing? Share your ideas in the comments below under “Leave a Reply”!

New to Zoom? Here’s some tips on getting started.

With Generations to Lead, Come on, Let’s Read!

Yay for Dr. Suess’s Birthday and Read Across America Day!

March 2^nd is Read across America Day and the birthday of Dr. Seuss, author of over sixty books for children.  Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!  How about a little trivia to celebrate this beloved author?  A quote from a book is listed below – can you name the book?

1. “Today you are you that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is youer than you.”
2. “A person’s a person, no matter how small!”
3. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
4. “If you never did You should. These things are fun.  And fun is good.”
5. “It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.”
6. “You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say.”
7. “You havebrains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
8. “There are so many things you can learn about, but You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”
9. “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play.”
10. “Things are not quite as bad as you think.”

What makes reading a book by Dr. Seuss enjoyable?  Is it the rhythm of the rhyming words?  Is it the zany characters like Sam, the Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, the Lorax or the Sneetches?  Is it the places you’ll go such as Mystic Mountain Neeka-Tave, the Island of Gwark or Who-Ville?

YES to all those questions and more!

For those reading a Dr. Seuss book aloud today (or any day!) in celebration of Read Across America Day, the rhythm of the zany words combined with the inflection of your voice and expression on your face will provide joy for both you, the reader and your audience.  You might even make a sweet memory with someone special.

I have a special memory with my dad and the book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Every Christmas season from childhood until the Christmas before he passed away, my dad and I would watch the animated version of the book on television.  My dad’s favorite character was Max the dog and mine is Cindy-Lou Who.   One Christmas my dad gave me a copy of the book with a note.   I hold onto the sweet memory of experiencing a Dr. Seuss story with my dad and the treasure of his handwritten note in my book.

As you can probably guess, this makes How the Grinch that Stole Christmas my favorite Dr. Seuss book, closely followed by Green Eggs and Ham.

In honor of Dr. Seuss and in celebration of Read Across America Day, I encourage you to read your favorite book to someone special and share the Dr. Seuss book you chose in the comments below.

Oasis Tutors have the opportunity to share the joy of reading and building literacy skills with a child every week during the school year.  If you are interested in becoming an Oasis Tutor, please contact Oasis Tutoring:  https://tutoring.oasisnet.org/

Trivia Quote Answers:
1. Happy Birthday to You!   2.  Horton Hears a Who!   3.  The Lorax    4.  One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish   5. The Grinch that Stole Christmas    6.  Green Eggs and Ham    7. Oh, the Places You’ll Go   8. I Can Read with my Eyes Shut   9.  The Cat in the Hat   10.  The Sneetches and Other Stories

How do you recognize the difference between fake news and factual news?

You’ve seen them. They ask you to copy and paste the post into your own timeline and post it from there. It may be political but more often is a news story, maybe about a sick child or someone else in trouble. Often these posts tug at your heartstrings, so the inclination is to believe them. But how do you know if they are valid? Or still valid today? Or were never valid?

A valid story will contain a date (on which it occurred) and a source (real news outlet and or reporter’s name). And a valid story will not ask you to copy, paste and repost. If you want to repost it, you can just “share” it. But it’s the lack of a date that is the first cause for concern. When did this happen? Is little Timmy still dying and desperately needs to see his long-lost father before he passes? Or, if this were ever true, did it happen 4 years ago and poor little Timmy died 3 years ago? Without a date and a source you will never know.

I have challenged people who repost these stories and the answer I get most often is, “It looked like it could be true so I copied, pasted and posted it as instructed. Maybe someone who knows Timmy’s father will get in touch with him.”

Bottom line: If you can’t verify the story, do not repost it (or forward it if it’s an email).

To read the full story or to learn about the top 4 things you should look for when determining whether its fact or fake, take a look at the full post, Real News or Fake News and Disinformation written by Harvey Schoenman and featured on the Oasis Connections website.

Adults today are living much longer than previous generations, so how do we make the most of these extra years? Since 2018, The Oasis Institute has been engaging older adults in St. Louis, Indianapolis, and San Antonio through the Aging Mastery Program® (AMP), developed by the National Council on Aging. This 10-class program aims to help older adults take key steps to improve their overall well-being, add stability to their lives, and strengthen their involvement in the community. Participants are encouraged to create their personalized playbook for aging well through actionable goals, sustainable behaviors, and social engagement.

The program promotes mastery; participants design sustainable solutions for their everyday life that will lead to improved health, stronger financial security, enhanced well-being, and increased connectedness to their community. Individuals set their own goals and create their unique pathways to these goals, opening the door to creativity and self-reflection in the process. Upon completion of AMP, participants are encouraged to have a set of goals for positive actions in many aspects of their lives, including exercise, nutrition, finances, advance care planning, community engagement, and healthy relationships.

The Oasis Institute is preparing older adults like Mary Tate to live their later years to the fullest.

“Longevity is important to all of us, but to ensure quality of life, we must stay active and engaged,” says Mary.

Mary is among 51 Oasis participants in San Antonio designated as AMP “graduates,” having attended at least seven of the ten sessions. She rated all the sessions as very relevant and highly informative. Her fellow graduates also reviewed the program favorably, with 100 percent reporting improved health and a willingness to recommend the program to a friend. Many participants also indicated that they had made positive changes based on what they learned from the sessions, including starting exercise classes, updating estate plans and finances, and making more efforts to socialize.

Arthur Jackson attended the program with his wife Doris in San Antonio and said the experience was affirming and time well-spent:

“We really enjoyed the peer-to-peer interaction with classmates going through some of the same life changes we are.”

Another participant, Clay Rembert from Oasis Indianapolis, said

“This has been a fantastic program. I’ve learned a lot that I can implement into my daily routine.”

Dorothy Suther volunteers as an AMP facilitator and presenter at Indianapolis Oasis.

“One of the pleasures of leading a group is the opportunity to see the same people for 10 weeks and get to know them,” she says. “Attendees become comfortable with each other and participate freely, sharing their experiences.”

Since fall of 2018, 147 participants have completed the program in St. Louis, 208 in Indianapolis, and in San Antonio, 244 older adults. Overall, The Oasis Institute has reached nearly 600 older adults through our AMP program.

To register for an upcoming AMP class near you, please visit our spring catalogs at https://www.oasisnet.org/class-catalog.