The Oasis Mission

To promote healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and volunteer engagement.

Our Vision

To see that adults age 50 and older across the country have opportunities to pursue vibrant, healthy, productive and meaningful lives.

We seek to positively impact your lives through partnerships to share knowledge, offer evidence- and research-based programs, conduct evaluations and adapt to meet the needs of various audiences.

Our network of hundreds of partners includes health providers, corporations, senior centers, community organizations, libraries, universities and colleges, senior living organizations and more.

Oasis puts into practice the landmark MacArthur Foundation study of successful aging. Researchers Rowe and Kahn found that the key ingredients for a high quality of life are maintaining a low risk for disease, a high level of engagement with the community and high physical and cognitive function, and “it is the combination of all three that represents the concept of successful aging fully.”

History

In the spring of the 1970s, Oasis founder, Marylen Mann visited a local senior center where she observed tables seated with older adults gluing paper bunnies onto placemats. Dismayed by the simplistic crafts and bingo games that dominated the day’s schedule, Marylen Mann was inspired to make a difference. In 1982, she founded Oasis in St. Louis.

I thought, “This is not the way to grow old.” I knew I could enhance the lives of people who were aging. And I did… through lifelong learning, healthy living, and social engagement,” says Mann.

To support Oasis, Mann began building community collaborations. With assistance from the U.S. Administration on Aging and The May Department Stores Company, Oasis secured funding to demonstrate the feasibility of a public-private partnership. After a successful demonstration, The May Department Stores Company, now Macy’s, Inc., committed to expanding its support by establishing Oasis centers within its stores.

Thanks to the success of the Oasis model, the U.S. Commissioner on Aging invited Mann to speak at the U.N. Conference on Economics and Aging in León, Spain. With representatives from every European country present, Mann stood with the American flag behind her, sharing stories of the St. Louis Oasis program. She described it as the best the United States had to offer, an experience that was both humbling and exhilarating. Oasis had grown from a local initiative into a program recognized globally as an example of best practices for aging.

Oasis Today

Oasis continues to offer programs that enrich the lives of older adults through the arts, history, technology, current events, health, exercise, volunteer engagement, and more. For over 40 years, Oasis classes and activities have played a vital role in enhancing the lives of older adults.

Oasis programs are available through numerous partnership sites across the St. Louis metropolitan area, reaching thousands of individuals each year by promoting successful aging through lifelong learning, health programs, and volunteer engagement.

Through education, advocacy, and healthy living programs, Oasis continues to make a significant impact in St. Louis and beyond.

St Louis Oasis Overview