At all the masses on the weekend of August 21st and 22nd, Margaret Pontius, Director of the Guadalupe Center, Catholic Charities, and Anne Zimmerman, Oasis Case Manager at Guadalupe Center, spoke to the parishioners about the Guadalupe Centers' Oasis program.

Oasis stands for " Older Adults Services and Intervention System ". The purpose of the presentation was to form St. Mel Parish volunteer teams that will give service and support to elders and their caregivers. Such service and the goal of the program is to help senior citizens remain independent and also connected to our community.

Margaret and Anne explained that the program is presently funded by the United States Department of Aging and therefore the key need is for volunteers. They explained that the volunteer teams would be trained and supported by the Guadalupe Center Oasis staff, the consultant staff from the California State University, Northridge and the Santa Monica Center for Healthy Aging.

The St. Mel Parish response was enthusiastic ; 44 parishioners signed up for the volunteer program and several parishioners signed up stating that they needed the services provided by the Oasis program.

We will continue to report on the progress of this program at St. Mel.