A Dozen Years Later, The Oasis Network Is Still Working For Kids

By Gary Nager

I can still remember that day in 2001 when my friends Lynn Gruber and Terry Wolford and several of their friends in Tampa Palms started the OASIS (Outreach Assisting Students In Schools) Network of Tampa Bay, which today is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the clothing and health care item needs of students in every Hillsborough County public school.

Although the group started its grassroots efforts by collecting school uniforms for needy children in nearby Mort Elementary on E. Bearss Ave., school social workers in other schools started asking for the help of OASIS and within just a few short years, the program had expanded to serve kids at every school in the county.

Today, under the direction of executive director Ginger Bean (who joined the group in its second year), the volunteer-driven OASIS Network is still serving the clothing and health care product needs of the close to 60 percent of Hillsborough County school children who are living in poverty.

“Our mission at OASIS is to provide those children with basic every day necessities,” says the group’s website, Oasis-Network.org, although Bean says, “clothes are probably 90 percent of what we distribute. We also provide new school shoes (funded this year by The Tampa Bay Rays!), hygiene items (shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, etc.), new socks and underwear.” (Note-Wolford is now the chair of the OASIS Network Board of Directors and Gruber is the group’s fundraising chair.)

On November 10, OASIS Network held its first-ever “Sunset at the OASIS” fund raiser at Louis Benito Middle School on Cross Creek Blvd.

“Sunset” was a family-friendly movie night, where local families came out to enjoy a beautiful evening outdoors and got to watch the popular movie, “A Dolphin’s Tale” while partaking in great activities.

The event may not have been as well-attended or raised as much money as the OASIS folks would have liked, but they are always trying to raise money and donations because the needs of the kids who receive these donations never seem to end, either.

“We had two bins of clothes donated, and there were around 100 people in attendance, plus 45 volunteers,” Bean says. “The primary purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the needs in our community schools and how OASIS helps to meet those needs. We basically broke even, but we hope it was a success because of the number of community members who learned about OASIS through the newspaper articles, radio spots, publicity in the schools and the movie night event.”

With the increased awareness, the OASIS founders hope to continue to improve collections of gently used school clothes. “Within the past year or two, the clothing donated to OASIS has been less usable (more worn out, not appropriate for school wear, etc.),” Bean says, “and this year, it seems like clothing donations are less than normal, so we need to collect more to meet the needs of the students not attending uniform schools. Please consider having a clothing drive and/or cleaning out your closets to help OASIS.”

And, if you missed “Sunset at the OASIS,” don’t worry — you can always make a donation. Send monetary donations to: OASIS Network, 16057 Tampa Palms Blvd., #315, Tampa, FL 33647. For additional info, visit Oasis-Network.org.