Changing Lives One Woman and Child at a Time

“Watching this young woman walk in from out of the snow with only a sweater on to ask for a coat for her and her baby was a heart wrenching experience. To only imagine how far she must have walked in the freezing weather to ask for help from Oasis instantaneously brought tears to my eyes,” said Debra Cannariato, VP of Boiling Springs Savings Bank. There to make Boiling Springs’ annual donation to Oasis, she was able to experience firsthand what it means to be an underserved woman and child. To us something as simple as a piece of clothing, something we easily take for granted, was vital to this woman and her child. Although the primary focus of Oasis is to provide educational resources and skills to women and children, this amazing organization was able to immediately provide them with coats through their emergency clothing distribution program.

Oasis, A Haven for Women and Children is a non-profit, social services agency located in Paterson, the third largest city in New Jersey. It was founded in 1998 after volunteers working in the city’s poorest areas recognized that women and children were underserved by meal programs and social service agencies at that time. What began as a soup kitchen and clothing distribution center for women and children has grown to also include adult education, workplace readiness and youth development programs.

The motto of Oasis is “Changing Lives One Woman and Child at a Time.” Its staff and volunteers work to provide a “hand-out,” by meeting the basic needs of food, clothing, and after-school care, as well as a “hand-up” by providing opportunities to affect permanent change.

Through their Adult Education Program, impoverished women attend classes to advance their literacy levels, improve the language skills, and hone their job skills. Their Program has given so many women the consistent support needed to achieve their goals. Oasis also offers a Youth Development Program, for ages 6 through 18, providing academic enrichment, social skills development and nutrition education. The primary objective of all of the programs and services is to mentor women and children to help them achieve their fullest potential.

Another important program that focuses on the “hand-up” approach is the Oasis Workplace Readiness Program (OWRP).  For the women enrolled in this program, careers are something that other people have. Most of the students have little or no work experience, and the jobs that they have had were typically short-lived. The Program, which incorporates the assistance of numerous professional volunteers, includes resume support, interviewing skills, and assistance in job hunting. It also provides opportunities for internships, both at Oasis in maintenance, food service, and child care, and with Home Care Options, a Paterson-based home health aide placement agency. 

Numerous women have changed the trajectory of their lives due to the Oasis Workplace Readiness Program.  These include Amina, who came to Oasis to earn her GED and expand her computer skills. She then participated in OWRP and was awarded a training scholarship to become a home health aide by Home Care Options. Amina embraced this opportunity and recently passed her home health aide exams, was hired, and began her new job at the end of November, 2013. As she said when she shared the good news with Oasis, “Oasis helped make all of this possible!  You all have been so good to me!” When Amina first came to Oasis she had expected just to get her GED, but completing this Program changed her life and now she is able to support her family with her new job.