In the 1970s, Oasis founder Marylen Mann visited a local senior center and noticed tables of older adults gluing paper bunnies onto placemats. Dismayed by the simplistic crafts and bingo games that filled the day’s schedule, she was inspired to create something more meaningful. “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.

Oasis (Older Adult Service & Information Systems) was born through a two-year, $84,000 demonstration grant and launched at Famous Barr in downtown St. Louis. To sustain the program, founder Mann began building community partnerships. With support from the U.S. Administration on Aging and The May Department Stores Company, Oasis secured funding to test the feasibility of a public–private partnership. After the successful demonstration, The May Department Stores Company—now Macy’s, Inc.—expanded its commitment by establishing Oasis centers inside its stores. By 1988, Oasis offered classes in 85 locations, engaging more than 3,000 participants and was recognized as a successful private sector model by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Conference on Health Promotion and Aging.

Mann collaborated with experts at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Webster University in 1989 to develop a reading and language curriculum. With support from school superintendents, Oasis Tutoring launched.

By 1992, Oasis was active in 20 cities, serving 171,000 people nationwide. In 1998, at the advice of sponsors and partners, Oasis leadership created a separate organization: The Oasis Institute.

The U.S. Department of Commerce made an investment to support Oasis’ Connections Technology Literacy Training curriculum development in 2000. Mann was honored with the AARP Impact Award, recognizing individuals who “improve our world” in 2005 and the following year, Oasis membership had grown to 340,000, supported by a planning grant from Atlantic Philanthropies to prepare for a future beyond May Company/Macy’s funding.

In 2007, Mann presented at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Ministerial Conference on Aging in León, Spain, focusing on serving low-income older adults through community partnerships. That year, Oasis Tutoring also expanded to 20 cities, through 109 districts and 902 schools, working with more than 250,000 children.