By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Older Adults Sharing In-Service (OASIS), at Orange Church of God on 16th Street, is ready to open the doors and is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7.

Older adults participate in community service projects, exercise, music, puzzles, devotions, games, intergenerational fellowship, and cognitive stimulation during the four-hour sessions.

Currently, the church is accepting registration from those interested.

Once a month, a schedule of activities and a theme is provided to the participants. For May, the theme was Mother’s Day. Activities such as singalongs included songs about mothers.

There are also games and puzzles.

A volunteer will take a puzzle home and put it together. Then divide the puzzle into sections and placing so many pieces into a small baggie. Participants will put the puzzle together one baggie at a time over the course of the month so they can have small victories along the way.

A common phrase heard over and over among the volunteers and the director is “It is a place where volunteers become participants and participants become volunteers.”

Participants also give back to the community by doing things such as clipping coupons for the military or stuffing Easter eggs for a school or the church hosting the program.

OASIS provides a structured time of service and fellowship for older adults who are socially isolated due to cognitive or physical frailties. It also provides family caregivers three hours of free time to take care of their own needs.

Orange Church of God is located at 1911 North 16th Street in Orange.

For more information, to register or to volunteer, contact Orange Church of God at 409-883-8631 or email orangecog@gmail.com