San Antonio OA SIS, an affiliate of The OA SIS Institute,is a national non–profit education organizationheadquartered in St. Louis. This program is dedicated toenriching the lives of mature adults. Established in 1991,San Antonio OA SIS offers challenging programs in thearts, humanities, wellness, technology and volunteer servicesto a membership of more than 18,000 older adults.Through its programs and services, OA SIS creates opportunitiesfor olderadults to continue theirpersonal growth andmeaningful service tothe community. OA SISis open to all individualsage 50 and older,membership is free andmany classes are offeredat no cost. The San AntonioOA SIS Center islocated inside Macy’sFurniture Gallery. OA –SIS also supports over25 outreach sites located throughoutthe San Antonio area.
t the completion of each school year, tutors withthe OA SIS program are honored for their dedication tostudents, at an Awards Ceremony. Eliot Garza, ownerand publisher of NSIDE Publications served as the guestspeaker at the 2007–2008 awards luncheon on May 20,2008. Mr. Garza shared his experiences and discussedthe significant role that mentors played in his professionaland personal development. He encouraged the tutorsto continue to help influence and mold the lives ofour youth.
The Intergenerational Tutoring Program, under theumbrella of OA SIS, has been in place since 1993. Olderadults are paired with elementary grade children to: a)promote motivation, success and enjoyment of reading,writing and oral communication in students; b) help developlanguage, build vocabulary and expand backgroundknowledge; c) increase the confidence and self–esteem ofstudents participating in the program and d) offer meaningfulvolunteer opportunities for senior citizens. Sincethe inception of theprogram approximately1,250 volunteers havebeen trained, servingapproximately 4,000students. NorthsideIndependent SchoolDistrict (NISD) CommunityEducation Programsponsors over 150volunteers dedicated tohelping over 250 studentsin 45 NorthsideElementary Schools.After 12 hours of training, tutors meetindividually one hour a week with thesame child to read books, write stories and share experiences.
A nother program piloted at NISD Schools was theOA SIS Active Generations program. A $45,000 grantwas received from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundationto implement an intergenerational nutrition and physicalactivity program to combat childhood obesity in gradeschool children. Villarreal and Meadow Village LearningTree After–School students worked closely with OA SISvolunteers in making a difference towards healthier lifestylesand increased physical activities.
