OASIS Needs 7,000 Square Feet in Coastal North County
OASIS is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for rewarding and successful aging for individuals 50 and older. I have become involved with this wonderful group since I retired and had lunch today with the CEO of the San Diego chapter, Simona Valanciute, and the VP of External Relations, Jolyn Parker. They want to reduce costs and increase the organization's user-friendly programming for seniors by consolidating its north county programming. At present, programs are held in dozens of small locations, from libraries to community centers, where rents are either free or extremely low cost. They believe creating a key OASIS location in the north county coastal region would be extremely beneficial to the audiences they serve.
OASIS needs to find approximately 7,000 square feet of vacant space, at a discounted rent, with plentiful parking to accommodate the hundreds of individuals who currently participate in their north county activities on a daily basis. Space that makes the most sense will be found in a shopping center, with lots of parking for the increase in traffic from OASIS members who will add value to the center on a daily basis. They recently created a new national model of operation for OASIS at Grossmont Center Mall, where they currently attract over 2,000 participants per week, who come into the mall to take classes and then eat and shop.
Please let me know or contact them directly if you are aware of vacant space fitting those general parameters in the Oceanside - Del Mar corridor. Because Simona and Jolyn already have had conversations with multiple brokers about their north county needs, without great success, I offered to introduce their organization and space needs to you, especially in the hope that owners or managers of vacant shopping center space will think about being helpful.
What intrigues and impresses me about the OASIS organization is that its programs, from travel to exercises to book discussions and game-playing, essentially are forms of preventive medicine. They enhance the emotional, cognitive, physical and social lives of participants. They are an important antidote to the social isolation that plagues so many otherwise healthy senior citizens. OASIS programs are extremely low-cost, yet well-done. San Diego's chapter not only is the largest but also widely respected within OASIS nationally as its best chapter in America.
Little is known about OASIS in San Diego and elsewhere, however, because the organization's limited budgets are targeted at member services, not promotional expenses. Had not my dear friend George Chamberlin introduced me to Simona and Jolyn, I would not know about OASIS. Nor would I be aware as I am now that more than 600 members of OASIS in San Diego mentor "at-risk" children in the K - 4th grades--kids at risk of being illiterate. Mentors help prevent illiteracy by spending one hour each week for an entire school year with an assigned child, in the classroom, while class is going on, assuring that these children eventually "get it", and learn to read and write. When I combine the benefits of OASIS as preventive medicine for its members with the benefits of the mentoring program for the at-risk K - 4 children becoming literate rather than illiterate, I can't help but want to help this organization. I hope you will too.
As a bit of background, for several decades the San Diego chapter of OASIS enjoyed rent-free space in the Macy's building in Mission Valley. When Macy's gave up the space OASIS was forced to move. Fortunately, OASIS executives found space in the Grossmont Center Mall and negotiated a contract with its owners to lease the space for a relatively long term at below-market rents. Now, one year later, OASIS has stabilized its operations and budget for the Grossmont Center programs. Since the move occurred membership has increased on a net basis and the members of OASIS are having a positive economic impact on the Grossmont Center's financials.
Leaders and board members of the San Diego chapter of OASIS are ready to create a second, centralized presence in north county. The next step in this process is for a forward-thinking property owner or asset manager to recognize and appreciate the inter-generational value OASIS brings to this community, to K - 4 children, and to San Diego's aging population. Oh, and recognize OASIS brings increased traffic and spending to shopping centers. Then let Simona or Jolyn describe just how powerful the benefits of OASIS have proven to be for a property owner in Dallas. And think about the high costs of caring for ailing or socially isolated seniors and for illiterate children. All we need is one, just one, vacant space in north county.
To reach them directly, Simona is simona@sandiegooasis.org and Jolyn is jolyn@sandiegooasis.org.
OASIS needs to find approximately 7,000 square feet of vacant space, at a discounted rent, with plentiful parking to accommodate the hundreds of individuals who currently participate in their north county activities on a daily basis. Space that makes the most sense will be found in a shopping center, with lots of parking for the increase in traffic from OASIS members who will add value to the center on a daily basis. They recently created a new national model of operation for OASIS at Grossmont Center Mall, where they currently attract over 2,000 participants per week, who come into the mall to take classes and then eat and shop.
Please let me know or contact them directly if you are aware of vacant space fitting those general parameters in the Oceanside - Del Mar corridor. Because Simona and Jolyn already have had conversations with multiple brokers about their north county needs, without great success, I offered to introduce their organization and space needs to you, especially in the hope that owners or managers of vacant shopping center space will think about being helpful.
What intrigues and impresses me about the OASIS organization is that its programs, from travel to exercises to book discussions and game-playing, essentially are forms of preventive medicine. They enhance the emotional, cognitive, physical and social lives of participants. They are an important antidote to the social isolation that plagues so many otherwise healthy senior citizens. OASIS programs are extremely low-cost, yet well-done. San Diego's chapter not only is the largest but also widely respected within OASIS nationally as its best chapter in America.
Little is known about OASIS in San Diego and elsewhere, however, because the organization's limited budgets are targeted at member services, not promotional expenses. Had not my dear friend George Chamberlin introduced me to Simona and Jolyn, I would not know about OASIS. Nor would I be aware as I am now that more than 600 members of OASIS in San Diego mentor "at-risk" children in the K - 4th grades--kids at risk of being illiterate. Mentors help prevent illiteracy by spending one hour each week for an entire school year with an assigned child, in the classroom, while class is going on, assuring that these children eventually "get it", and learn to read and write. When I combine the benefits of OASIS as preventive medicine for its members with the benefits of the mentoring program for the at-risk K - 4 children becoming literate rather than illiterate, I can't help but want to help this organization. I hope you will too.
As a bit of background, for several decades the San Diego chapter of OASIS enjoyed rent-free space in the Macy's building in Mission Valley. When Macy's gave up the space OASIS was forced to move. Fortunately, OASIS executives found space in the Grossmont Center Mall and negotiated a contract with its owners to lease the space for a relatively long term at below-market rents. Now, one year later, OASIS has stabilized its operations and budget for the Grossmont Center programs. Since the move occurred membership has increased on a net basis and the members of OASIS are having a positive economic impact on the Grossmont Center's financials.
Leaders and board members of the San Diego chapter of OASIS are ready to create a second, centralized presence in north county. The next step in this process is for a forward-thinking property owner or asset manager to recognize and appreciate the inter-generational value OASIS brings to this community, to K - 4 children, and to San Diego's aging population. Oh, and recognize OASIS brings increased traffic and spending to shopping centers. Then let Simona or Jolyn describe just how powerful the benefits of OASIS have proven to be for a property owner in Dallas. And think about the high costs of caring for ailing or socially isolated seniors and for illiterate children. All we need is one, just one, vacant space in north county.
To reach them directly, Simona is simona@sandiegooasis.org and Jolyn is jolyn@sandiegooasis.org.
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