Urban Oasis

The Oasis Teens Environmental program allow teen to voluntarily participate in environmental work. The 9 teens dedicated 5 Hours each week to participate in this program. Their jobs were to regularly pick up trash on the four blocks and vacant lot that make up the boundaries of The Urban Oasis, mow the lawns of 16 homes on Clifton Avenue, and cultivate community gardens within the Panway community, the Hanlon community, and Hilton Elementary School. Through this program, the youth learn social responsibility, and play an active part in cultivating produce to be used for Farmer's markets, generating revenue for the community. This program was done in collaboration with the 3200 Carlisle Block Association and the Victorine Q. Adams Community Garden. Grant funding to cover the cost of the program was provided by Baltimore City's BMore Beautiful Program.

The Juneteenth Festival Celebration at The Urban Oasis included local artists, organizations, and businesses sharing cultural presentations focused around black culture, art, history, and entrepreneurship. It is a free event, open to the public, giving opportunities for placemaking within our community, use of the community's outdoor green space, while promoting economic development and the arts.

The Community Table serves as an excellent way for residents of the community to get to know each other and chat over a shared meal. Live music from a local band helps the atmosphere to feel more intimate, and we are able to strengthen our bonds as a community throughout the event. Healthy food options, the ability to learn about the people in the neighborhood, and live performances cause this yearly event to push us forward in our mission, vision, and values as an organization and as a community. The Community Table proves that a shared meal creates closer connections!

The Urban Oasis built up the physical environment to promote infrastructural development that would help the community use its outdoor green spaces. This included paving and building up infrastructure that would make the outdoor space more accessible and safer for residents and visitors to the community. This was done through paving, lighting, greening, gating, creating storage, and planting greenery.

Events and Festivals at The Urban Oasis provide free outdoor activities to help the community to utilize its outdoor green space, promote entrepreneurship and financial development, provide educational opportunities to people of all age ranges, allow exposure to the arts, and increase accessibility to amenities for the community. Besides the Juneteenth and Hispanic Heritage Month Festivals, these include a Harvest Festival ($3,210), Hispanic Heritage Month Festival ($2,594), Holiday Festival ($7,707), Earth Day Festival ($1,493), and Summer Sounds Outdoor Concert Series ($500)

Health & Wellness at The Urban Oasis provided online virtual health classes of yoga, Zumba, and aerobics for the residents of the community.

Operating Costs for the organization included salaries, office expenses, payroll services and taxes, accounting, insurance, and marketing. We were able to grow in each of these areas as an organization compared to the previous year.