Oasis for Girls
OURMISSION
OasisforGirlspartnerswithyoungwomenofcolor,aged14-18,from under-resourcedcommunitiesinSanFranciscotocultivatetheskills,knowledge, andconfidencetodiscovertheirdreamsandbuildstrongfutures
OURSTAFF
LaVondaBaldwin ExecutiveDirector
JenWana OperationsDirector
DonnaHakimian ProgramDirector
ElizaHicks ProgramLeader,CREATE
DeliMehrkish ProgramLeader,RISE
ShantéThomas ProgramLeader,ENVISION
OURPROGRAMS
RISEbuildsgirls’proficiencyinlifeskills, healthydecision-making,leadership, andknowledgeofsocialsystems
CREATEexposesgirlstousingwriting andtheartsforhealthyselfexpression,improvedacademic performance,andleadership.
ENVISIONexpandsgirls’career awarenessandjobreadinessskills whilesupportingthemindeveloping achievableplansforacademicand careersuccess.
- A letter from our Executive Director -
26 Years of Oasis
Thank you for joining us at our annual
ToourbelovedOasisforGirlscommunity,
Shine Gala
Whatanighttoremember!Our2025ShineGalawasnothing shortofamazing-nearly150ofyoufilledtheroomwith energy,joy,andunwaveringsupportforourgirls.Together,we raised$80,000tosustainandgrowourprograms,ensuring thatOasisremainsasafeandempoweringspaceforthe youngwomenwhoinspireuseveryday
For26years,thiscommunityhasshownup-championing thebrilliance,resilience,andleadershipofgirlsinSan Francisco AtShine,wewitnessedthatcommitmentinfull force:inthepowerfulwordsofouralumnaespeakers,the generosityofoursupporters,andthesharedbeliefthatevery girldeservesaspacewheresheisseen,heard,anduplifted.
Toeveryonewhoattended,donated,bidinoursilentauction, andcheereduson-thankyou Yoursupportfuelsthiswork, andwecouldnotdoitwithoutyou
AndwhileShinewasanightofreflectionandcelebration,it wasalsoamomenttolookahead…
Wehaveanexcitingannouncementtoshareaboutthefuture ofOasis Ifyoumisseditthatevening,keepreading-big thingsareonthehorizon!
asisforGirls
formalprogramstartedoffwithLaVondaBaldwin,ExecutiveDirector,reflectingon thepowerofcommunityandthecollectiveimpactof26yearsofOasisforGirls. Then,eachofourProgramLeaders-ElizaHicks(CREATE),ShantéThomas (ENVISION)andDeliMerkish(RISE)-accompaniedfouralumnae-Naomi Erdenebaatar(ENVISION),AlyssaKnipple(CREATE),HillarySitu(RISE)andSerenity Smith(CREATE)-insharingtheirstoryofbeingapartoftheOasisforGirls community Acommonthreadamongeachalumna’sreflectionishowOasisfor Girlscaringlysupportstheindividualgrowthofeachgirl.
SanFranciscoCountySupervisorMyrnaMelgarpresentedcommendationsto Naomi,Alyssa,HillaryandSerenityfortheirparticipationandsuccessatOasisfor Girls Andfinally,wehadourKeynoteSpeaker,OhemaaNyanin!Ohemaaisthe GeneralManageroftheGoldenStateValkyries-theBayArea’sfirstWNBAteam Eachofourspeakerssharedwordsofinspirationandaresoundingcalltofully supportournextgenerationofchangemakers!
OHEMAANYANIN OHEMAANYANIN
OurKeynoteSpeaker,Ohemaa,sharedher excitementfortheinnaguralseasontheGolden StateValkyries Sheunderstandsfirsthandthe importanceofopportunity,mentorship,andthe powerofrepresentation.Andjustasourgirlsare findingtheirvoicesandsteppingintotheirpower, Ohemaaisproofofwhat’spossiblewhenwomen aregiventhespacetoleadandthrive
ALYSSAKNIPPLE ALYSSAKNIPPLE
Thisprogramprovidesyoungwomen withopportunitiestheymaynothave accesstootherwise whetherit’scareer exploration,leadershipdevelopment,or simplyaspacetogrow Theconfidence, strength,andresiliencewebuildhere don’tjuststaywithus;theyextendtoour families,ourschools,andour communities.
HILLARYSITU HILLARYSITU
BeforeOasis,Iprobablywould’vepassed upamazingopportunitiesduetoselfdoubtandfearoffailure Butthanksto organizationslikeOasisforGirls,other younggirlscanunlocktheirpotentialwith thesupportoftheincredibleand dedicatedstaffrightbehindthem
NAOMIERDENEBAATAR NAOMIERDENEBAATAR
AtOasis,Iwassurroundedbywomen whobelievedinme Theydidn’tjustoffer advice;theylistened,supported,andsaw meastheindividualIam Thatsupport wasn’tjustaboutadvice itwasabout believinginmeandhelpingmebelievein myself Inaworldlikeours,it'seasyto questionyourworthbutOasistaughtme howtobelieveinmyabilities.
SERENITYSMITH SERENITYSMITH
Theysupportyouwithsomanythings,no matterthecause;overall,theycareso muchabouttheirgirls,andIcansay fromexperiencetheybringsomuch valuetotheseyounggirls'livesby showingthemadifferentsideof themselves,whichIthinkisbeautiful
Welcome to our new Oasis! Welcome to our new Oasis!
RSVP for the Community Open House on April 24 We are now located at 1170 Market Street.
Withournewspace,we'reexcitedtosharethatprogramminghasalsoexpanded! WenowofferCommunityActivityDaysonMondays&Fridays-workshopsopento alumnae,currentparticipantsandhighschoolers,ages14-18,inourcommunity Theprogrammingisdesignedtoexpandthepersonal,professionalandacademic developmentoftheyouthweserve.CurrentofferingsincludeProfessional Communication,HealthyHabits,LeadershipSkills,Photography,andWatercolor Landscape.Staytunedformoretocome!
WewillbehostingaCommunityOpenHouseonThursday,April24,from5:30-7 PM Thisspecialeventisachancetolearnmoreaboutourexcitingnextchapter, exploreournewprogrammingspace,andcelebratethismilestonetogether.Bring afriendandbepartofthejourney!ClickheretoRSVP.
Click on the video above to get a preview of our new home!
*Special gratitude to the Felton Institute Communications Team for capturing this video*
*Special gratitude to the Felton Institute Communications Team for capturing some of the photos*
