Your Year-End Gift Can Bring Hope to Older Neighbors—Double Your Impact Today

Each day at Iona’s Oasis Senior Center, you can feel the profound impact of community—a place where older adults who’ve endured homelessness or hardship rediscover belonging, purpose, and dignity. For Doris, a lifelong Washingtonian, Oasis has become a source of strength, comfort, and renewed hope for the future.

Newly retired and seeking connection, Doris followed a friend’s advice to visit Oasis—and found a welcoming community that brightened her days.

“Oasis keeps me motivated and focused,” she says. “It keeps hope in my heart. The people here are positive. They make this program special.”

At Oasis, Doris spends her days sharing meals, exercising, going on group outings, and looking for jobs. It’s more than just a place to spend time; the center gives her structure, encouragement, and the sense of belonging she needs.

“God and Oasis keep me going,” Doris says. “I have somewhere to go and something to do. I am grateful for that.”

Now, Doris is working toward new goals — paying off debt, furnishing her apartment, and securing employment. She says she would not be where she is today without the support and kindness she’s found at Oasis.

When asked what she’d tell the people who make Oasis possible, she says, “Thank you for a wonderful program, don’t ever stop. It’s the best program I’ve ever been to.”

Your generosity makes stories like Doris’ possible. Yet the need is growing: more older adults are struggling with housing insecurity, food costs, and the absence of dependable support. Your gift ensures that Iona can keep offering safe, welcoming spaces where hope is restored.

Can we count on your support with a gift to help older neighbors like Doris maintain safety, stability, and connection?

The United States has seen the highest number of people experiencing homelessness ever recorded. On a single night in 2024, 771,480 people, about 23 of every 10,000 Americans, were without stable housing.

In the D.C. region, people over 55 now make up nearly half of all individuals without housing, with single adults in that age group representing the largest share of a rapidly growing population.

At Iona’s Oasis Senior Center, we are meeting this crisis head-on. This year alone, our team has helped 18 older adults secure permanent housing, and we’re walking alongside more as they search for a safe place to call home.

Oasis provides not only nutritious meals, activities, and supportive services, but also a place of belonging. For participants like Doris, it’s a community that offers stability and the encouragement to keep moving forward.

With SNAP benefits disrupted by the recent government shutdown, 24,000 seniors in D.C. face increasing uncertainty. That is why Iona is stepping up. Through 12 community dining sites across the District, we provide warm meals, wellness programs, and social services for residents aged 60+.

Make your end-of-year gift today to double your impact through a matching gift challenge. Your generosity will go twice as far to provide safety, dignity, and hope to vulnerable neighbors.

• $50→$100 – Helps fill four bags of nutritious groceries for an older adult
• $100→$200 – Helps cover the cost of Iona’s Aging Solo course for four older adults
• $250→$500 – Helps provide transportation for 10 participants to our adult day health centers
• $500→$1,000 – Helps fund two months of support group sessions for a caregiver

As we approach the end of the year, your support is more critical than ever to ensure Oasis remains a lifeline for those, like Doris, with nowhere else to turn.

Thank you so much if you’ve already made a gift! If not, will you join us in supporting older adults in our community?

With Gratitude,

Joon Bang

CEO, Iona Senior Services