Wendy Davenport in the running for title of Today’s Options Champion

By Sarah Hall

Editor

For the last 12 years, Wendy Davenport has given her time to the Oasis senior education program in East Syracuse.

Now, she’s hoping to give the program a financial boost, as well.

Davenport, of Clay, is one of five finalists for the Today’s Options Championship Competition, which awards $10,000 to the top vote-getter on its website. The annual competition is sponsored by Today’s Options, a local Medicare Advantage health plan. Community members vote for the individual who they feel does the most to improve the lives of seniors in Central New York. Today’s Options awards $10,000 to the competition’s “Grand Champion.” Four finalists will receive $1,000 for the organizations they represent.

Davenport said Oasis is would use the money to provide scholarships for its many educational programs for seniors.

“We have a plethora of classes — exercise classes, literature classes, history, art, foreign language, hiking. You name it, it’s there,” Davenport said. “It’s a wonderful venue for people, not only to enrich their backgrounds and maybe get a different view of life.”

Oasis is a national organization based in St. Louis with affiliates in 40 cities and a membership of more than 50,000. Its mission is to promote healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and volunteer engagement. Davenport’s volunteer career with the organization began in 2005 after she retired from teaching and continued while her husband was battling illness.

“When he was having his treatments, I would take him to the hospital, and then he insisted that I still teach while he was,” Davenport said. “So I’d run to Oasis, facilitate the group or teach the class, and then run back and be with him. And I’m so glad that I did, because it kept me going. It was really essential for my mental health. And he really wanted me to keep doing this. So I did, and I’m really glad that I did.”

Davenport encouraged others to get involved at the center.

“It’s a great place for people to socialize,” she said. “The camaraderie is amazing. And I’ve learned so much from the members, probably more than I taught them because of that interaction. And it really is a very special place.”

If she were selected as the Today’s Option’s Champion, the money would help more people to take advantage of those programs.

“A lot of our instructors are volunteers — I volunteer,” Davenport said. “But some of the people who maybe are retired SU professors do get a salary, and so we would, through this scholarship program, enable people to take classes who might not be able to otherwise.”

In addition to volunteering at Oasis, where she also serves as chair for the CNY Reads program, Davenport works with therapy dogs through PAWS of CNY and runs the annual Shakespeare competition for the English-Speaking Union.

Community members may vote for Today’s Options finalists once per device per day between July 27 and Aug. 22. Visit todaysoptionschampions.com to vote. The winner will be announced Aug. 29 at the New York State Fair.