Tulsa Senior Services is turning to the community in an effort to build two state-of-the-art adult day services centers.

Tulsa Senior Services is creating a new national model for Adult Day Services," said William F. Thomas, co-owner of Senior Star Living. This kind of leadership by a Tulsa non-profit organization is exciting and deserves our support."

Thomas and his brother Robert D. Thomas are leading the capital campaign drive. A reception Tuesday kicked off the community phase of the fund-raising program.

"The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation was incredibly generous with a S400,000 challenge grant," Robert Thomas said. "Now we need the help of everyone in our community to match that $400,000 and make these new centers a reality."

TSS has provided adult day services since 1982. Expansion plans were developed as a solution to the needs of the elderly and their families for community-based services essential for successful family caregiving. The addition of the two Donald W. Reynolds Adult Day Services Centers will triple the organization's capacity, helping it serve more than 600 families. The Adult Day Services program serves older individuals who are socially isolated or have a physical, cognitive, or mental impairment and who can benefit from a variety of health, social and related support services.

It provides caregivers a seven-day-a-week daytime resource so they may continue employment and participate in personal activities. Adult day services is less costly than home care or nursing home care. And by delaying institutional care, it saves significant government and family resources.

The two new facilities will be located north of downtown Tulsa and in Broken Arrow. The new sites were selected to complement the current facility location, at 31st and South Lakewood, and to more fully serve the metropolitan area. The new Tulsa site is located in the Lansing Business Park at Pine and Lansing. It offers easy access by major arterial streets and highways to residents of northern Tulsa and to employees working in the downtown, OSU and Cherokee Industrial Park areas. The Broken Arrow site is located near 101st St. S. and 161st E. Ave. It is adjacent to one of Tulsa Senior Services current housing developments under construction.

"We were honored to receive a $1 million gift from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation," said Robert Thomas. "The gift provided us with our initial support and helped us with many of our subsequent efforts." A $3.4 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation boosted the effort to help meet the $7 million goal.

The new facilities will offer three levels of care, including specialized care for individuals with memory loss from Alzheimer's disease or other dementia; extensive nursing, restorative care and rehabilitation areas; full indoor and outdoor activity areas; bathing facilities; a full-service beauty salon; and comprehensive internal security. In addition, a caregiver support resource room, community training room and satellite/field offices for case management services also will be included.

Leaders have entitled the capital campaign "Strengthening Family Independence," which embodies the spirit of the effort.

More information on the new centers and the fund drive is available online at www.seniorline.org . Contributions and pledges can be made through the web site or by phoning 664-9000, ext. 238. Contributions may be mailed to Tulsa Senior Services Capital Campaign, 5950 E. 31st St., Tulsa, OK 74135-5114.

Founded in 1973, Tulsa Senior Servces has grown to serve more than 30,000 seniors and their families each year and provides the following programs and services: Adult Day Services, Eldercare Case Management Services, SeniorLine Information Services, Senior Centers, Vintage Travelers, Vintage Tulsan newspaper, the Anne and Henry Zarrow Center for Caregiver Support and Vintage Housing. Tulsa Senior Services is a member agency of the Tulsa Area United Way.