Adults who provide care to their senior citizen parents duringthe day may have a new way to do so next year.

The Martha Sykes Senior Citizens Mission Center, on Highway 51North, hopes to expand its services to bring a senior citizen daycare component to the area by April 2002.

“It will really help those who have elderly parents at home butdon’t want to leave them at home alone,” Velma Lee, the center’sdirector said. “They can bring them to the day care and pick themup at the end of the day.”

Lee pointed out that the added service would also be beneficialto the senior citizens.

“When they’re at home, they can feel down at times, but they cancome here and get involved in activities and feel better,” shesaid.

Some of the activities would be drawing, reading, making crafts,crocheting or any other hobby participants enjoy. Residents wouldalso be served well-balanced meals.

During her eight years as director, Lee has seen how suchactivities can bring hope and joy to the senior citizens’lives.

She has also noticed that just being surrounded by friends andcaring individuals, like during the twice-a-week lunch at thecenter, seems to make a difference.

Lee hopes the day care, which will serve needy families for asmall fee, will be an uplifting experience for local seniorcitizens.

“We recently visited the Sophie Sutton Mission in Prentiss toobserve the seniors’ program there and saw how wonderful it was,”Lee said about her trip with the Rev. A.C. Herring, guidanceminister.

Center officials hope to house the day care in a double-widetrailer they plan to purchase and place in front of the alreadyexisting building, with a walkway connecting the two.

Members of the board of directors and other center officials aresoliciting support and coming up with ideas for fundraisers toassist in the cost of purchasing a trailer.

“We’re going to have a friend and family day on the fourthSunday evening in August,” Lee said of the first fundraiser.

During that time, people may turn in money they have raised bycontacting family and friends and asking for donations.

Center officials are also hoping to receive a grant andassistance from United Way.

“We’re going to get it one way or the other. The Lord will finda way,” Lee commented.

Senior citizens won’t be the only ones benefiting from thefundraisers, though. Center officials also have a plan for youth inthe works, including a baseball/softball field and swimmingpool.

“There aren’t any activities for our children in the Brookhavendistrict,” Lee said. “There’s nowhere for them to swim and playball without being on a team.”

The proposed site for the youth area will be on the west side ofHighway 51, across the road from the center, just about a mileoutside city limits.

The land for the projects is part of 40 acres bought in theearly 1900s by the center, which was originally the Women’s MissionUnion, then the Widows and Orphans Home.

Lee hopes the two projects will bring senior citizens and youthtogether in a unique way. She believes it will open up moreopportunities for youth to get involved in mission work, such asvolunteering time at the day care.

“It will be an enjoyment for our young people to be around thesenior citizens and for our senior citizens to be around theyouth,” she said. “I’m looking out for our future in bothareas.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Martha SykesSenior Citizens Mission Center can contact Lee at 833-1698, or sendcorrespondence r to P.O. Box 781, Brookhaven, MS 39602.