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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

 
Published July 27, 1997|Updated Oct. 1, 2005

OLDER ADULT SERVICES INC.

LOCATION: 2848 One Tampa City Center, Tampa. (813) 229-5553.

A BRIEF HISTORY: In 1985, then-Hillsborough County Commissioner Phyllis Busansky and a group of other elected officials decided to create a center to support the needs of the elderly in Hillsborough County _ specifically, for transportation and a senior center. The center never got off the ground, but two major missions have been carried out: transportation for the elderly and housing referral requests. The agency also provides homeowner repair and rehabilitation for those with deferred loans.

WHAT THE AGENCY DOES: The mission of OASIS is to keep older people independent in their own homes. Volunteers provide free transportation for their clients. It also provides a housing referral service called Select-A-Home for individuals who are 60 years old or older. Resource dollars are also used to repair or replace a bad roof, rebuild floors and walls, upgrade plumbing and/or electrical systems and modify existing rooms to accommodate special needs of the elderly. The agency is struggling and is in severe need of volunteers and financial aid. The executive director says that, if help is not on the way, the agency will probably fold in six months.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Peter Klingman, 52, has been the executive director for two weeks. His education background includes a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Florida and a master's degree and doctorate in American history also at the University of Florida. Klingman heads a subsidiary consulting firm, AMK Consulting, that has taken over the management of OASIS. The firm's parent company is the Annis Mitchell law firm. Klingman is a former board member of OASIS.

The consulting firm is paying Klingman $25,000 a year. Klingman is assisted by Lois Fry and Wanda Quaine who, he says, "see needs in areas and fill the needs."

WHERE THE MONEY GOES: Office space is donated by Cushman and Wakefield Management, and AYUDA supplies a receptionist. A $25,000 grant provides Lois Fry's salary and funding for the transportation program. The city of Tampa provides $38,000 for Quaine's salary and administrative costs.

WHAT VOLUNTEERS DO: Volunteers are needed to drive clients, help make home repairs, do clerical work and speak in public.

ONE VOLUNTEER: Dr. Eulah Lee McWilliams, 66, has been working with OASIS since 1993. She retired from the Hillsborough County school system after 39 years. "I love people, and I knew when I retired that I needed a different set of goals," she said. "I knew I needed to be around people _ I'm a people person, and I enjoy being a care-giver."

_ MICHELLE JONES