Local

Unique group honors Oklahoma’s Centenarians

TULSA — Tulsa is home to the only organization in the country that exists solely to honor the state’s centenarians, those who have lived to be 100 years old or older.

On its website, the group says it “is a rapidly growing, not for profit, volunteer organization whose sole purpose is to honor citizens of Oklahoma who are 100 years of age or older.”

Gloria Helmuth is Executive Director of Centenarians of Oklahoma, she tells KRMG research done by Boston University indicates its the only group of its kind in the U.S.

Its origins stem from 1991, when it first formed in Oklahoma City.

It has since moved to Tulsa, and the major challenge for its all-volunteer staff is to raise funds, because the only money that comes in is from donations.

“Oklahoma gets toned down so many times about the things we do wrong here,” Helmuth told KRMG. “I want people to know there’s something that’s being done right in this state. And what’s being done right, is we are remembering our centenarians.”

They’ve honored well over 2,100 of them since they started, and have an average of about 180 registered at any given time.

But, they know there are many more out there - the challenge, she said, is finding them.

“We find these centenarians several different ways,” Helmuth said. “We have one of our ladies who loves to search Facebook and find people that are posting pictures of their grandmother, or ‘great-aunt Sally is going to be 100 soon,’ things like that.”

But they could use help finding their honorees, each of which receives a certificate and other gifts including a “Golden Okie” button.

The group keeps track of its honorees, making sure they get personalized cards on birthdays and holidays.

They also need some help with IT, Helmuth told KRMG.

“One thing we need right now pretty desperately is a tech person. We had one and she moved to Texas,” she said.

For example, their website doesn’t include a way for people to donate money, which makes it that much harder to raise funds.

To volunteer time or donate, visit the group's website or call Helmuth at 918-510-0150.

Listen

news

weather

traffic

mobile apps

Everything you love about krmg.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!