If you would like to start a centenarian organization in your own state, please review our processes below. Please notify us if you start a group in your state and we will include your state in the list below.
Current States with Centenarian Organizations:
- Oklahoma
Centenarians of Oklahoma is a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit. All work is done by unpaid volunteers. Our purpose is to research, find, recognize, honor, and remember the persons of Oklahoma who are 100 years of age or older. There are no costs to Centenarians or their families for being honored. Sometimes a family or friend will donate to help us cover expenses such as printing birthday cards and certificates, presentation materials, mileage/tolls, and postage. We apply for grants from organizations that are involved with the senior citizen community.
We hold monthly board meetings to review our projects. Weekly work meetings are scheduled as needed. Volunteers generally work from home to find centenarians on social media, by word of mouth, from feedback at previous presentations, on television news stories, and by contacting local senior living communities. We participate in local Senior Fairs to get our name out to the community. We find centenarians in their mid-90s or older and honor these future centenarians when they reach 100.
Officers of the Centenarians of Oklahoma are –
- Board Chair
- Vice Chair
- Treasurer
- Recording Secretary
Additional duties handled by various volunteers –
- Publicity requests to local newspapers
- Updates to Ancestry.com and Find a Grave
- Addressing Birthday and Christmas Cards
- Maintaining Futures File
- Participating in Senior Fairs
- Induction Ceremonies
- Maintain Website and Facebook page
- Order Promotional Items and Printed Materials
At an induction ceremony, lasting generally 5 to 30 minutes, we present a framed certificate, a one-page biographical summary about the honoree, a “Golden Okie” pin, and several other items. If the location of the centenarian is farther than two hours away, we mail the packet and ask the community or family member to make the presentation. Our Life History Forms (available online) include questions for the biography and a consent page, nothing HIPPA related. Additional information is sometimes obtained from online obituaries or by asking other family members to assist. A photograph of the centenarian is taken and added to that person’s record. We stay in contact with the inductees by sending birthday and holiday cards, often with small gifts included. Once a centenarian reaches 110 years old, we present them with a Super-Centenarian certificate.
Each honoree’s paperwork is given a number. This tracking method allows us to know how many centenarians have been honored. Accurate computer record-keeping of new honorees and removing names of deceased is essential. Once an honoree has passed, we send a sympathy card to the next of kin and record their passing in Ancestry.com and Find a Grave. The centenarian’s records are sent to the Oklahoma Historical Society for permanent record keeping.
Links to some of our paperwork:
