This is a story about Mrs. Edythe Kirchmaier.
Edythe Kirchmaier is 105 years old and currently drives around Santa Barbara, California, in a brand new Honda Civic. An anonymous donor gifted the super-centenarian the car after learning that the Dodge Caravan she had been driving since 1997 had broken down. Not having a car had prevented Kirchmaier from pursuing her passions – volunteering and philanthropy.
Kirchmaier has been actively involved in Direct Relief's work for the past 40 years, as organization spokesperson Kerri Murray told Mashable.
“She dedicates hours and hours of her time to helping people all over the world”
After receiving her gift, Kirchmaier expressed her gratitude in a not-so-old-fashioned way: through a Facebook post.
[box type=”note” align=”alignleft” width=”200″ ]Facebook had to “recode its system,” which was not set up to recognize 1908 as a birth year.[/box]Kirchmaier is Facebook’s oldest registered member since she signed up late last year. According to Murray, when Kirchmaier tried to register, Facebook had to “recode its system,” which was not set up to recognize 1908 as a birth year.
When she signed up for Facebook, Kirchmaier asked other users to help her Direct Relief Facebook page reach 105,000 Likes, which coincides with her 105th birthday on January 22. With her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kirchmaier surpassed the goal. The page now has over 123,000 Likes.
Kirchmaier also holds the oldest driver's license in California and has a perfect record. In her 86 years behind the wheel, she has never received a traffic ticket and has never been involved in an accident, according to Murray.
Check out the amazing Ms. Edythe Kirchmaier
