Facebook’s oldest registered user, 105-year-old Edythe Kirchmaier, is asking for help in reaching her goal of 105,000 likes. She’s making the request in an effort to raise attention for Direct Relief, a charity for which she volunteers.
It was Direct Relief who initially started the Facebook account for Kirchmaier in honor of her birthday. The 105-year-old has been working with the medical aid charity for 40 years.
An article by ABC News writes that Kirchmaier welcomes the rise of social media and the connection it provides between people. While she appreciates the ability to check in with friends and family each day, she is particularly curious about the strangers who stop by her page:
“I’ve been contacted by such wonderful people and received such nice messages and pictures from people all over the world. I’m so humbled by all the interest in me.”
Visitors to Kirchmaier’s Facebook page can find information on how to light a virtual candle in her honor. Each candle, a symbol of Edythe’s 105th Birthday Challenge, will count as a like toward the Direct Relief fan page. Having accumulated nearly 80,000 likes so far, Kirchmaier is keeping her fingers crossed for the goal of 105,000.
Although she embraces the positive aspects of social media , Edythe Kirchmaier still appreciates the handwritten word. Her weekly efforts with the Direct Relief organization include writing thank you notes to donors. For this, the active senior uses the good old-fashioned pen-and-paper method.
According to UPI , the distinction of being Facebook’s oldest user is not the only milestone Kirchmaier has conquered. She is also the oldest living former student of the University of Chicago and California’s oldest licensed driver.
You can help Facebook’s oldest user, Edythe Kirchmaier, meet her goal of 105,000 likes for charity by lighting a virtual candle on Direct Relief’s official page .
