MVSKOKE RESERVATION – The Oklahoma Native Elder Honors is currently accepting applications for its annual awards through March 31. The awards acknowledge tribal elders for their contributions and impact to their local, state, and national communities. This is sponsored through the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Currently in its 16th year, the awards have honored over 700 Native American elders from the state of Oklahoma since it began.
Award recipients will be hosted at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City for an awards luncheon on Nov. 6 where they will be presented with a medallion. According to AARP Senior Associate State Director of Community Outreach Mashell Sourjohn (Mvskoke), the awards are all about recognizing others.
“It’s a full day of spotlighting these everyday heroes and people that are making positive change in our communities,” Sourjohn said.
In 2023 AARP honored Mvskoke citizens Virginia Thomas, Reverend Eddie Lindsey, and Sharon Fife-Mouss. 2022 honorees include MCN citizens John Brown and Ann Townsend-Edwards.
Sourjohn recently spoke to Mvskoke Media’s LiveWire about the awards, their history, and other AARP opportunities for Mvskoke citizens.
Oklahoma Native Elders Nomination and Award Process
To be considered for the award, elders must be 50 years of age or older. The nomination process is open to any living enrolled member of one of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. Applicants are asked to describe how the person has made a positive impact on their tribal nation or community and give a brief (500 words or less) description of their community service. Candidates currently campaigning for an elected office are not eligible and the recipient does not need to be an AARP volunteer or an AARP member to be considered. Applications are found online at the Native American Elder Honors website. The entire application process is conducted online.
Sourjohn noted that nominees should align with the AARP’s vision statement. It reads, “A society in which everyone ages with dignity and purpose and in which AARP helps people fulfill their goals and dreams.”
Fraud Prevention in Native Communities
In alignment with the organization’s vision statement AARP not only serves those over 50 years of age. The organization also aims to create safe, vibrant communities for everyone. Speaking about the recent fraud study the AARP conducted, Sourjohn explained,
“At AARP nationally we did a qualitative study of the fraud experience in Indigenous communities. So we wanted to see what type of frauds and scams were happening out in the community. And we saw in our communities pretty much what we’re seeing nationwide with the exception, particularly in Indian Country, we saw fake regalia sales, or we also unfortunately saw a lot of reported job opportunities that might’ve turned into some type of human trafficking. But again, we wanted to use this study to really figure out how we can address fraud in the community. And it really helped us as an organization as well ’cause we weren’t just interviewing a 50 plus population, it was 18 and older. And what we found is some of our younger generation who are very tech savvy are often the ones that our elders are going to to get the education from. So this is a great opportunity for us to really educate everybody and provide them with the resources that they need.”
Liveable Community Grants
The Livable Community Grants provide funds that benefit entire communities. Sourjohn explained the scope of their work, “We just launched our AARP Livable Community grants, where we provide grants to communities. Several of our tribal nations in the state of Oklahoma have received these grants, including the Okmulgee Indian Community Center. For the Kickapoo Nation, we provided a $50,000 grant to address transportation. In the past the Delaware Nation- received a community grant to do a multi-generational community garden where all abilities and all ages could come and participate in this community garden. And that food was provided to their elders program during the summer months, which is really cool. But we have several grant opportunities that are available.”
Sourjohn also spoke about the many guides and sources the organization offers. The Livable Communities Library is an online resource offering different guides and worksheets to help make communities safer and more accessible.
For example, they offer worksheets and guidelines for community safety audits, disaster preparation, community garden creation, and ideas for accessibility as individuals grow older. Both the walk audit toolkit and the bike audit toolkit consist of downloadable worksheets, maps, and instructions on gathering data. The data can then be used on the local level to change infrastructure that encourages walking and biking.
For information about the AARP’s fraud prevention and education visit Fraud Watch Network.
For information about community grants and toolkits visit AARP Livable Communities.
