"Some of them graduated more than 20 years ago and some were as recent as five years ago,'' said Ruth Eger, vice president of leadership development for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "It is a neat thing to honor them because they took what they learned and gave back to the community.''

Joseph C. Geraci Jr., Leadership Northern Kentucky awards chairman, speaks during Saturday's White Tie and Glitter Gala at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. Listening is emcee Tawana Thomas of Insight Communications. The Enquirer/MEGGAN BOOKER

Honorees are: Gary Bricking, retired area manager of Cinergy; Helen Carroll, community relations manager for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America and a member of the Georgetown College board of directors; Kathy Collins, vice president of private client services at Fifth Third Bank; Bob Coughlin, the founder of the Flying Pig Marathon and owner of Paycor Inc., a payroll and human resources system and service provider; Jeff Eger, general manager of Sanitation District No. 1 and a key leader of the Northern Kentucky Youth Leadership Program; Don Fritz, a certified public accountant with VonLehman & Company; Paul Hemmer, Jr., owner of the Paul Hemmer Companies and creator of the Freedom Trees Program; Molly Navin, director of Parish Kitchen, Covington; Lisa Raterman, chairman of Southbank Partners' Loop/Entertainment Committee; and Rick Robinson, a partner in the law firm of Graydon, Head & Ritchey.

Leadership Northern Kentucky was designed to educate, challenge and motivate potential community leaders. The group's alumni organization has more than 800 members.

A benefit run

About 300 runners will gather at 5 p.m. today at the Children's Home of Northern Kentucky at the top of Devou Park in Covington to start a 10K run.

All proceeds benefit the Children's Home, which provides residential and in-home treatment and community service projects for youth ages 7 to 17 .

Eat oatmeal, live long

Ask Sarah Roosevelt Hurd what does it take to live 100 years, and she may tell you, "Eat oatmeal.''

Hurd will celebrate her 100th birthday today, in her Erlanger home. Between Hurd's 60-year-old daughter, Elva, her granddaughter, Ann Voss, several great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and family friends, the family is expecting a more-than-full house.

"We expect to have about 30 or 50 people,'' Voss said.

Apparently the oatmeal has been working for Hurd because she has been eating it for breakfast ever since growing up on a farm in Cove County, Kansas, where she was born in 1904.

The slender-built woman with silver, curly hair traveled across the country in her younger years as a cashier for Fred Harvey's Restaurant chain. Now she provides home care for her daughter Elva.

That includes fixing her plenty of oatmeal for breakfast.

"I have mostly lived a clean life,'' she said. "I guess you could call it clean; no smoking, drinking or junk food. I like just about any kind of food with chicken being my favorite meat.''

Hurd married twice; divorcing one husband and outliving the other one. She raised two daughters.

"I was born during the Teddy Roosevelt administration and somehow my parents gave me Roosevelt as a middle name. Everybody calls me Rose, for short," Hurd said. Her favorite president was Dwight Eisenhower because, she said, he showed a lot of strength and stability.

"I think Bush is a lot like Eisenhower,'' she said.