National Organization Recognizing Tulsa Woman's Neighborhood Service

A national organization is recognizing a Tulsa woman as a good neighbor for her 40 years of service to her neighborhood.

I met Sherry Helms and her friend Ginger Taylor at Helms Park, which is next to the Forest Creek neighborhood pool.

"I was the pool manager for 34 years,” Helms said.

She organized events, kept it clean and operating season after season. Next door was a park, well, first it was a vacant lot.

"This lot had trash on it, a sofa, some roller skates," Helms said.

It was a mess, but she and the garden club turned it into a park. They named it after Helms. Now, it’s the center of the neighborhood universe for Forest Creek activities.

She also dressed up as the Easter Bunny for a dozen years.

When the pool needed a new slide, she created a poster, sold copies for $25 each and raised enough to buy one.

She applied for a grant from Vision 2025 and got 16,000 worth of playground equipment.

"It's been really good play equipment,” Helms said. “We've had no problems."

You get the idea.

Well, when her friend heard Nextdoor was looking for good neighbor nominees, she knew just the person.

"I don't know anybody better than Sherry Helms,” Taylor said.

Nextdoor is a free social network for neighborhoods. Helms will be honored on their website later this month.