Cynthia Campbell was born on Feb. 1, 1925, which made Saturday her 100th birthday. She says the secret to her longevity is simple: love.

“I have a family that’s always looked out for me. I have a loving family, my daughters, my son, my grandchildren,” Campbell said. “That’s what it’s all about, [using] love, charity, to help each other. That’s it. What else you gonna do? You don’t have no money, but what little bit you do have, someone comes in and you give it to him, and you’ll get twice back every time, but you got to give with your heart.”

There are five generations of Campbell’s family alive today, and they were all present at her birthday celebration Saturday. Her great-great-grandson was born on New Year’s Eve last year.

“She’s gone to everyone’s graduation. When my son-in-law became battalion chief in Anne Arundel County, she was there,” said Campbell’s daughter, Sandra Dotson. “Back in the beginning, she used to be like the floor captain, so every farmer in Anne Arundel county knows her.”

Campbell spent her life in between Glen Burnie, where she was born, and Baltimore, working in the restaurant industry. These days, she lives at the Glen Forest Senior Apartments in Glen Burnie. She moved in 25 years ago, making her one of the complex’s first tenants.

Community service is important to Campbell, taking care of people at the United Methodist Church in Baltimore by giving them food and helping them find jobs. Even today, she collects items like shoes and clothing to donate to her neighbor’s church.

She takes pride in her faith, saying it is the reason she has stuck around so long. Her hearing and eyesight may be going, but she is sharp and talkative, and still loves to stay active. She even manages to fit in a little bit of dancing with her friends at the complex.

In the past, Campbell was close with former Baltimore Mayor and Maryland Governor Donald Schaefer, who died in 2011.

“He was a wonderful man. Yeah, he had a little temper at times too, but whatever you asked him to do in your neighborhood, it got done,” Campbell said. “But they put the trash back in the alley the next day — he would have them to come and clean up everything.”

“She remembers the KKK when they used to ride up and down Belle Grove Road,” said Dotson. “She’s 100, so she’s seen it all.”

Her advice to younger generations is to approach life with gratitude and generosity.

“The world is wonderful. If you are in the world, [you’re] supposed to do the right thing. The world don’t owe you nothing. You owe the world.”

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