As it reached out to recruit younger members, a mutual-aid group in Douglas celebrated its 85th anniversary Wednesday at Cochise College.

Members of the Suprema Sociedad De Obreros Mutualistas Mexicanos, some of whom are in their mid 80s, praised the organization as well as appealed to younger people to become members.

“It has been such a good thing for Mexicans in this area,” said Lupe Jordan, 83, who became a member in the 1950s. She and her husband, Ramon, 88, also a member, sat before an audience at the college’s Little Theatre.

Jordan recalled how the organization was founded: in 1923 a Mexican worker in Douglas was injured in an accident. A few of his friends rushed him to the hospital, only to be told that he couldn’t be admitted unless he had money for his admittance. There were racial attitudes, too, that prevented him from getting medical attention.

Undaunted, his friends quickly pitched in and raised the money for his hospitalization.

“And this is how it got started. By putting money together, we were able to help one another,” Jordan said.

And by “one another,” she meant the many working class Mexicans in Douglas who were often discriminated. At that time, the Latinos here were segregate in their own school.

With the help of the mutual aid group, though, many of these workers were able to overcome the deeply entrenched prejudices aimed toward Mexicans during the first half of the 20th Century.

Enrique Quijada, who boasts a 52-year long membership with the Obreros, said he was proud to be part of a group that has lasted so long.

“We just need to work hard so that the Obreros group never dies,” he said in Spanish. “Don’t let it fall. Let the young people be the next generation to take it forward.”

Jose Toscano, president of the Obreros, said he has been impressed by how well the organization has been able to help its members throughout the hard times.

Membership dues are $5 a month. Jordan said that among other benefits, the Obreros gives $1000 for burial costs to members.

Valerie Toscano, 19, told the audience that she was ready to become a member. She is the daughter of the current Obrero’s president.

“After hearing my father speak, I know I want to be a part of this,” she said.

Ray Ybarra, the event’s moderator, had researched the history of the Obrereos and had presented it to the audience there.

There are 159 active members in the Obreros, all of whom still pay their monthly dues. The group sponsors an academic scholarship. They also give clothing to the less fortunate in Agua Prieta, Douglas’s sister border town.