When the January 2026 winter storm blanketed Tulsa with snow and bitter cold, neighbors on one street in Terwilleger Heights showed what the Oklahoma Standard is all about.
"I just came off a couple of recent surgeries, including a knee surgery," Liz Hunt said.
So, Hunt had planned to hunker down at home during the storm. A self-proclaimed independent woman, Hunt admits, she doesn't like to ask for help.
"I tend to be a bit of a private person and didn't share much about my surgery with neighbors or friends," Hunt said.
But her neighbors noticed something was off at Hunt's house and weren't going to let her ride out the storm or her recovery alone.
As the snow started to pile up and the cold blew in, a heartwarming avalanche of kindness was brewing right outside of Hunt’s door.
It started with small gestures – cookies, tea, and meals from neighbors checking in.
"I wanted to reach out because I knew she wasn't going to be very mobile," said neighbor Julie Chesbro.
Then the surprises snowballed as several "snow angels" were caught on Ring camera footage.
One neighbor was seen digging out Hunt's steep driveway. Another pair – Kendall Harvey and his 82-year-old mother Charlotte Burton – braved single-digit temperatures to clean off Hunt's car.
"It was 10 inches deep or more. It was a lot of snow," said Harvey. Burton said she cleaned off the car even though Hunt might not need to go anywhere.
"I just thought even if she didn't want to get out, I thought it would be a mental uplift to have it cleaned off so she could go if she wanted," Burton said.
The winter storm watch quietly set off a neighborhood watch of the best kind.
"To see Kendall and Charlotte out working or to see Craig knock on my door – I'm really touched," Hunt said.
Craig Longacre said helping neighbors is something their block takes to heart.
"Whatever anyone needs, that's really the way our entire street operates," Longacre said.
"When I look back on this storm, I'm going think about gratitude," Hunt said. "I am grateful for the kindness of those around me."
The mother-son duo who cleaned Hunt's car said they believe kindness snowballs.
"If we're kind to you, then you're kind to someone else, and it just ripples. I believe it can make a real difference in your day," the mother said.
Her son agreed: "Yeah, you have to pay it forward. The world's a better place that way."
As the sun melts away the snow, the Oklahoma Standard shines bright in this corner of Tulsa, and these neighbors wouldn't have it any other way.
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