HISTORY

THE MARIELDERS, INC.

In the fall of 1976, the Kiwanis Club of Mariemont invited Ms. Jane Carothers, Director of the Hyde Park Center for Older Adults, as a guest speaker. From that presentation, Mr. Harmon Wilson, President of the Mariemont Village Assembly, suggested that a similar program for older adults be established in Mariemont. On February 22, 1977 the first of several community meetings were held. By the time the last meeting was completed, it was decided that the Village would establish The Mariemont Assembly Program for Older Adults. Mr. Harmon Wilson and Mr. Marvin Ralston were instrumental in establishing this group.

The center was officially opened on November 2, 1977. It was housed at the Community Church Parish Center. The first year’s budget was approximately $19,000 and the service area for the Mariemont Assembly Program for Older Adults included Mariemont, Fairfax, Madison Place and Terrace Park.

The Assembly appointed a Board of Trustees consisting of twelve board members. Mr. Robert Martin was elected as the first Board President. Initial funding was provided by the Kiwanis, the Village Assembly, the Community Church, the Village of Mariemont and private donations. The first director was Lynn Anderson and the secretary was Barbara Collins. Their salaries were paid for by CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) through 1979.

The first tax levy to help support the Mariemont Assembly Program for Older Adults was passed on November 7, 1978. This was the first levy in the state of Ohio to be passed to support a senior center. The levy was for ½ mill. Without the passage of the levy, the Center would have closed as on-going financial support was needed.

The Mariemont Assembly Program for Older Adults became known as MariElders in 1979. The logo was designed by Ed Steinau. In 1980 Barbara Anderson (no relation to the previous director) was hired as the Director and served until her retirement in 2011. Kathy Chapman-Dick was then hired as the Director and retired with 19+ years of service in December, 2019. Stephanie Crellin is MariElder's current Executive Director.

The Members Council, comprised of active members of MariElders, was formally established in 1980 with adoption of their Constitution and By-Laws. The President of the Members Council serves as an Ex-Officio member of the Board of Trustees. The President serves a one year term and the members hold a meeting each month at the Center.

In 1981, the Board of Trustees had the foresight to establish an Endowment Fund for MariElders. In 1983, the Center moved from the Parish Center to the Dale Park Building. In 1986, the Center filed for corporation, and left the Mariemont Village Assembly. In 198,7 the Center’s legal name became, THE MARIELDERS, INC.

In June 1995, MariElders moved to their current location, a free standing building which they purchased in cash, on Madisonville Road, near the Mariemont square.

MariElders is funded by a local property tax levy through the Village of Mariemont, The Older Americans Act through the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, contributions from local businesses and individuals. We also do a variety of fundraisers and an annual appeal in the fall. New sources of funding and support are always being sought as the current budget is about $175,000 annually.

Board Members

Suzanne Bischoff
President since 2018

Sally Coffman
Vice-President

Diane Sabo
Secretary

Steve Kelly
Board Member

Ralph Blasi
Treasurer

Sandra Garland
Board Member

Becky Jones
Board Member

Jed O’Connell
Board Member

Staff

Center Administrator

The Marielders Center is currently seeking a new Center Administrator.

Kim Flick

Transportation Coordinator

Kim Flick grew up in Norwood. She graduated from Xavier University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts. She has had a career in radio broadcasting in Cincinnati and Central Florida. Kim transitioned to a career in Media Production at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for NASA and the USAF. She returned to Cincinnati many years ago and has a son, Jerry, and several loving animals. Kim has been instrumental in involving reluctant members to become involved, and involving the community. She also was performing the role of Resources Coordinator (until Jill was hired), helping members with just about anything they needed. Kim has been with MariElders since 2011.

Becky Ventura

Activities Coordinator

Becky Ventura grew up in Ft.Thomas, Ky and graduated from NKU with a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. Over the course of her career; she has spent time as a classroom teacher, preschool director, and curriculum coordinator. She and her husband Ryan live in Anderson Township with their 4 children Lily, Sydney, Jackson, and Finnley, and golden retriever Bear. In her free time, Becky enjoys reading, decorating, shopping and spending time with friends and family. Becky was hired in April of 2021.

Jill Nicholson

Resources Coordinator

Jill grew up near New Orleans and graduated from the Atlanta College of Art in 1992 with a BFA in Communication Design. After a 25-year career in design, marketing, and project management, her professional experience is put to good use supporting the members and staff of MariElders. She and her husband, Ben, lived in New Orleans, LA for over ten years before relocating to Cincinnati in 2007. In her free time, Jill can be found walking the couple’s rescued dogs in their Mt. Lookout neighborhood, pollinator gardening, and sampling local restaurants and breweries. Jill joined MariElders in October of 2021.

Directions

Findng Us

Note on finding the building for MariElders:

Many people have difficulty finding the actual MariElders building. GPS usually puts you in the parking lot behind our building.

We are a stand-alone building, in between two large parking lots. The building FACES the street. We are in front of the strip building that holds Dilly Bistro, on the same side of the street as the Mariemont Inn, and across the street catty corner from Mio’s. If you cannot find us, please don’t hesitate to call 513-271-5588.

Here is the front of our building, so you know what you are looking for.