The Cincinnatus Association presents the Ninth Annual Donald and Marian Spencer Spirit of America Awards Dinner, honoring five Cincinnati area nonprofits and businesses that exemplify the true spirit of community service and commitment.
Marian Spencer was known for fighting to integrate Coney Island amusement park so her children could swim in the pool. She was the first Black president of the Woman’s City Club of Cincinnati and the first Black woman elected to Cincinnati City Council. Her husband Donald was the first Black member of the Cincinnati Park Board, the first Black broker on the Cincinnati Board of Realtors and the first Black trustee at Ohio University.
Established by the association in 2015, the Spencer awards dinner celebrates the couple’s achievements and recognizes individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional dedication and service to the Greater Cincinnati area with a commitment to ensuring greater inclusion and diversity in the community.
The awards dinner is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati to celebrate and honor outstanding contributions to the community and acknowledge the honorees’ remarkable achievements. WLW-TV anchor/reporter Courtis Fuller will serve as emcee. The Cincinnatus Association is partnering with the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce and The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The 2024 Nonprofit Winners are:
Beech Acres Parenting Center
For 175 years, Beech Acres Parenting Center has combined science and compassion to deliver innovative solutions that equip adults to meet children’s needs and cultivate their strengths. Beech Acres is the first agency of its kind in the region to hire a Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and is making a significant investment in this work for the next 3-5 years. Beech Acres serves almost 29,000 individuals each year and believes in expanding impact by supporting a community-wide movement toward strength-based social and emotional well-being for all children in our region.
Findlay Market
As Ohio’s oldest continually operating market, Findlay Market is not only a historic and economic asset to the Cincinnati region but exemplifies commitment to diversity and inclusion by prioritizing women and minority-owned businesses when considering vendor applications and food business accelerator applications. The market’s programs, Findlay Kitchen and Findlay Launch, support food entrepreneurs with an emphasis on members of underserved communities. Welcoming over one million visitors per year, Findlay Market also partners with assistance programs and organizations to provide a variety of affordable, accessible and healthy foods for all shoppers.
Good Samaritan Free Health Center
Located in Price Hill, the Free Health Center was founded in 2011 after a community health assessment revealed that an increasing percentage of the area’s population was not receiving proper healthcare. The free health center is a patient-centered medical home for uninsured adults in Hamilton County, fostering ownership of wellness and minimizing emergency room use as primary care. The free health center educates and empowers patients to achieve a higher quality of life. Its services include primary, specialty, nutrition, dental, and mental health care coordinated into a plan tailored for each patient. Along with its small core staff, in 2023, its network of more than 130 providers and community members gave over 6,601 volunteer hours of service for an estimated $3.1 million in care donated to the community.
SuperSeeds
The mission of SuperSeeds is to disrupt the pipeline to prison for youth aged 13-17. Hamilton County Juvenile Court often refers youth to SuperSeeds, where they are treated with a reformative approach to address criminal behavior. Seventy-two percent of youth who have attended SuperSeeds Transformation Camp surveyed after one year post-Camp have stayed out of legal trouble. Parents of youth participants in SuperSeeds report academic improvement, increased school attendance, and no additional behavior issues in school or the court system. From its inception, SuperSeeds has demonstrated its commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, justice, and basic human rights in the population served. The enduring contribution to the community is giving hope, building skills, and empowering justice-involved youth to see a different path forward rather than justice-involved behavior.
First Financial Bank
First Financial Bank works to eliminate bias and build equality as an employer, attracting, developing and engaging exceptional people. As a financial institution, First Financial delivers financial services and opportunities equally to all community members. It is also committed to investing in products and services specifically designed to help build and repair those who are struggling financially. As a community partner, First Financial works to eliminate bias by supporting organizations and causes that work to serve and uplift underserved people.
For more information about the Donald and Marian Spencer “Spirit of America” Awards and to purchase tickets for the event, please visit the Cincinnatus Association’s website.
