Saying Goodbye to Tamar’s Center
Ater much consideration, the Franciscan Ministries Board, in conjunction with the Congregational Leadership of the Franciscan Sister of the Poor, have decided to close doors of the Tamar’s Center program. We will continue the legacy of the Sisters moving forward through our other ministries: Haircuts from the Heart, the Community Garden, and Tau House.
Tamar’s Center, Franciscan Ministries’ program for women who are victims of sex trafficking in Cincinnati, was launched in 2009. In 2022, Tamar’s was forced to relocate from our successful location in Over-the-Rhine (OTR), due to the sale of our building. Finding a suitable alternate location in our core service area of OTR proved challenging during a period of renovation in the area.
Ultimately, Tamar’s relocated to Lower Price Hill recognizing it as an area of need. Over time, it became clear that the same needs did not exist at our new location and it was too far for the women we previously served to easily reach us. The staff and the Franciscan Ministries Board worked to develop alternative programming, but found our
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offerings were not a good fit for the community’s needs. This is a closure that comes with considerable sadness.
Tamar’s was a unique and important resource in Cincinnati, offering personalized care and attention to a vulnerable population of women. At the most basic level, Tamar’s was a day shelter that provided a safe place to sleep, eat, and shower for women who were unhoused and subsisting on the streets. Beyond the basics, Tamar’s connected women to partner services for medical, mental health, rehabilitation, and housing services.
In our years of operation, we helped hundreds of women affected by sex trafficking, homelessness, and substance use issues. Tamar’s was a place they could go for help and be treated with dignity and love.
We are grateful to those who made Tamar’s possible: the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor (our sponsor), community partners, donors, volunteers, and our dedicated staff. Finally, we appreciate that for the years of operation, Tamar’s Center made a difference, and we were privileged to have the opportunity to serve.
Just scan our QR code or go to our website, www.FranciscanMinistriesInc.org THANK YOU to all of our partners & donors – your support makes our work possible!
Meet the Team
Marci Peebles Director of Programs & Operations
Marci has been with Franciscan Ministries since 2011, just before its incorporation. She loves what she does - being a part of FM’s mission of meeting unmet needs in the community while carrying on the charism of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. When asked what they thought Marci’s motto might be, her husband and twin sons’ unanimous reply was, “It’s all good.”
Renee has worked in the position of Office Manager since October 2018. She has previously worked as a paralegal and a paraprofessional for Cincinnati Public Schools. Her work background has always involved helping others succeed. She enjoys travel, gardening and spending time with her family and the many pets who have found a way into her home. She is reminded daily “sometimes it is the little things that make the biggest difference in people’s lives.”
Yee Program Assistant
Madison is a proud middleman in the Cincinnati neighborhood debate: born on the West Side, raised in the East Side, and equally loves both. After a decade working throughout the state in different government roles, she is excited for the return to her hometown where she can give back through direct community action. Madison strives to embody the “starfish” story: “We might not be able to help everyone, but every person we are able to reach matters greatly.”
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Smiley has been cutting hair since 2023. She has chosen this work because she enjoys meeting people and helping individuals feel confident and good about themselves. Smiley likes to remind those she meets, “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”
Barber
A native of Memphis, Travis has been a licensed barber in Ohio since 2009, when he began cutting hair in OTR. Travis has been inspired over the years to find ways to respond and to give back to a community that has taken such good care of him. Married with two incredible sons, he lives the mindset of “How can I help?”
Madison
Travis Johnson Licensed
Renee Sales Office Manager
Smiley Christman Licensed Barber
Our Roots Give Us Wings 2025 by the Numbers
Franciscan Ministries grew out of the founding mission of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor to be a healing presence in the world and to lovingly and compassionately serve those in need. Organically, our earliest program began in 1988, with the addition of others over time. These began as the “ministries of the heart” founded by Sisters as they transitioned from their formal careers in healthcare and social work. Historically as the programs evolved, lay people joined in the efforts of continuing the work of the Sisters. The programs were formally brought together under one entity in 2012. Today, Franciscan Ministries continues the living legacy of these amazing, dedicated women and their long history of commitment to the service of the poor. In keeping with their Franciscan heritage, our programs continue to lovingly respond to and serve those in need.
So who are the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor? The Sisters are an international religious congregation of women founded in Aachen Germany in 1845 by Mary Frances Schervier. Born into a wealthy merchant family, from a young age Frances felt drawn to the poor and called to serve them in their need. It was her calling and her life’s work until her death in 1876. Mother Frances was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1974 and is now known as Blessed Frances Schervier.
In the time since their founding, the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor have established a global presence in Italy (1847), the United States (1858), Brazil (1960), Senegal (1978), and the Philippines (2009). Five Countries: One Vision.
The Sisters’ gift to the world is to be a healing presence to those in need, especially the most vulnerable and unseen in society. They are encouraged daily to promote the life and dignity of people, especially the most defenseless, invisible, and marginalized; to develop concrete projects in favor of those in need; to offer hope for the present and the future; to build the common good and unity among people, populations, and cultures in harmony with their diversity. We are honored to continue their legacy.
More information on the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor and their international presence can be found on their website at FranciscanSisters.org. Similarly, the US Area Sisters are represented at FranciscanSistersofthePoor.org.
Community Garden
108 plots total
77% cultivated by immigrants and refugees (predominately Bhutanese)
23% tended and gathered by local born gardeners
2 Community Crop Plots dedicated to donation
1 plot specifically for the SFP Sisters to nurture and harvest
Haircuts from the Heart
2 part-time licensed barbers
30 locations across 20 agencies
2,026 in-person haircuts provided*
224* student vouchers redeemed*
* as of publication
Tau House
285 participants stayed at the House
19 different schools, parishes, colleges from 6 states
4,874 hours of service across 13 different partner agencies
82% of our groups return for future trips
Franciscan Ministries, Inc.
110 Compton Road Cincinnati, OH 45215
The Franciscan Peddler
Our sister ministry, The Franciscan Peddler Thrift Shop, was established in 2013 by the US Area Associates of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor.
The Associates support the Congregational mission and charism of serving the poor, the sick, the elderly and the under-served in our community.
The Peddler happily accepts donations of new or gently used items for sale in their store.
All proceeds from the Franciscan Peddler benefit the programs of Franciscan Ministries.
