Let's Keep Going!

By Kimberly Flick

Life is a series of things going right and occasionally things going wrong. That’s one way of looking at it. Nevertheless, things keep going.

When things were going wrong, on a global scale at the beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Mari Elders teamed with our good neighbors at Mariemont Kroger Pharmacy and Walgreens to schedule our members online for COVID vaccines, and we transported those who don’t drive. Some of our members looked up patterns on the Internet and sewed hundreds of COVID masks to distribute.

The Center partnered with Dilly, National Exemplar, Scramblers, Izzy’s, Jersey Mike’s, to name a few, to deliver specially prepared box lunches to isolating members. MariElders Transportation delivered prescriptions and adjusted shopping trips to early mornings when stores were less busy, for folks to shop for food and medications. As restrictions eased, we gathered for exercise and games in our parking lot and our good neighbors at Dance Connection offered their studio in the Promenade when the weather was cold.

It doesn’t take a pandemic for our life to go wrong. The loss of loved ones, and health problems create a true need for advice on resources and assistance in order to continue living safely at home. Companionship can be healing. Having a connection to our contemporaries and a knowledgeable, dependable staff within a neighborhood senior center is a tremendous asset to a community.

A staff of four committed, understanding individuals, two vehicles, and a centrally located building is what it takes to keep it all going. Annual fiscal audits and biennial audits by the Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio ensure that all finances and funding are managed responsibly. MariElders has never failed an audit.

Things have been going right for the MariElders for the last 45 years because “Mariemonters” support our mission of providing life enriching activities and services for adults over 55. For nearly a half century, things have gone right for thousands of members who have enjoyed their retirement years by belonging to a welcoming, uncomplicated, senior center. A hub for socializing, exercising, learning, and looking ahead together.

Going forward requires your support. Please vote YES in November to renew the MariElders property tax levy. For every thousand dollars of your assessed property value, .001 goes toward supporting the senior center. The Levy renewal will not raise your taxes and ensures the MariElders can continue to keep on GOING.