It’s August. If your loved one is an Episcopal Retirement Services (ERS) care recipient or resident, if you’ve been following our blog, or if you’ve been a volunteer or Good Samaritan Mission Fund donor, you know that, right about now, you’d usually be seeing an announcement about our annual fundraising gala.

So why aren’t you seeing one this year?

Simple. The gala has evolved.

This year, we decided to merge all our annual fundraising events into one, giant, celebratory evening, during which we’ll honor some very special difference-makers.

Get ready to attend the new Samaritan Awards Celebration, benefitting the Good Samaritan Mission Fund!

Spotlighting the Tristate’s senior care heroes

Most people care about seniors’ wellbeing. Many people contribute their time, money and support to ensure it. But a few people serve our elders with all their heart and all their soul. And they deserve to be publicly lauded.

That’s exactly what we’ll do on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, at the Cooper Creek Event Center in Blue Ash.

That evening, we’ll profile four honorees who, over the years, have lent unbelievable amounts of energy and effort to help us achieve our mission of enriching the lives of older adults in a person-centered, innovative and spiritually based way.

Who are they? Meet them here:

Trish Martindell

Lee Lifetime Samaritan Award

Patricia “Trish” Martindell was a force of nature.

In 2001, she joined the ERS Board after having ser

ved, during her father’s residency there, as chair of the Deupree Health Center’s (now, Deupree House) family council. She served as Chair of our Board from 2010 to 2011.

Martindell left an indelible legacy on our organization, particularly through her staunch commitments to instilling a culture of person-centered care, and to leadership development. Her name graces the annual award we give to top ERS caregivers.

Her life was cut tragically short: She passed away last August.

But, next month, we’ll remember Martindell’s time with us, and present her loved ones with her Lee Lifetime Samaritan Award. We only wish she could have been here to receive it herself.

Robin Smith

Samaritan Leadership Award

Robin Smith is the current Chair of the ERS Board. Under her strategic leadership, we’ve ushered in a new era of unprecedented success in providing quality care to our region’s senior citizens.

Smith led the succession process that chose our new President and CEO, Laura Lamb, following former president Doug Spitler’s retirement in 2016.

And she helped pave the way for our affiliation with Episcopal Church Home, Louisville’s most trusted, 5-star residential retirement care provider.

Please join us in honoring her amazing record of service to our organization and to our elders.

Mary Carol Sowar

Samaritan Service Award

Since 2011, Mary Carol Sowar and her dedicated team have ensured that Deupree Meals On

Wheels’ Route 8 clients receive not only nutritious meals, but also compassionate friendship from the services’ volunteers.

In 2016, the Route 8 team helped Deupree Meals On Wheels achieve another record-breaking number of deliveries: 102,688 meals were served, hot and delicious, to Cincinnati’s most vulnerable seniors.

Help us to recognize Sowar’s long history of providing person-centered service to our elders.

Kathryn Brod

Innovation in Aging Services Award

As President and CEO of LeadingAge Ohio — a role she was unanimously selected to fill in 2014 — Kathryn Brod has successfully advocated for the policy needs and interests of Ohio’s 400+ non-profit aging services organizations.

She is committed to finding new, creative approaches to improve the delivery of care for older adults and is currently spearheading efforts to develop the next generation of elder care providers.

On Sept. 22, we’ll honor her impressive record of innovation in senior services.

Benefitting the Good Samaritan Mission Fund

Even as we honor these four special individuals, we recognize the need to provide for seniors who cannot provide for themselves, or who outlive their resources.

Through community services like Deupree Meals On Wheels, affordable senior living initiatives like AL by ERS and our guarantee never to ask a residential retirement care recipient to leave due to financial hardship, Episcopal Retirement Services strives to help thousands of Tristate seniors live well into the future.

We wouldn’t be able to provide that level of care without the generous, continued support of our wonderful Good Samaritan Mission Fund donors.

Won’t you join us this year at our Samaritan Award Celebration and renew your commitment to ensuring quality, dignified and person-centered care for our region’s aging parents and grandparents?

Click here to find out more about our 2017 Samaritan Award Celebration, and lend your financial support to the Good Samaritan Mission Fund.