In February, Sisters Jeanette Buehler and Marla Gipson attended the grand opening of Spaeth & Kelly Hall, a permanent supportive housing building in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The housing agency Tender Mercies administers the building, which is named for former Tender Mercies CEO Marcia Spaeth and our very own Sister Kathleen Kelly, who died in 2021.
The building contains 30 apartments to house adults with various mental illnesses, along with various services in place to help them. In addition to attending the grand opening, Sisters Jeanette and Marla toured a couple of the apartments and met some of the residents. Sisters Jeanette and Marla also shared stories of Sister Kathleen with Spaeth, who in turn shared some stories of her own.
Sister Kathleen served at Tender Mercies for 25 years, beginning in 1987. After retiring as a full-time staff member, she became a full-time volunteer, helping clients with appointments, transportation and other needs. In 2012, she was the first recipient of the Sister Kathleen Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the accompanying photo, Sisters Jeanette and Marla are holding a picture of Marcia Spaeth and Sister Kathleen taken in the 1990s. A painting of the same photo hangs in the lobby of Spaeth & Kelly Hall.
