Santa Maria Recognized with the Cincinnatus Association's Spencer Award for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion
At The Cincinnatus Association’s Seventh Annual Donald and Marian Spencer Spirit of America Awards Dinner, held on May 10, 2022 at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Santa Maria was honored, along with five other Cincinnati area businesses and nonprofits for promoting diversity and inclusion.
The Cincinnatus Association named the Spencer Awards after Cincinnati’s “First Couple of Civil Rights,” as a way to celebrate the couple’s achievements and “honor nonprofits and businesses who exhibit conspicuous and enduring contributions to promoting greater inclusion and diversity in the community.”
Although Mr. Spencer died in 2010, before the inception of the awards, Ms. Spencer participated in the dinner each year until her death in 2019. Marian Spencer was known for fighting to integrate Coney Island amusement park so her children could swim in the pool. She also was the first African American president of the Woman’s City Club of Cincinnati and the first African American member of Cincinnati City Council. Donald Spencer was the first African American on the Cincinnati Park Board, the first African American broker on the Cincinnati Board of Realtors and the first African American trustee at Ohio University.
“When reading the nominations, we receive each year for the Spencer Awards, the outstanding work being done by so many organizations in our community to improve the lives of our citizens is an inspiration to us all. Cincinnatus has this unique opportunity to recognize and share with you the efforts of our honorees to help those in need achieve their ‘American Dream’ through their services, education and inclusion of all citizens,” said Susan Noonan, Chair of Spencer Dinner Committee.
In addition to Santa Maria, the 2022 Spencer Awards were also presented to: Activities Beyond the Classroom, Avondale Development Corporation, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, and TriVersity Construction.
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