This week we celebrated Rosemarie Donley’s 10 years as Executive Director of Associated Charities. Our board president, Brett Mesenburg cited her many accomplishments with the construction of our new facility at the top of the list. As she moves on to another chapter in her life we wish her only the best – and may her life be filled with kindness – just as she has shown it to so many.

Welcome to our new director, Chris Box and her partner Theodore. Don’t be surprised when you stop in and are greeted by our new mascot, Theo!

We are excited to update you on some prizes for our raffle/silent auction at the 8th annual “Kids Fest”. We have received donations from the following:

Akron Rubber Ducks, Cedar Point, Cincinnati Reds, Kings Island, Mohican Adventures, Mountaineer Casino, Oriental Trading Company, and Disney World!!

More prizes are coming in daily. Please mark you calendar for July 13th and come have some family friendly fun.

We had 3 little “Daisies” from Girl Scout Troup 4224 drop in with a huge donation of food for the Food Bank. They took a tour of the Food Bank and our Kids Closet before receiving a new badge for helping others with food. 
Per our favorite quote from Fred Rogers…..”anyone who does anything to help a child in this life is a hero to me”….
Thank you girls, for helping other little children in our county – you are heroes to us!

Sending out a big Thank You to the Community Service Group and students at Ashland High School for this fabulous donation. AHS has been doing a week of Caring and Sharing for many years and their donation is always a big help after the holiday rush. Thank you to the students that loaded the van and our volunteers that came in to put it away – you’re the best!

March 1, 2019

 From the Board of Directors of Associated Charities of Ashland Ohio, Inc.

 The Board of Directors of Associated Charities has selected a new director to succeed current Executive Director Rosemarie Donley, who is retiring on March 31, 2019.

 Christine (Chris) Box, an Ashland resident, will begin in her role at Associated Charities on March 18, allowing for some overlap with Rosemarie and ensuring a smooth transition.

 Chris comes to the organization with more than thirty years experience in the nonprofit sector and a skill set that includes budgeting, accounting, operations, facilities management, events, and team building. Prior to accepting the Executive Director position, Chris worked at the Ashland County Historical Society and the Ashland Family YMCA. She has extensive knowledge of the Ashland community and a love for its people.  Chris will bring a servant’s heart and a nurturing nature that will further the mission of Associated Charities.

 We asked both Chris and Rosemarie to provide a few words about the transition:

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to join the Associated Charities family and to work hand-in-hand with the Ashland community in providing assistance to those in crisis or in transition.   Rosemarie has brought outstanding leadership and exceptional progress to Associated Charities under her direction and I am honored to follow in her footsteps.”

~Christine Box

“I am pleased to learn that Chris Box is the new Executive Director at AC.  She is very well known and respected in the community and I feel confident that she will carry on our mission to help Ashland County families in need.  I know this community will welcome and embrace Chris just as you did me.”

~Rosemarie Donley

 Associated Charities provides short-term, emergency provisions and other programs based on the determined needs of the community to qualified residents of Ashland County, Ohio in order to equip and empower them for the future.  Provisions may consist of the following:  food, emergency rent/mortgage assistance, help with a utility disconnect, emergency (non-narcotic) prescription assistance, new clothing, shoes, boots and winter coats for children as well as the Christmas Toy Program, JUSST for Kids Back to School Program and Food for holidays.

January 28, 2019

Dear Friends,

Just over 100 years ago, Associated Charities was formed by a group of area churches to provide assistance to residents of Ashland County. Through the generosity of our donors and volunteers, that mission continues. We are able to help with short-term, emergency financial assistance, food and clothing. A few years ago, with huge community support, funds were raised to build a new facility that allows us to more efficiently aid those in need of our services.

Last week, Associated Charities Executive Director Rosemarie informed us of her plans to retire at the end of March, 2019. Members of the Board of Directors immediately formed a Search Committee to identify and hire a leader that will continue the exceptional progress achieved during Rosemarie’s tenure, and to move us forward toward the future. To that end, we want to share our goals and processes with you.

Our Search Committee is comprised of past and current Board Members and representatives from our community. We are also being assisted by an outside firm that specializes in nonprofit executive placement. Our goal is to have a new executive director in place in early March to allow for some overlap with Rosemarie. If the right candidate is not available to start until a later date, the board and staff have developed a solid interim plan to ensure Associated Charities will continue its operations seamlessly, and with the same caring, compassionate manner that our clients deserve.

A job posting has been created and will be posted at indeed.com as well as other media outlets. Additionally, we have reached out to community members and other nonprofit leaders who have a large network of potential candidates. Finally, members of the Search Committee are well networked and we are actively recruiting qualified candidates.

We are keeping the Associated Charities staff informed of our efforts and encouraging their participation as well. This is an exciting time for Associated Charities and our staff. We have funding, operations and programs in place through this year and beyond. While Rosemarie continues to manage the operations at Associated Charities, she lends support and ideas to our search efforts. As a team, we will identify the right individual to assume the leadership role.

Again, we thank you for your ongoing support. If you have any questions or additional thoughts, please email them to apply@associatedcharities.com.

Sincerely,

Brett W. Mesenburg

Board President

Associated Charities of Ashland County Ohio, Inc.

We are so grateful to the members of the American Legion Post #88 and to Commander Ron Dull for dropping off a check to Associated Charities for $12,000. Their yearly donation is a huge help to our community. Thank you for helping us help others in our county.

We are so proud to help AU’s “Martin Luther King Day of Service” with food for our senior citizens. They are partnering with the Council on Aging to deliver shelf stable food to seniors in our county. Berniece Miller and Jaret Baker are loading up our donation of oatmeal, fruit, soup, crackers, vegetables, cereal, tuna, canned pasta, peanut butter and bread. Great job again to our AU community for helping others.

We heard from government sources that February’s monthly SNAP (food stamp) allocation will be deposited on your card from January 16th through January 20th. We wanted to alert people so you can make sure to budget this amount to get you through February. If you have questions please call the Ashland County Department of Job and Family Services.

This magical time of year is the perfect time to show our children the gift of giving. At Associated Charities/Ashland County Food Bank we have several ways you can involve your child in the “Giving Spirit”.

Adopt a Family: With this program you can request a child to “adopt”. Maybe you select one your child’s age. You would get a list of toys this child would like and then your child can shop! How exciting and rewarding for your child to help brighten another’s Christmas.

Food for the Christmas Meal: Go over with your child what a typical Christmas meal has and then purchase items for that meal. Anyone could help with this one. You don’t have to purchase a whole meal, maybe just a can of green beans or bag of potatoes. No gift is too small and all donations count! What a beautiful way to involve your child and help another family at the same time.

Toy Donation: Maybe when you are out shopping your child could purchase a gift or toy for another child their age. We sometimes need help knowing what the different age groups want each year, especially the teens, and this would be a big help for us to stock our “Santa” room.

No donation is too small. The important thing is the child gets involved in “giving”.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people – then feed just one”

                                                          Mother Teresa