SPENCER AWARDS

Cincinnatus to Honor Local Cincinnati Organizations for Promoting Diversity & Inclusion
Nonprofits and Businesses Will Be
Recognized with the Prestigious Spencer Awards

The Cincinnatus Association will present the Tenth Annual Donald and Marian Spencer Spirit of America Awards Dinner, honoring local Cincinnati area nonprofits and businesses promoting diversity and inclusion.

The awards dinner will be held on May 20, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, 151 Fifth St. W, Cincinnati. 

5:30 p.m. — Registration & Reception

6:30 p.m. — Dinner & Program

Named after Cincinnati’s “First Couple of Civil Rights,” the Spencer Awards celebrate the couple’s achievements and honor nonprofits and businesses that exhibit conspicuous and enduring contributions to promoting greater inclusion and diversity in the community. Mr. Spencer died in 2010 before the awards were inception. 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 was also 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 ‘Cincinnati Dream’ through their services, education, and inclusion of all citizens” says Susan Noonan, Chair of Spencer Dinner Committee.

Founded in 1920, the Cincinnatus Association has a long legacy of working to improve the quality of life for Greater Cincinnatians. The Association’s current focus is making the Cincinnati Dream a reality. “We envision a just and equitable city, one where the benefits of our region are not the privilege of some but accessible to all.”