The Center's Words

A Message from Our Leadership Team

by | Dec 29, 2025 | The Center’s Words

Dear Friends,

As we enter this season of giving, we want to personally thank you for standing with the Center for Respite Care. For 22 years, your compassion has helped us provide a safe place to heal for individuals experiencing homelessness—neighbors whose illness prevents them from safely utilizing the shelter system and have nowhere else to go.

This year, we are coming to you with a deep sense of urgency. Due to significant changes in the federal and local funding landscape, we have experienced real losses in critical support that once sustained our operations. At the same time, the need for our services has never been greater.

Despite these challenges, our mission remains unwavering. As the region’s only medical respite facility, we are a vital safety net—offering medical care, recovery, stability, and a path forward for those most at risk.

Your generosity fuels every step of this work. It strengthens our collaborations with regional health systems and service agencies, leading to improved long-term patient outcomes, reduced hospital readmissions, lower healthcare costs, and a stronger continuum of care for the entire community.

Simply put: we cannot do this without you.

Every dollar you give directly restores health, transforms lives, and brings hope to people who desperately need it. Your support ensures that, when someone is too sick, too vulnerable, and has nowhere else to turn, the Center for Respite Care is there.

Thank you for believing in this mission and for continuing to walk alongside us. Together, we will build a healthier, more compassionate community for all.

With gratitude,

Laurel Derks Nelson, CEO Dr. Bob Donovan, MD
Tyler Keene, CAO Kay Burlew, Program Director
Edward J. Slater, Director of Volunteer Engagement Ashley Rainey, Director of Administration

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The Center for Respite Care is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization.
View our 2022 IRS Form 990 – Public Disclosure.

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Center for Respite Care
1615 Republic Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Mail:
P.O. Box 141301
Cincinnati, Ohio 45250

Phone:
(513) 621-1868

Fax:
(513) 621-1872

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