About Us
Our Mission Statement
The mission of Maple Knoll Communities, Inc. is to be a growing provider
of outstanding facilities and services for the aging within the TriState
area which allows those we serve to thrive in a safe, stimulating,
and dignified environment. This will be accomplished through the
practice of responsible fiscal stewardship.
Our History
The history
of Maple Knoll Communities, Inc. begins in 1848, when a group of concerned
citizens of Cincinnati witnessed the untenable situation of elderly
persons without families. Led by Mrs. Lydia Beecher, the stepmother
of Harriet Beecher Stowe, this benevolent group created a home for
these individuals and planted the seeds of what would become LifeSphere.
The history of this organization is a legacy of service to the community
and to the welfare of older adults. Following this paragraph is a
timeline that begins in 1848 and continues through today.
1848 - Mrs. Lydia Beecher founds The Society for
the Relief of Aged Indigent Women.
1851 - The Society for the Relief of Aged Indigent
Women changes its name to The Home for Aged and Indigent Women and
incorporated.
1855 - The Protestant Home for the Friendless and
Foundlings is established by a group of Cincinnati ladies as a "refuge
for destitute women".
1879 - Abram M. Taylor, one of the first trustees of
the Widows' Home, bequeaths money to establish a home for old men.
He wants to consolidate the management of the Old Men's Home and the
Widows' Home; the two organizations enter into an agreement.
1881 - Mrs. Lauretta Gibson founds The Bodmann German
Protestant Widows' Home.
1884 - The Protestant Home for the Friendless and Foundlings
changes its name to The Hospital and Home for the Friendless.
1916 - The Bodmann German Protestant Widows' Home becomes
the Bodmann Widows' Home.
1932 - The Widow's Home and the Old Men's Home are
officially consolidated and incorporate as the Widow's and Old Men's
Home.
1950 - The Hospital and Home for the Friendless becomes
Maple Knoll Hospital and Home. (Click here for more information.)
1973 - The Maple Knoll Hospital and Home merges with
the Widows' and Old Men's home under the leadership of Jerry D. Smart,
president of the Widows' and Old Men's Home. Southwestern Ohio Seniors'
Services, Inc. is introduced as the new corporate name for the merged
organization.
1974 - The Bodmann Widows' Home is merged into Southwestern
Ohio Seniors' Services, Inc.
1977 - Maple Knoll Village opens to seniors, providing
independent living apartments and long-term nursing facilities.
1995 - WMKV 89.3 FM, the flagship radio station of
the LifeSphere network, opens in 1995 as the nations first educational
public radio station to be licensed to a retirement community. The
station features big band music and information regarding activities
and services available to older adults.
1997 - Sycamore Senior Adult Multi-Service Center,
Inc. merges with SOSSI. Sycamore Senior Adult Multi-Service Center,
Inc. includes Sycamore Senior Center, Anderson Senior Center, a home
health agency and two elderly housing facilities, Mount View Terrace
and Corbly Trace.
2000 - SOSSI expands into Oxford Ohio, opening a new
retirement community called The Knolls of Oxford. When complete in
2004, The Knolls also will include 80 cottages, 40 assisted living
apartments and 50 nursing care units.
2001 - Southwestern Ohio Seniors' Services, Inc. becomes
LifeSphere.
2001 - LifeSphere helps to celebrate the Grand Opening
of the brand new Sycamore Senior Center with a up to the minute facility
as well as fresh programs.
2002 - LifeSphere celebrates the Grand Opening of
the Life Enriching Gardens located on the campus of Maple Knoll Village.
The gardens, which include a Memory Garden, Enabling Garden, and a
Children's Garden, seek to improve the quality of life for those who
live and work within the facility.
2002 - Maple Knoll Village proudly celebrates its 25th
Anniversary of serving older adults within the Greater Cincinnati
area.
2004 - James M. Formal takes over as the new President
and CEO of LifeSphere. Mr. Formal sees his new position as an opportunity
to position LifeSphere to be successful far into the future.
2005 - The Knolls of Oxford and Miami University enter
into an affiliation that will advance interaction between the two
organizations. Among the benefits of this agreement are: research
and internship opportunities for students, new educational experiences,
and increased intergenerational experiences for both parties.
2005 - LifeSphere Home Health Services are recognized
as a National Best practice Agency and are invited to take part in
The National Hospitalization Study.
2006 - In partnership with home builder Great Traditions
Homes, Inc. construction begins on the New Westminster Cottages. The
22 cottages are the largest in the history of LifeSphere.
2006 - WMKV 89.3 FM signs an unprecedented agreement
with FOX19 allowing WMKV to broadcast morning news. Other changes
within the radio station include the revival of classic programs such
as Theater of the Mind, Mystery Playhouse and The Big Broadcast.
2007 - Again with Great Traditions Homes, LifeSphere
breaks ground on 56 new apartments called Kensington Place on the
campus of Maple Knoll Village and 14 new villas called Redbud Trace
on The Knolls of Oxford campus.
2007 - Sycamore Senior Center celebrates 30 years of
serving active older adults in 31 communities across the TriState.
2007 - Thanks to a very generous donation of $1 million
from resident Martin Hemsworth, the Maple Knoll Wellness Center is
renovated and renamed the Ann and Martin Hemsworth Wellness Center
on the campus of Maple Knoll Village.
2008 - LifeSphere becomes Maple Knoll Communities Inc.