Living Generously

Rosemary and Joe Nader at the Fort Mitchell Independence Day Parade with their 8-year-old grandson, Charlie. Charlie is the son of their daughter, Tracy, and her husband, Jeff.

For Joe and Rosemary Nader, St. Elizabeth has always been right there – a part of their community, their history.

For two kids growing up in Covington’s Austinburg neighborhood in the 1950s, the hospital on 20th Street where they were both born was more a destination than an institution.

“It was like a little city, bustling with activity,” says Joe. “My friends and I used to stop in the St. E cafeteria after school or on the weekends for a bite to eat or an ice cream. It was like taking a trip to Cincinnati!”

“Everyone was so friendly there,” adds Rosemary, who began her decades-long volunteer involvement with St. Elizabeth as a candy striper when she was just 16. “The administration and the staff always appreciated what you did.”

Six years after their marriage in 1966, Joe and Rosemary welcomed their daughter, Tracy, into the world at the same location. And as St. Elizabeth moved out into the suburbs with the opening of its Edgewood facility, so too did the Nader family, with a move south to Fort Mitchell.

Over the next 40-plus years, Joe worked his way up to director of mechanical engineering and part owner of KZF Design – one of Cincinnati’s largest architecture, engineering, planning and interior design firms – while Rosemary continued her volunteer efforts, working with patients and providers in a variety of specialties, from obstetrics to oncology. Her relationships with St. Elizabeth physicians and administrators grew, and so did her involvement in the hospital’s fundraising efforts.

“At that time, we had the auxiliary,” she says. “I went from being a member to secretary to vice president and eventually president in 1989 – the last year before the Foundation was formed. That year we met our pledge of $225,000, and that was so special to me.”

Fellow officers gave St. Elizabeth Auxiliary President Rosemary Nader this token of appreciation when the group met their pledge of $225,000 in 1989. A copy of the canceled check appears on the bunny’s dress.

Upon St. Elizabeth Foundation’s formation in 1990, Rosemary was asked to serve as one of its first board members – the only woman in the group – heading up the community relations committee. And it’s on that committee where she continues to volunteer today, serving as a goodwill ambassador, community relationship builder and host of charitable events.

“She’s like the Energizer bunny,” says Joe. “She has more than 11,000 volunteer hours logged with St. Elizabeth – and that’s only counting the last 29 years!”

But Joe wouldn’t have it any other way. To them, it’s personal. Not only has St. Elizabeth been an integral part of their lives, it reflects their own values of charity, integrity, faith and compassion. The Naders also have a great deal of confidence in the hospital’s administration, trusting its leadership to be good stewards of their charitable contributions for the past 30 years.

“There is always a goal, and there is always complete transparency,” explain Joe and Rosemary, now recognized as platinum members of St. Elizabeth Foundation’s Samaritan Society for their lifetime support of more than $50,000. The couple has also made a financial commitment to support St. Elizabeth Cancer Center, currently under construction at the Edgewood campus.

“St. Elizabeth is like family,” says Rosemary. “We love everyone there and would do anything for them. It sort of feels like coming full circle, our giving back.”

Full circle, indeed, as they strengthen their commitment to be right here for St. Elizabeth and the community it serves, helping to transform it for generations to come.

If you would like to make a gift to St. Elizabeth, like the Naders have, please contact St. Elizabeth Foundation at (859) 301-3920 or stefoundation@stelizabeth.com to get started.