• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

MarionMade

People, Places, Products, Programs

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On YoutubeCheck Our FeedVisit Us On Instagram
We Are Presidential!We Are Generous!We Are Having Fun!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
    • MarionMade! 5k Sign Up
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

It Takes a Community to Provide Support

By MarionMade! on July 9, 2020

Most of our community think we understand what the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDD) does to serve our county.  This critical program is both simple and very complex in its services and mandates.

While the concept of the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDD) is very simple – they help people with developmental disabilities live, learn, and earn in Marion County – the magnitude of the organization is very complex.

Marca
Marca

Seemingly simple on the surface, the organization receives funding at federal, state, and local levels, but managing a multifaceted budget with three separate fiscal years is a challenge (all which often ebb and flow based on federal/state/local agendas, plans and support).

Annually, MCBDD serves an average of 800 people in the Marion County community with developmental disabilities each year. How are they served? Again, the answer is simple yet complex. Those served create their own destiny with the help of their Services and Support Administrator or SSA (also referred to as a case manager). The SSA is an MCBDD employee who is there to assist people with their goals and connect them with the resources to achieve. Often this is a local service provider or agency. When those served achieve one goal, the SSA is there to help them move on to the next. Before you know it, they are living inclusively and as independently as possible in our community.

“One thing you learn quickly is that the people we serve are very capable of achieving dreams and goals. They just need a little help to get there. And we are blessed to be able to not only watch them grow but help them along the way. It’s a very rewarding career,” Julie Cummins, director of Service and Support Administration says of the work.

The County Board of DD manages and funds over 50 local providers of services. A provider is simply an independent agency that partners with MCBDD to provide the needed service(s) to those served. Providing opportunities that promote growth, self-worth, and integrating individuals into the community is a large part of what providers and MCBDD collaboratively do. Life Builders, RHAM (Residential Home Association of Marion), and B.L.E.S.S. (Basinger Life Enhancement Support Services are just three of the 50 you might recognize.  For a complete listing, visit www.marioncountydd.org/providers.

The goal is to increase independence and teach the skills necessary for those served to be productive members of the community. Enhancing life skills opens opportunities for greater community integration while increasing confidence and self-advocacy.  Providers assist with transportation, day services, residential services, budgeting, grocery shopping, cooking, first aid, community integration, employment, social skills, and much, much more!

The organization not only provides support to those served, but they also work closely with their many provider agencies to ensure that the goals of each person are met. There are an abundant amount of policies as well as the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD), and the Ohio Association of County Boards (OACB) that all help guide MCBDD to advocate and assist those served with all aspects of inclusion and independence so they can live their best life within their own communities.

MCBDD Superintendent Cheryl Plaster had this to say about those served, “Getting to know your friends and neighbors of all walks of life provides perspective through a different lens. Seeing Marion County through the eyes of our community members with developmental disabilities is to see strength, courage, ability, creativity, and truly happy, grateful souls who add a little spark to every person they encounter.” She adds, “the work we do is not only meaningful, but it is also rewarding. We learn from those we serve every day and you would too.”

RISE
RISE

Again. So simple. The reward of loving each and every person in Marion County is truly what makes us MarionMade!. We encourage you to show the MarionMade! spirit and love your community. Meet someone new in our community. Get out of your comfort zone to learn about those who are slightly different than you. Volunteer for the Special Olympics, employ someone with a developmental disability, get involved, get educated, and get ready to fall in love with a part of your community that you may not have thought of before. Maybe not so simple, but, oh, so rewarding!

Recent MarionMade! Stories

  • St. Mary Catholic Church

    When Eber Baker founded Marion in 1822, a handful of Catholics lived in the area. By 1844, with a Catholic population of 100, Marion became a mission site and circuit-riding priests celebrated Masses in private homes. In 1854, the Huber Shop on Mill Street became the first permanent place of worship. On land purchased by […]Read More »
  • Family Roots Run Deep in Marion

    As a father, Eli Bush V and his wife, Lisa, decided to research his family history. They had no idea how deep his roots would run in Marion. Eli Bush V grew up in Marion, surrounded by his mother’s large Irish Catholic family, the Moloneys. However, the Bush family was small. Bush only has a […]Read More »
  • Ben Kern – Sharing his World through His Art

    Many lament that the talent of our community leaves.  Look around and discover the talent of people that do live here like the artist Ben Kern.  Ben not only creates beautiful art, but he often chooses to depict scenes from Marion County. This is just one reason Marion is fortunate to have Ben Kern as […]Read More »
  • Nashville Photographer for Grammy Winners is Marion Native

    Alysse Gafkjen is enjoying an amazing career in professional photography with a focus on portraits and music photography. Her work is featured on album covers, press photos, television, and billboards, for example. This River Valley graduate is a shining example of MarionMade! and the epitome of the creative, entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in the Marion […]Read More »

Share Your MarionMade! Story

Click Here to share your story about MarionMade! people, places, products, and programs!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Marion Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Downtown Marion Love INC Marion Public Library Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Marion CANDO! Marion Community Foundation United Way of Marion County Marion Technical College

© 2025 · MarionMade! is a community initiative led by Marion Technical College · Website is powered by Neighborhood Image