by Tim Froberg
Mary Beth Nienhaus has never been a sedentary person.
The local philanthropist has a long list of athletic achievements.
She was the first female student-athlete at Marquette University and was selected as the Wisconsin Female Golfer of the Year in 1969 after winning a pair of state amateur championships. Nienhaus went on to become a long-time golf pro at Winagamie Golf Course and the eventual owner. She also coached various sports and taught physical education for 28 years at Appleton West High.
When it came to creating a name for the new senior center she has championed, Nienhaus felt honored that her name would be used. But she was just as thrilled that it would be referred to as an activity center.
The Mary Beth Nienhaus Activity Center will hold its grand opening on June 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The rebuilt facility is located at 3000 E. College Ave. in a former grocery store building that recently temporarily housed the Appleton Public Library.
The renovation project cost $6.5 million and replaces the Thompson Center on Lourdes (at 2331 E. Lourdes Drive) as a place for those 50 and older to interact and engage through various activities. The project has been funded through a Celebrate Life Capital Campaign supported by donors, community members, and campaign supporters. Nienhaus, who has given countless dollars to various local charities and nonprofits through the years, has been the driving force behind the new facility and made a $2 million donation to the project.
“I’m delighted and honored to have my name on the center,” Nienhaus said. “Some said that maybe we should have ‘senior’ in the title, but I thought, ‘Well, my whole life has been involved with activity and sports. I’ve always been around movement. So, I just thought it was appropriate, and a little more energizing and more empowering to have activity in the title.’”
The new 20,000-square-foot facility will include pickleball courts, wellness and fitness multi-purpose rooms for exercise and yoga, a welcoming social area, pool tables, a commercial kitchen, and multiple classrooms equipped with technology.
“It’s state of the art and I think the seniors deserve this,” Nienhaus said. “I think once they see the facility, they’re going to be overwhelmed and delighted. It’s a wonderful facility.
“When you enter it, you will notice that it’s a nice open area. There is also a lot of window space with light coming through, so it’s a really welcoming area. We’ll also have a fireplace. That’s one thing I really wanted.”
The project took several years of planning, but Nienhaus feels it will be well worth the wait.
“We looked at a lot of different buildings and thought about buying land and doing our own building,” she said. “But I just think the spot we’re in now is ideal. Being right on College Avenue offers great visibility.”
Nienhaus expects a substantial increase in seniors visiting the MBN Activity Center and anticipates that hours will be expanded from its current 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. She would also like to see it open on weekends.
Roughly 75% of the $6.5 million project has been raised through private donors, but additional capital is still needed. In a final fundraising push to the finish line, Nienhaus is offering to match up to $400,000 in donations.
Donors who give at least $1,000 will be honored on a permanent donor wall in the new center.
“We’re very excited about the new facility – not only because it brings two locations under one roof – but it really was designed for future generations,” said Dawn Gohlke, executive director of the Thompson Center. “Right now, older adults in our community don’t have anything that’s just for them. The Mary Beth Nienhaus Activity Center is designed just for them and what they need as they live vibrantly within our community.”
This article was originally published in the June 2025 issue of Appleton Monthly Magazine.