Marilyn Fisher Lundy
(1925 – 2014)
Marilyn Fisher Lundy has dedicated most of her adult life to human services and education, with many of her prodigious accomplishments have occurred as a full-time volunteer.
Believing that the path to success in life is through education, Lundy has been active in promoting education. She was elected to the State Board of Education in 1988 for an eight-year term and served as its vice president for one year. Lundy also served as national president of Citizens for Educational Freedom from 1977 to 1988, and she continues to be active in education by working for alternative ways to empower parents of all income levels to make the best school choices for their children’s education.
As past president and CEO of Matrix Human Services (formerly known as the League of Catholic Women), she has made many enduring contributions to the state of Michigan, particularly to disadvantaged children, women, and families in metropolitan Detroit. Through Matrix’s Barat Child and Family Services agency and its residential-treatment program, known as Barat House, Lundy continues to help Matrix in its mission to end the cycle of abuse, neglect, and delinquency of adolescent females.
While at Matrix, Lundy also developed Project Transition, a community-based corrections center for women in Michigan. Among other projects developed under Lundy’s leadership are: Seton Center, a comprehensive service center for women’s issues; Simon House for women afflicted with HIV/AIDS; Healthy Start for low-income pregnant or new mothers; W.I.C. (Women, Infants and Children) which provides support services to women and their children; and Casa Maria Family Services Agency, known as the Casa Academy, an alternative educational program for youth, ages 10 to 13. This last project was a joint effort between Matrix Human Services, Wayne County Youth Services, the Michigan Independence Agency, and the Detroit Public Schools. When funding ended for this program, Lundy committed herself to developing Ser-Casa Environmental and Technological Academy, a separate corporation serving 100 youth per year as a charter high school in southwest Detroit.
Lundy has also dedicated her talents to the development of a new charter school, the Marilyn F. Lundy Academy, which focuses on the needs of youth similar to those served by Barat House.