If home is where the heart is, it would stand to reason that people with big hearts may well consider multiple places their home. That is precisely the case with John’s Island residents Sherry Ann and Ned Dayton, who recently made legacy gifts of $1 million each to the Greater Twin Cities United Way and the United Way of Indian River County; the largest legacy gift to date for our local organization.
“The Greater Twin Cities United Way is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. They’re making a big push to increase their endowment. Their ultimate goal is a $100 million endowment, which would be terrific,” explains Ned Dayton.
“When I got involved with the United Way Foundation here I thought, we can have just as much – in fact we can have a greater impact – here in Vero Beach than we have in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis they now have 20 donors that have made $1 million gifts to the Foundation, whereas here, we are the first. We’re not doing it because we want any name recognition. We’re doing it so that we hopefully can use our gift to encourage others to make, maybe not million-dollar gifts, but at least to make a Foundation gift that will permanently endow their annual gift forever.”
“The United Way Foundation is solely focused on building our endowment that is designed to provide long-term financial security for the critical work of United Way in Indian River County,” says UWIRC CEO Michael Kint. “This generous legacy gift from the Daytons will, hopefully, inspire many others to make an enduring gift and shape the future of this community.”
The couple has long supported the United Way as Alexis de Tocqueville Society members (contributions of $10,000 or more) here and up north, and their estate’s planned-giving bequest will enable continued annual contributions to the United Way in their name.
“We’re really trying to encourage people to give both in the hometown that they came from and also in Vero Beach,” says Ned Dayton. “A lot of people think, well, I gave back up north and I don’t need to give down here. They don’t really become as much a part of the community as maybe they should, so hopefully this will encourage some more people to get involved here.”
“If they really get involved in the community in one way or another, it just enriches their lives,” agrees Sherry Ann Dayton. It gives a whole other dimension. Especially when you’re retired, you have a lot of free time.”
The couple met in Minneapolis and as she explains, “He came down to meet my mom; she was one of the original tenants in the Village Spires. We had some friends here in John’s Island and he stayed with them; that’s how he saw John’s Island for the first time. We got married a year later and started coming down here right away – once my mom gave him the approval.”
After a number of years with short visits, centered on their children’s school vacations, they purchased a condominium in John’s Island’s North Village in 1998. They later built their gorgeous waterfront home and now spend more time here than up north. The stunning layout and décor is a testament to Sherry Ann, who for 45 years has owned an interior design firm.
The United Way was one of the first organizations they got involved with here. “We sought them out and then of course right away they made us co-chairs of de Tocqueville,” laughs Sherry Ann.
“The de Tocqueville Society here was just really getting going; I think there were five or six members at the time. Ralph King was the originator here. There are now 69 members and I think for a community this size, that’s a great number,” explains Ned. “There isn’t any other organization that can do the total job that the United Way does. They do all their research; they do their homework. It takes about three years for an agency to be approved as a United Way agency, so there’s a lot of vetting that goes on.”
Ned remembers his parents and grandparents supporting the United Way, adding, “We were all brought up to believe in it.”
It was an attitude filtered down through the family’s corporations as well, which when he was growing up was the popular department store known as Dayton’s; the parent company to Target Corporation, which today is a public company. Ned Dayton was president of B. Dalton Bookseller, also founded by Dayton’s. B. Dalton was eventually purchased by Barnes and Noble.
To engender philanthropy in their five children, each is annually gifted $10,000 to contribute to their own communities. “They really enjoy it. One of our sons has involved his eldest son now in helping to pick the charities,” says Sherry Ann. The couple has 10 grandchildren. “So it’s a real learning experience for the families. And they are so appreciative because they are able to give to these organizations and make an impact.”
In Vero they have volunteered and supported a number of other organizations over the years. Sherry Ann previously served on the boards of the John’s Island Community Service League, John’s Island Foundation and Children’s Home Society, and is a longtime board member of Boys and Girls Club of Indian River County.
An avid environmentalist and nature photographer, Ned recently rotated off the Indian River Land Trust board where he co-chaired the successful $10 million Save Our Indian River Lagoon capital campaign, and previously served on the board of the National Wilderness Society. He also served on the Riverside Theatre board.
“I feel like it’s our community and we have all the same problems in Vero Beach that we have in Minneapolis,” says Sherry Ann. “It’s just shocking to me that we live in this paradise and there’s poverty everywhere. Fortunately we are able to make these gifts.”
