At Living Well, we know that PEOPLE are what make the difference between a mission, and a mission with purpose. The people we support, the staff who work hard to care for them with kindness and inclusion, the families who work with us in tandem for the benefit of their loved ones, and the people who make advocacy a part of their lives, all work together to provide resources needed for Living Well to meet our mission..
Delivering Giving Tree gifts.
This week we invite you to learn more about Board Chair, Tony DeRose. Tony is a familiar face around the halls and at our homes, as you can often find him volunteering at Living Well. Kathy Anderson, Volunteer Manager, says, “Tony brings an enthusiastic energy to everything he does! His joy is contagious whether he is going to a hockey game with someone we support, delivering Giving Tree gifts, setting up for our Gala, or valeting cars at Family Fun Day. And of course, Tony’s skill and expertise on our Board is priceless. I appreciate Tony’s compassion as well has his willingness to help with pretty much anything asked!”
Tony is a dedicated family man, a voracious hockey fan, a retired 3M employee who spent decades with the company, and now a tireless advocate for disability services and awareness.
Get to know a little more about Tony and his why. The reasons people support nonprofits are vast, and we are grateful he shares his time and wisdom with all of us.
ABOUT TONY:
Number of years with Living Well: Almost 15 years. In 2012, my wife Lisa and I were invited by our friends to the Dakota Communities Gala. It was the first entry point to the mission, and I remember the conversations all seemed to revolve around providing an environment where the people had many opportunities to live their fullest life possible within the group homes.
The Gala exposed us to seeing families, friends, staff and several of the folks living at the group homes all having fun—and I immediately wanted to join the fun on a more consistent basis. At the end of the Gala, Julie Manworren, the CEO at the time, and I agreed to get lunch to see where I could plug into committee and board work. My background was a great match, and I was invited to join the Development Committee. I got hooked on the mission, vision and values of the organization, and have been involved ever since.
Oh, he’s also an avid biker, here doing the United Way ride.
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy spending time with my family. I am a huge hockey fan, and enjoy games at all levels—high school, college, and the NHL, especially MN Wild. Hockey is one of my top hobbies and talking hockey with my friends is a daily event. I work part-time for the MN Wild so I can watch more hockey. And we try attend as many games as possible when the University of St Thomas is on their home ice. I am also a big outdoorsman, so I like to go hunting, fishing, and camping with friends. Annually I enjoy several fall pheasant hunting trips with my friends of 40 years in southwest Minnesota and southeast SD. And Walleye fishing is nearly a weekly event in the spring and fall, with my same hunting friends, we fish together on the St Croix River, Lake of the Woods, Rainy and in Ontario Canada. This summer my family and I are planning on spending time in the Boundary Waters.
Education: I went to the University of Thomas and have a BA in Business Management, with minors in Marketing and Business Law and Ethics. I also attended the University of Minnesota/Extension and achieved a Master Naturalist Certificate.
Job Experience/History: In my day job, I worked for 3M. After 41 years at the company, I retired in 2019. For the first two decades I worked in operations, manufacturing and supply chain/six sigma. Then spent the last 20 years in various global business development roles, around the world leading teams in the consumer electronic space with marque customers. I am currently working for MN Wild, part time in Guest Services.
With fellow Board Member, Vince Opat at the 2024 Gala.
Favorite Living Well story: In the last two years I felt our board, along with Tom and his leadership team, really aligned on exploring strategic alternatives to preserve and strengthen the mission. Each of our board members come to us with extra big hearts, and all are willing to share their expertise with us in advocacy, finance, human resources, business development, marketing and leadership development. These past two years have been very productive working as one team. I feel our board are all on the same page and all aiming for a brighter future, even with everything swirling about with the MN legislature and DHS, along with changes and uncertainty regarding services and funding at a federal level. We are blessed to continue to attract such a strong and talented group of compassionate board of directors, committed to the mission and future health and wellbeing of the organization.
Tom Gillespie, CEO, says, “Tony’s focus on partnership, building community, and his decades long commitment to supporting people with disabilities is an asset to Living Well. And his enthusiasm makes him a great fit for our mission.”
Volunteering at Family Fun Day as parking valets, along with Board Member Nicolas Tiziou.
What is your motivation for working with Living Well: I have a long-term relationship with disability service providers, starting back in the early 80s while at 3M. A few coworkers and I from the Filtration Division developed a very good vendor relationship with Minnesota Diversified Industries. MDI exposed us to the Special Olympics where I then coached one of the floor hockey and softball teams for a few summers. A few years after that, my wife and I would spend every-other weekend at one of the Good Neighbor group homes, being Mr. & Mrs. Recreation, as volunteer DSP’s for six folks. We spent most weekends in the community at parades, parks, beaches, in restaurants and even at a few wedding receptions of friends getting married. So many great memories.
What makes you stay: Organizations that advocate for people living with disabilities have my heart. Spending time volunteering at homes with staff and the people we serve energizes me, a great deal. And helping out at Family Fun Day, employee recognition events, and of course our wonderful Gala brings me joy and purpose.
David and Tony at Family Fun Day.
Do you volunteer in your community or school: Building relationships is meaningful for me, and I have been a longtime volunteer here at Living Well. I deliver gifts every year for the Giving Tree celebrations at a few of the homes. And I recently started being a bit of Big Brother to my buddy David, who lives at the Cope home, close to where I grew up with my parents.
It was fantastic hanging out with him and his Program Manager, Erica at our 2024 Gala—even though he gave me the business on not raising my paddle enough during the live auction. HA! David really enjoyed the music and sang along with band at the end of the evening. Poor Erica’s toes took a beating, dancing with David, and being run over by David’s wheelchair a number of times as the band was so Good!
Thank you Tony, we adore your advocacy and dedication to Living Well!