John worked as a certified public accountant for Battelle & Battelle LLP, retiring after 40 years in 2000 as a senior partner. In 1976, Paula was the first woman elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. She later founded and ran a successful environmental lighting company. Together, they have a passion for giving to the community, including through their Dayton Foundation charitable fund.
Q: Where are you from, and why did you decide to make Dayton your home?
Paula: I was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. John was born in East Cleveland and raised in Willoughby, Ohio. We met while attending Ohio Wesleyan University. After graduation, John was hired by Battelle and Battelle LLP and moved to Dayton. Following a stint in the U.S. Army, we were married and started our family in Dayton. Subsequently, my parents and brother moved here. We like Dayton because it's a friendly city with a rich history.
Q: What has influenced your desire to give to charity?
John: We have been involved with many organizations and began giving to various charities early in our marriage. Over the years, I've served on the Board of Trustees for Dayton Children's Hospital, Dayton Museum of Natural History, Cityfolk, St. Joseph Treatment Center and the Aviation Hall of Fame.
Paula: I currently serve on the Board of Trustees for Sinclair Community College and the Metro Dayton Charter Committee, and previously was a member of the boards for Clothes That Work, Hospice of Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital, Victoria Theatre Association and The Dayton Foundation, among others.
Q: Which experiences have had a lasting impression on you?
John: Cityfolk was such a great organization that brought arts groups from different ethnic backgrounds to our city. It exposed citizens to different cultures through music and dance. I also loved watching Dayton Children's grow to become a world-class hospital that helps many children throughout the region.
Paula: I'm so proud of both Clothes That Work and Hospice of Dayton. As one of the founders of Clothes That Work, I'm amazed at how many women and men are served by this great organization, and how much the organization has grown to fulfill a need for professional clothing, image consulting and training for local job seekers.
Hospice of Dayton also is an organization of angels that helps our loved ones through their end-of-life experiences. Hospice’s staff was so wonderful with my dying father that I wanted to serve as a Hospice volunteer and board member.
Q: Paula, your family and friends established a charitable fund through The Dayton Foundation in 1990 on behalf of your retirement from the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. What is the purpose of the fund?
Paula: The Paula J. MacIlwaine Making a Difference Award has helped countless projects that assist women and girls in the Greater Dayton community. This year we awarded two grants, the first to The League of Women Voters for their 95th anniversary celebration honoring the history of the Suffragettes. The second grant was awarded to Maple Tree Alliance, an organization that provides physical fitness and nutrition programs for women who have cancer. The Dayton Foundations does all the legwork for managing the fund and awarding the grants. Since the fund is endowed, it will award grants for years to come.
Q: Do you have a particular focus for your personal giving?
John: We really don't have a focus for giving other than we give wherever there is a need that appeals to us, and of course we give to the arts. We were very happy to contribute money to the building of the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. We attend many music events, both here and in other cities when we travel. Nothing compares to our lovely Schuster Center.
Q: What inspires you about the Greater Dayton community?
Paula: The Dayton community is very inclusive. If you want to volunteer for an organization, all you have to do is contact them. The Greater Dayton community is a community of doers.
Q: How does The Dayton Foundation help you to help others?
Paula: The Dayton Foundation is the center of philanthropy in the region. It offers expert advice to anyone looking to contribute, and the Charitable Checking Account we recently opened is going to simplify our bookkeeping at tax time, which John really likes.
Q: What advice can you share about giving to the community?
John: There are so many well-run organizations in Dayton that need your time and dollars. If you can't give either, you always can do a random act of kindness.
Paula: It's important to pass down your interest in charitable giving to your kids and grandkids. We hope that through our example, our three children and nine grandchildren will do the right thing by contributing time and money in their communities.
Q: How would you complete this sentence, "My giving makes me feel … "
A: … good because it is the right thing to do.
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