The Giving Gene
So many things are passed down through generations—family traditions, genetics, recipes, hobbies.
For Jane Holman Riley and her daughter, Celes Price, and Mark Dreyfus and his son, Sam Dreyfus, giving back and helping others is at the core of their family heritage.
Each has passed down their passions and their commitment to bettering the community to the next generation.
Jane Holman Riley’s and Celes Price’s passion is for music–and for giving back.
Jane, now a young 96 years old, learned to play the coronet as a young girl, playing along with her best girlfriend who picked up the trumpet. That led Jane to some of the most interesting experiences of her life–including playing in an all-girls orchestra.
Jane handed down her love of music to her daughter, Celes, who is a musician and educator in the Hampton Roads area. A generation before, Jane’s mother, and Celes’ grandmother, was also a musician.
Music, and supporting musical endeavors, has created an enduring bond between mother and daughter.
When her husband passed away in 1989, a friend invited Jane to accompany her to help at the hospital. That led to a 25-year career as a volunteer for Sentara.
Volunteering came naturally to her. Jane would get up at 3 am on the two mornings she volunteered and get there so early that she made coffee for the staff. She was known as the “coffee lady.”
Jane volunteered in the Breast Center and in the Outpatient Surgery Center and took great pride in putting patients at ease before they went in for surgery.
Reluctantly, at 90 years old, Jane decided to retire as a regular volunteer. At the time of her retirement, she had clocked 25,000 volunteer hours.
But Jane still wanted to do more.
Pairing the family passion for music with Jane’s experience as a Sentara volunteer, Jane and Celes recently decided to make a gift to the Sentara Foundation and chose to earmark their gift to the Sentara Music Therapy Program. They believe that music, and other alternative therapies, can contribute greatly to one’s recovery.
As Jane says, “volunteering and giving back—whether it is your time or money—makes you feel good and just seems like the right thing to do. It makes you feel a part of things.”
By engaging younger family members in charitable activities and decision-making processes, older generations can pass on their values and nurture a culture of giving that extends beyond individual lifetimes.
For Mark and Sam Dreyfus, making an impact, especially in improving healthcare, is at the core of their giving philosophy.
And, like Jane and Celes, their family tradition of giving back precedes them.
Mark’s father (and Sam’s grandfather), Alfred, taught him the importance of giving. The family set up a foundation for charitable philanthropy many years ago. As Mark says: “It’s a part of what we do.”
When Sam was growing up, his parents instilled those values in him early on. Feeling fortunate in his own life, he wanted to do things to give back. Sam’s philosophy is that “if you are able to meet your basic needs, you should do your best to put good into the world.”
Through their family foundation, Mark and Sam have made a contribution to support Sentara’s Behavioral Health Partial Hospitalization program. This gift will significantly impact access for patients with behavior health related issues.
The Dreyfus family’s interest in giving to healthcare was a natural extension of wanting to really make a difference with their giving. Working closely in the healthcare space, (their company, ECPI University, educates nurses and clinical and health science professionals) they wanted to give back to make an impact in the world their students inhabit.
Their gift was also prompted by seeing families who struggled to get the care and good outcomes they needed—especially when it comes to behavior health.
As Mark says, when it comes to healthcare, there is always a need that philanthropic dollars can help fill. “The amount you give is not important. The important thing is to do something. A small gift can make a big impact.
We have seen lives changed for the better by healthcare and Sentara has been a great partner in bettering our community.
Generational philanthropy allows families to create a lasting legacy that reflects their core beliefs and priorities. Each family’s philanthropic endeavors are a testament to their shared values and aspirations for a better world.
And giving as a family can create an indelible bond between children and their parents—as it has with Jane and Celes and Mark and Sam.
We are sorry to report that, just before the printing of this newsletter, Jane Homan passed away peacefully at home. In her obituary, the family requested that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Sentara Foundation Music Therapy program.