2016 Honoree: Dan Hurley
St. Vincent de Paul’s second annual Celebration of Service, Tuesday, May 10, honored one of Cincinnati’s greats, Dan Hurley. The event attracted 300 community leaders and honored guests, raising more than $185,000 to benefit St. Vincent de Paul’s Liz Carter Homelessness Prevention Fund.
Hurley’s commitment to the people of Cincinnati, no matter their race, faith or economic position has inspired many. He expresses this commitment through a vast array of roles: as historian, news reporter, author, documentary film producer, and as the current director of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Leadership Cincinnati. Hurley has worked tirelessly to paint an accurate picture of Cincinnati and encourage its citizens to find ways to make it better.
“He has touched over 400 lives through his facilitation of Leadership Cincinnati directly, but indirectly he has positively influenced and challenged leadership in our community more than anyone else I know,” said Barbara Perez, President & CEO, YWCA of Cincinnati. “Personally, I will forever be indebted to this honorable man who is tolerant, generous, forgiving, insightful, thoughtful and caring,” she said. “We are so very fortunate to have him among us.”
Hurley is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Board of Directors and will be retiring as Director of Leadership Cincinnati in June.
In honor of Hurley’s commitment to the struggling in Cincinnati, many guests generously donated to St. Vincent de Paul’s Liz Carter Homelessness Prevention Fund. Several local companies, including a Premiere sponsorship by Evelo, Singer, Sullivan Group of Merrill Lynch, matched the first $50,000 donated. $185,000 was ultimately donated, providing enough funds to effectively keep about 600 Cincinnati families safely in their homes through one-time rent and utility assistance.
Hurley described meeting a bewildered mother forced to purge all of her furniture after a bedbug infestation. Assistance to families like hers cannot be hidden behind policy, Hurley said. “The people of St. Vincent de Paul have to remain engaged on a nitty-gritty level and that’s what they do and that’s why I care about it,” he said. “That’s why I’m proud … not so much to be honored but to provide a reason for all of us to support the Liz Carter Homelessness Prevention Fund,” he said. “This is what we really should be about.”