The Art of Giving – The Lenore and Dale Meyer Fund

Dale Meyer, a transplant from glamorous Miami Beach, has had an illustrious life. Her late father, Hank, was legendary in the field of public relations in South Florida. He had a vital role in bringing more than 60 TV shows to originate in Miami Beach in the 1950s and 60s.  (The Jackie Gleason show twice aired a ballet performance of Dale’s). Her late mother, Lenore, a former drama teacher, became an accomplished poet and sculptor.

Dale was a ballerina, later a public relations executive in the family business and is now a successful jewelry designer, who generously gives a portion of her sales from her jewelry shows to various local nonprofits.

The Impact of Philanthropy

Yet of all her accomplishments, philanthropy seems to have the most meaningful impact on her life.  At the 2016 Community Foundation for Monterey County’s Legacy Lunch, she shared how her parents instilled a value of giving back, and how the act of philanthropy brought her and her mother even closer through their collaborations.

Art that Comes from Loving

Lenore Meyer (r) displays Hank’s drawings

Hank would often draw intricate doodles while creating ideas or problem-solving. Lenore saved these drawings, and eventually turned them into original ceramic sculptures and fiberglass fabrications. Lenore and Dale then donated various sculptures for installations at medical centers and educational institutions such as Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey Peninsula College and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Lenore would often refer to the evolution of Hank’s original drawings to her sculptural versions as “art that comes from loving.”

“Give Where You Live”- and beyond

“My family’s motto has always been ‘Give where you Live,’” said Meyer. When she and her mother relocated from Florida to Carmel, they wanted to focus on giving locally. They were introduced to the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) through their attorney and accountant. They established The Lenore and Dale Meyer Fund, a donor advised fund, rather than create their own private foundation. The fund has made grants both to nonprofits serving Monterey County and national organizations, since donor advisors can recommend grants to any qualified nonprofit.

Lenore and Dale Meyer beside Lenore’s sculpture

Giving Together

Dale helped her mother make grants until days before Lenore passed away in 2012, an activity which gave them both great joy and meaning. Together they made grants, and Dale continues to make grants, in the areas of medicine, the arts, education, human services, animal welfare and the environment.

Giving Together so reflects the spirit in which my mother and I worked together on our philanthropy – shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart.” – Dale Meyer

Leaving a Legacy

Lenore Meyer thoughtfully created an endowed fund through her estate. A mother/daughter legacy of giving has given Dale a connection to her family and her community.

As I carry forward, it’s gratifying to know that the endowed fund will go on in perpetuity, meaningfully and purposefully.The Community Foundation has been pivotal to my family as a partner in our philanthropy.” – Dale Meyer

The Lenore and Dale Meyer Fund reflects a mother and daughter’s spirited dedication to each other, their philanthropy and to Monterey County.

For more information on how to create your personal legacy, call Dan Baldwin or Christine Dawson at (831) 375-9712 or visit: www.cfmco.org/legacy.