Northeast Arc has received a transformative $2.2 million gift from the Estate of Dick and Gail Jauron of Swampscott, Mass. The gift is the largest in Northeast Arc’s 72-year history. It will become part of NeArc’s Fund for Our Future and used to create and sustain the Dick Jauron Director for Sports and Recreation position for the organization.
“This gift ensures the long-term accessibility of Northeast Arc’s sports and social programs that promote a healthy lifestyle for kids and adults with disabilities,” said Jo Ann Simons, President and CEO of Northeast Arc. “People with disabilities have the poorest health status of any population, and this record-breaking gift gives us a powerful tool to promote wellness and inclusion.”
Dick Jauron was raised in Swampscott, Mass. where he was an honors student and captained the football, baseball and basketball teams. He then attended Yale, where he had a standout career in football and baseball, leading to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Jauron later played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, before transitioning to a long career as an NFL coach, including serving as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears, where he was recognized as NFL Coach of the Year in 2001. Like her husband, Gail was scholarly and athletic, earning a PhD in Philosophy from Harvard and excelling in sports, including golf, tennis, and water skiing.
“My parents lived incredible lives of accomplishment but would want to be most remembered as good and honorable people who did their best to love and support family and friends. Throughout their lives they set an incredible example, giving both their time and money to support important causes,” said Kacy Jauron. “It means so much to our family that this gift will help so many people feel more included in their communities.”
After Dick’s retirement from the NFL, he and Gail spent their final years in Swampscott. Their daughter Kacy relocated to Swampscott to be near her family and was previously part of Northeast Arc’s Development Team. Inclusion for athletes of all abilities became a focus of the family’s philanthropic support, a natural extension of Gail’s scholarly work done on the treatment of people with disabilities.
“My brother and his wife Gail were remarkable people who were deeply committed to community,” said Robert Jauron. “We are very pleased that this gift serves as a legacy reflecting that commitment.”
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