He doesn’t look much like Santa Claus, other than being a jolly old fellow. But to countless nonprofits and educational institutions in the region, Sidney Dewberry goes the man in the red suit one better: he brings millions of dollars to the table, but also a lifelong, all-year commitment to helping others.
It was Dewberry’s leadership that helped George Mason University raise $142 million for new facilities, equipment and programs.
His tireless work earned him national recognition last month at the 2006 Philanthropy Day held in Washington by the Association of Fund Raising Professionals.
They awarded Dewberry their Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer award for his work.
But fundraising is only one of Dewberry’s efforts to improve life for the region’s residents.
Dewberry is chairman and founder of Dewberry, a Fairfax-based architectural and engineering firm. Using his company’s resources, Dewberry has provided a work-study program for students with disabilities and developed programs that help middle school students to consider careers in math, science and technology.
He sends employees out — on company time — to lecture at schools, and he brings students into the heart of his company, year after year, in an outreach effort that has gone on for decades.
“Mr. Dewberry has been working with us for 13 years, bringing in his architects and engineers to talk with seventh graders,” said Gabrielle Boccher, Expanding Visions Coordinator for Fairfax County public schools.
The employees come to class and “show how math and science can be applied to the real world,” said Boccher.
They go over the design of roadways, bridges and buildings and how transportation is planned.
“They [the students] see all of the cool stuff that engineers design and build. The kids just love this,” Boccher said.
Students at the S. John Davis Career Center get to come directly into Dewberry’s gleaming glass and steel headquarters and work side-by-side with engineers.
“It is an amazing thing. Mr. Dewberry’s support for this program filters down to every employee, some of whom have been coming back year after year to work with new generations of special needs students,” said Aaron Engley, administrator of the Davis Career Center.
Engley said that each of the participating Dewberry employees pairs off with one of 12 special needs students ages 18 to 24 from Tuesday to a Friday spending their entire day with the student.
“They learn everything from folding and maintaining maps to planning meeting space, to planning a project and other office work,” Engley said.
“This is real work, not make work,” he added. His students can’t wait to “get all dressed up and go to work” at Dewberry’s company.
“I just feel that this is something that should be done for these young folks, and that we should do it,” Dewberry told The Examiner.
“It really is part of their culture that Mr. Dewberry has instilled in his workers,” Engley said.
“It gives students a tremendous sense of accomplishment by working with real people.”
Have information about area nonprofits? Contact Frank Sietzen at [email protected].
