Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2010 > October > 05 > Entry
Susan Dell named a Hero for Health
Austin’s first lady of fitness philanthropy vigorously applauds the nation’s first lady.
“I think she’s doing great work,” Susan Dell says of Michelle Obama. “The Let’s Move (program) is fantastic.”
Dell, a formidable athlete, especially on a bike, believes her work for children’s health converges with Obama’s.
“It’s about getting people aware and hopefully getting people moving,” she says.
“Childhood obesity is one of the most important problems facing our country.”
“These are fun, interactive, easy choices for kids to make,” Dell says. “It lights a fire under them to get fit.”
Thursday, the apparel designer, five-star charity donor, mother of four and wife of the Forbes 15th-richest person in America will receive Marathon Kids’ Heroes for Health Award at the Four Seasons.
“There’s something magical about getting kids excited about exercise,” Dell says of Kay Morris’ Marathon Kids, which has gone countrywide. Dell, who never appears in public in anything less than pristine shape, physically and stylishly, is no newcomer to conditioning.
“My dad was athletic. He’s 82 and still works out every day,” she says. “Even in high school, I was trying to get kids more active, and later as a fourth-grade school teacher. In college I did bike races and then did triathlons and marathons.”
Originally from Dallas, Dell has watched Austin’s culture of generosity go from meager to meritorious in the past 20 years.
“I think Austin is a city that has been growing up very quickly, as more people and more jobs come in,” she says. “Projects like the Long Center, the children’s museum and the children’s hospital have added to the local economy and benefit the community in many ways. It’s all very exciting.”
In fact, the Dells gave one of the first million-dollar donations ever to a local cultural group, a cool $1 million to the Austin Children’s Museum in 1997, back when a $50,000 gift was front-page news.
In 1999, the Dells created their family foundation with a simple, clear mission: “Transforming the lives of children living in urban poverty through better health and education.”
To date, the foundation has committed more than $650 million to those ends; upwards of $160 million of that has gone to 143 Central Texas nonprofits.
“Michael and I take a thoughtful approach to philanthropy,” says Dell, who employs a crisp, businesslike diction. “We look at best practices. We measure the impact of the programs we fund so we know what works, and what doesn’t. We started here in the U.S., and we have branched out to other countries.”
Years ago, the foundation began working for clean water and family economic stability with micro-loans in India. More recently, it has invested in education programs in South Africa. Even when you’re giving out millions, however, a recession can distort the charity picture.
“It’s been a tough couple of years,” Dell says. “Overall, Austin is pretty good about philanthropy and giving back. The way I look at it, we must share to grow and prosper. But I also believe that nothing is inevitable and everything has room for improvement.”
Dell is a bedrock Austinite.
“What I love is how much there is to do,” she says, “especially things outdoors that are fun for families. We’ve got the lakes, hike-and-bike trails — there is so much to do along the greenbelt.”
Even during summer’s semi-tropical torture?
“I love the heat,” she says. “The only time it’s too much is in July and August, when I want to be on a bike, but the sun is really strong.”
She savors the core Austin personality as well.
“Everyone is so friendly, and that gives it a warm, comfortable feeling,” she says. “It’s just enough hustle and bustle.”
Like the buff leader in the White House, Dell plans ongoing campaigns for fitness, including educational efforts such as the book “Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives,” which she narrates.
“Being healthy and making improvements just takes a little creativity and a little thought,” Dell says. “Like finding ways to cut down on screen time and get out and be active — or finding a new way to include vegetables in your diet rather than eating more fast foods or fried foods.”
The “Be Well” book project linked Dell’s foundation with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, itself a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation.
“My personal healthy living philosophy and one my family lives by is: ‘Fuel for Performance and Train for Life.’ What I mean by that is that none of us can perform as well when we eat the wrong foods or too much food. Training for life means to get moving, at least 60 minutes a day for us and our kids.”
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