Above- Dayton Live and REALTORS stand in front of repaired entrance to Victoria Theatre – From Left to Right (Dayton Live Staff Except as Indicated): Ricia Ballas, VP – Development; Ty Sutton, President & CEO; Peter Davies – Dayton REALTORS® Community Services Committee Chair; Darrell Abner, VP – Facilities; Sham Reddy – Dayton REALTORS® President; Ben Walker – Director of Security; Rosie Melia – Manager, Grants and Gift Planning
In the wake of the June protests in downtown Dayton, Victoria Theatre found itself the victim of vandalism, graffiti, and other damage. As repairs began on torn down security cameras, shattered glass, and broken doors, Dayton REALTORS® stepped up to offer financial assistance toward the costs of these repairs.
“It’s a blessing that we have the opportunity to participate in helping organizations such as the Victoria Theatre,” stated Sham Reddy, president of Dayton REALTORS®. “Our members hold community service as a core value, and assisting here isn’t about just repairing one venue; it’s about helping the entire Dayton area.”
Along with dollars from the Dayton REALTORS® Foundation, Dayton REALTORS® secured funding through the National Association of REALTORS®’ Community Rebuilding Grant, a program providing funding specifically to rebuild and restore public community places impacted by the recent racial injustice demonstrations.
“Any time there’s vandalism, it’s a difficult thing, but it’s especially difficult when we’re closed for an extended period of time,” remarked Ty Sutton, president and CEO of Dayton Live, the organization that operates the Victoria Theatre. “The support of the community as a whole has been really gratifying. People care about these venues and they care about Dayton. So we’re really grateful for the support.”
As members of the community, REALTORS® take part in area initiatives throughout the year, such as volunteering with Rebuilding Together to rehab homes, participating in fundraising events for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Miami Valley, organizing supply drives for Crayons to Classrooms, and packing care packages for the troops. The Dayton REALTORS® Foundation provides scholarships to dependents of REALTORS®, and their annual holiday reception serves as Dayton’s largest source of donated toys to the Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots.
Peter Davies, chairperson for the Dayton REALTORS® Community Services Committee, led the effort to secure local funding from REALTORS®. “I think it means the world. This is such an important part of our community. If you love Dayton, you love the Victoria Theatre. It’s incredibly meaningful to help the theatre in this way. We’re doing something that is helpful to the community at a time when it’s hard to do things.”
