jay/day

Louise Seeley

Louise, Ben Dion, and Amanda

Ben Dion

All of you know that to be a Chiat/Day veteran you do not have to have had actually worked there. Spouses, partners, and significant others were always a part of the Chiat/Day family as much as an employee was.

One of my all-time favorite C/D veterans is Louise Seeley. You may have known her as Louise Dion, as she was married to Bob Dion, who was the Creative Director of the New York office in the 1980s. Louise is now remarried, and she and her son, Ben, and his girlfriend, Amanda, were recently in New York and attended Jane Newman's benefit.

It was such a thrill to see Louise again, and to see that Ben Dion, Bob and Louise's son, has grown up to become such a fine young man (or, if you come from his generation, "chill.")

Louise is now re-married to a high-school sweetheart, Michael Seeley. (There's hope for us all!) And how does Louise keep herself busy? Here is her story in her own words ...

I work for the Boys & Girls Club, which runs after school programs for kids ages 6-18. Part of my day is working on a capital campaign to build a new clubhouse -- so I work with adults (or what passes for adults) for part of my day, working on fundraising, brochures, grants, website, special event planning, etc.

In the afternoons, I run an after school program for teens. I do everything from setting up and teaching enrichment classes, coordinating field trips and open mic nights, making presentations to beg money and facilities from the City Council, School Board and civic groups, and grant writing, to beating the pants off a bunch of 14-year-old boys in pool and being a surrogate mom to some of them when they need a shoulder or a sympathetic ear. It is by far the most rewarding job I've ever had and I'm very proud of what we do to give kids a place to go that's safe, supervised and fun -- anything to get these guys away from gangs, drugs, alcohol, etc.

It was great seeing you, Louise. Come back often.