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Ann Out Loud:
DARTS’ Song of the Decade
Ann Out Loud:
DARTS’ Song of the Decade
Repeating Memories
For the past ten years, I have written to you in emails and newsletters. This is my final written message as DARTS President. On June 2, we will welcome our new President, and I will use June to help as needed during the transition.
Today is packing day, clearing out my office after ten years.
As I pack, I hum. My team tells me I do this a lot. Humming as I walk around the office or work on a task. Today I am spinning through lyrics about leaving.
Pressing the Pause Button
My 5-Year Service Award sits on my desk, signed by all the DARTS Directors at the time. Two have moved on to, as Steve Haschig calls it, preferment – doing the things they prefer to do. Collaborating with these leaders created our best ideas.
I am leaving the DARTS mission, vision, values and 2025 Goals on the wall as they are the leaping off point for our future.
Dan Stoltz gave me word art that states, “She believed she could, so she did.” One morning, I came in to find a prankster had added “Now she’s in time out.” That makes me smile and it is a good reminder to fight the rules that don’t make sense. I leave believing I made strides for the aging services and nonprofit industry by occasionally picking a fight.
In one corner, a mug from my mother-in-law and a handmade file holder from my brother-in-law are reminders that my family was in my corner.
On the opposite wall, there is a shovel and a ribbon – those will stay here. When we sold part of DARTS campus for Real Estate Equities to develop into affordable senior apartments, we broke ground on a new era for DARTS. We rightsized our office space, and the building residents we affectionately call “Winslettes” are now volunteers and clients. These are mementos of that change.
There are several cards on my desk and more in a file folder. Handwritten notes are special. I have nine cards congratulating me on my DARTS anniversaries, names changing over time, tying past and present together.
The last pieces to pack were the first two items on my desk ten years ago: photos of me with my charming and supportive husband, Randy, and a photo of me with my dad
My Chorus
Dad is my “why.” In about 2000, Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and by 2004, the disease was becoming apparent. I was unprepared for my parents to age. When someone pointed me to DARTS, I suddenly had access to a resource who understood aging and the questions I had. That support was a gift that I can never fully repay. Dad had his best life, on his terms, despite Alzheimer’s. I was able to be there for him and still work full time.
Randy is my biggest cheerleader. Writing this now, I realize how hard my caregiving was for him. When I was down, he lifted me. When I needed to be the caregiver, Randy gave his full energy to being the son-in-law. When I suggested that, instead of retiring from Target, I move to lead DARTS, he was all in for delaying time to play. He has been a huge advocate for our work. Thank you, Randy.
A New Album
My office is packed; the playlist of leaving songs is all hummed. The biggest treasure I entrust to our new President: the DARTS Team. DARTS has the best volunteers, partners, donors and board of directors, and the team is the special sauce bonding us all to our mission: to create connections that enrich aging.
As Whitney Houston sang, “I will always love you…..”. You lift this organization to great heights, delivering what our community needs. I know you will continue to do great things, and Randy and I will cheer, advocate, volunteer, and financially support DARTS so that all of us have the resources we need when it’s our turn to become “older adults.”
Thank you all for supporting our work and believing our communities are best when all ages can thrive. You are in my heart forever. Sing it with me! “I-yi-yi-yi-yi will always love you-ooh-ooh-ooh!”
Author
Ann Bailey (Author)
Ann Bailey was President of DARTS beginning in 2015, following five years of service on DARTS Board of Directors. Her connection to DARTS began when her father's Alzheimer's disease progressed, and she saw firsthand the impact of caregiver support services.
She retired in 2025 after a decade of leadership. Ann remains a dedicated advocate for aging and caregiver services. She serves on the board of the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging and shares her expertise with groups including Dakota County Disability Advisory Council, University of Minnesota 10,000 Family Studies, and Fairview Ridges Healthy Communities. In 2024, she was honored with the Legacy Award from the Dakota County Regional Chamber in recognition of her impact. And in 2025, she was honored with the Dakota County Public Health Achievement Award in recognition of her contribution of her contribution of bringing people together to create a healthy future for all citizens of Dakota County.
Ann and her husband, Randy, live in Apple Valley and engage in community-building initiatives. In her free time, she enjoys traveling - and two trips per year are states drawn at random - along with cooking and tending to a small garden that provides fresh ingredients.