Originally from Virginia, Dan Cruce came to Delaware with a set plan in mind, but, as life often does not go exactly as expected, he ended up falling in love in more ways than one. Currently the Chief Operating Officer of United Way of Delaware, Cruce has been living in Delaware for over 21 years.
Since his initial journey to complete his degree at the Delaware Law School, he found a home in the state. His first love was of the state itself, then the area he was living in, and finally, he met his spouse, anchoring him for good to the state of Delaware. Cruce and his partner both have jobs that they love, and thankfully because they live in Delaware, they can engage in relaxing activities once the work week is over.
Cruce finds great meaning and purpose in his job, which is with the United Way of Delaware. With a mission of improving the quality of life for Delaware citizens through a sharing of resources, United Way has been able to feed, uplift, educate, and provide for families and individuals within the community. The organization boasts a variety of programs, each with a specific focus that targets a direct need, such as financial empowerment, reading improvement, college and career readiness, and racial equity and social justice. United Way makes life in Delaware possible for a greater population.
“I originally came to Delaware with a temporary plan-complete my education here in Delaware Law School then go back to Virginia where I’m from and sounds rather cliche but I’ve been here and I actually fell in love with the state. I fell in love with the area, then eventually fell in love with my spouse. So all three of these things happened and 21 plus years, here I am.
Mark and I are really fortunate to have jobs that are incredibly meaningful to us with the ability to get away and recharge our batteries down here in the beach area. It’s essential. It became part of our DNA.
There’s a different beach for everyone and if you like all of them, you can pick your menu so to speak. And it’s the perfect way to do a little bit of everything then recharge and you’re ready to be back to your busy lives that we have.
We are kings of our bikes. So, we are again really lucky to live in Rehoboth, when we park a car, we have to get back into the car. We can hop on our bikes and our ritual is that we are always biking from our home to Louis. We do a little bit of walking around, a little bit of margarita, a little bit of good food – there’s amazing food then bike right back. So the ritual, on our bikes, every chance we can, any place we can go, and eliminate the cars.
It’s a very inclusive state from the North to the South and so it’s beautiful that, that is the case. It’s certainly because of the LGBT history and our allies as well down here that made it such a wonderfully warm and welcoming space. There’s a bunch of us in our community and incredible comfortable and it’s a wonderful place for those in our community to build businesses. Small businesses are the bedrock of our state. And so there too, our community has the chance to be part of the economy and to build the strength of the state.”
Since moving to Delaware, Cruce has been able to continuously fall in love with the state. He and his spouse take a particular interest in the beach, and they often enjoy bike rides through their hometown of Rehoboth, where they can walk around, enjoy food and drinks, and then bike right back home. While the beaches and towns are a significant perk, the real factor making Delaware feel like home is the inclusive and warm community. Cruce admires the long-standing history of LGBT+ support, as it has led to him feeling more comfortable and accepted in his home state.
Wherever you live, you want to feel supported and welcomed, and the people of Delaware help to make this a reality for many. The openness of all is what makes Delaware such a perfect place to live and prosper. Whether starting a business or hoping to find a home, Delaware opens its doors to anyone looking for love.