Denny Dotson appreciates new beginnings — especially if they have lasting results. Those are two criteria the Mankato native and president of Dotson Iron Castings in Mankato often uses to determine his involvement in any project.

“I ask myself, is this something new? And, does it have a long-term impact? If the answer to both questions is yes, I will probably get involved,” Denny says. When Immanuel St. Joseph’s leadership team asked him to co-chair a campaign with Kathy Sheran to raise $9 million for a new heart and cancer center, he asked himself those questions. Then, he answered “yes.”

Denny recognized the challenge of reaching a $9 million goal, but appreciated what a $36 million hospital expansion would mean for the health care of patients served in the Mankato region. And, he had faith that the community he loves would support it.

“Mankato is not the little town on the prairie that it used to be,” he says.“People reach a point in their lives when they want to help others, to create a legacy. That’s what is happening here.” The Immanuel St. Joseph’s Foundation campaign for a new heart and cancer center was the first of its kind in the Mankato area to receive multiple, six and seven-figure gifts.

“There are very few people around here who haven’t driven someone to Rochester for cancer treatment,” he says.“If Mayo Clinic is willing to partner with Immanuel St. Joseph’s to invest three fourths of the project cost, we can’t afford not to support this campaign.” This investment helps assure quality medical care for the people who live and work here now — and for those who will in the future. “It is good business to give back,” Denny says. “It makes sense.”

The timing was right for Denny’s leadership, too.

“I really wasn’t involved in anything when they asked me to co-chair the campaign.” What Denny means is, he wasn’t heavily active in a philanthropic project. Yes, family and business can create an intense schedule for the community leader and enthusiastic advocate of Mankato. But he takes good care of what he calls his “fifth kid.” He and his wife, Carole, raised four children. Their fifth, he says, is the act
of charitable giving.

“As far as I’m concerned, time and money are equivalent when it comes to giving,” Denny says. “There are lots of ways to make a difference. One is not more important than the other.” He gives both.

Co-chairing and supporting the Foundation’s campaign wasn’t the first time Denny influenced local health care. He served on Immanuel St. Joseph’s Board of Directors when the decision was first made to form a partnership with Mayo Clinic. His work then helped start something new. Years later, that lasting partnership is helping to save lives.

Denny continues to take good care of his “fifth kid.”

“You wouldn’t want to short-change one of your kids,” he says. That  includes charitable gifts in his estate plan. He watched his parents share what they had and learned from them in many ways, large and small, to make a difference.

“My mother would hear that someone was sick and take them flowers from her garden,” Denny says. “She was always helping someone.” Ever humble, she would feel guilty when thanked or told she was a good person because of what she’d done. “She would tell me she helped others for selfish reasons, because when she made someone else feel better, it made her feel so good,” he recalls.

“I guess I learned that from her. When I finish a project and something is accomplished that helps other people, I just feel so good about it.”