Posted: Jan 13, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2010
Media Contact: Theresa Badylak
Director, Corporate Communications
tbadylak@sammonscorp.com
Sammons Corporation
(214) 214.210.5064
SAMMONS DALLAS FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTES HISTORIC $100 MILLION GIFT TO SIX DALLAS ORGANIZATIONS
Donation Continues Tradition of Community Involvement Started by Founder of Sammons Enterprises, Inc.
DALLAS – January 13, 2010 – The Sammons Dallas Foundation today announced a $100 million gift to six Dallas-area beneficiaries. The gift is made possible by the estate of founder Charles A. Sammons and the 3,500 women and men of Sammons Enterprises, Inc.
“With this historic contribution we are honoring Mr. Sammons’ conviction that the worth of a company should be based on its profitability and its contribution to the community,” said Heather Kreager, President, Sammons Dallas Foundation. “The beneficiaries will be able to continue their missions of helping improve the quality of life for the people within our community who are facing challenges.”
Charles Sammons identified the six beneficiaries of the Sammons Dallas Foundation prior to his death in 1988. The six Dallas beneficiaries are:
Charles Sammons and his companies made countless charitable contributions in the Dallas area long before the Sammons Dallas Foundation was established in 1982. Since 1974, Sammons Enterprises, Inc. has contributed more than $11 million dollars which was distributed through this foundation and two others bearing the Sammons name.
“Founder Charles Sammons and previous chairman Elaine D. Sammons were both quiet philanthropists who were personally generous, as well as encouraging of the people of Sammons Enterprises to be involved in the communities where we live and conduct business,” Sammons Enterprises, Inc., CEO Mike Masterson added.
The spirit of community involvement instilled by Mr. and Mrs. Sammons, and continued today by the women and men of Sammons Enterprises can be felt throughout the City of Dallas. Four months ago, the Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park, located within the new AT&T Performing Arts Center opened in honor of the company’s founder Charles A. Sammons and chairman Elaine D. Sammons, who passed away in January 2009. The $15 million gift was announced in October 2008 during Sammons’ 70th anniversary celebration. Prior to his passing in 1988, Mr. Sammons approved a significant gift by which the Sammons Center for the Arts became a reality in Dallas. That gift was made as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Reserve Life Insurance Company in 1988.
“Mr. Sammons set the standard and Chairman Bob Korba enabled us to continue this approach to our community involvement,” Sammons Enterprises, Inc. President Heather Kreager said. ‘During our long-term relationships with these organizations, we have observed how our contributions have made a difference to the people of Dallas. We hope that life will be better for millions of people because of these contributions.”
About Sammons Dallas Foundation
Charles A. Sammons and his companies made countless charitable contributions in the Dallas area long before the Sammons Dallas Foundation was established in 1982. Since 1974, Sammons Enterprises, Inc. has contributed more than $11 million dollars which was distributed through this foundation and two others bearing the Sammons name.
The six beneficiaries of the Sammons Dallas Foundation are: Baylor Health Care System Foundation on behalf of Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Methodist Health System Foundation, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Salvation Army in Dallas County and the educational trust fund of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas.