Living Up to Our Legacy
While our Founder Charles A. Sammons was vigilant in the monitoring of the expenses of his businesses, he also had a generous heart. Not only did he create many jobs in the Dallas area, but he established a high standard of personal and corporate responsibility to the Dallas community which was evidenced by his philanthropy.

In the 1970s, Charles Sammons established the Sammons Dallas Foundation to support three Dallas hospitals, the Dallas Salvation Army, Communities Foundation of Texas and an educational trust fund. Before the Foundation was dissolved in 2009, more than $111 million had been given through the Foundation to these six charities.

In the early 70s, he made a significant gift to Baylor University Medical Center which led to the creation of the Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center. Today, the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center is recognized world wide. Because of his hospital insurance programs and some family experiences with cancer, Mr. Sammons developed an interest in health care. His gifts in the 1950s helped Baylor purchase its first cobalt machine for cancer and a super voltage X-ray machine. In the 60s, his gifts helped Baylor establish a nuclear medicine department and virology laboratory to further cancer research.

Prior to his passing in 1988, he approved a significant gift by which the Sammons Center for the Arts became a reality in Dallas. That gift coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Sammons’ company, Reserve Life Insurance Company. Today, the Sammons Center for the Arts serves as home for 12 performing arts organizations and more than 40 other non-profit performing arts groups, which use the Center’s services and facilities for rehearsals, performances, receptions, events and meetings. The Center is housed in the historic Turtle Creek Pump Station, which served as the sole source of water for the City of Dallas until the 1930s. The Sammons Center for the Arts is an excellent example of an innovative use for an older building.

While serving as our Chairman, Elaine Sammons continued Mr. Sammons’ philanthropy through her own personal giving program. Just like Mr. Sammons, she did so quietly, without fanfare, but with an incredible generosity.

In September 2008, Sammons Enterprises made an historic gift to honor the generous philanthropic and community involvement legacies of our Founder and Chairman. In memory of our Founder Charles A. Sammons and in honor of then Chairman Elaine D. Sammons, Sammons Enterprises, Inc. made a $15 million charitable donation to name the Park within the performing arts district in downtown Dallas.

In perpetuity, the Park will be named: Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park. The 10-acre park includes 6.5 acres of gardens, lawns, pools and mature trees in downtown Dallas. The Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park opened to the public during the October 2009 Grand Opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, which also includes the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, two signature venues within the Park.

Sammons Dallas Foundation
For Charles A. Sammons, a company’s worth was based on more than its profitability. The worth of his company also would be based on its contributions to society. The establishment of the Foundation by Charles A. Sammons served as a reminder of his commitment to improve education, support medicine, and extend a helping hand to improve the quality of life for Sammons people, the neighborhood and the community.

His intention of sustained community involvement became reality on December 31, 2009, with an historic $100 million gift from the Sammons Dallas Foundation to six charitable organizations in Dallas. The resulting endowments honor Mr. and Mrs. Sammons for their generosity and commitment to creating a better place to raise our families and to conduct our businesses.

The Sammons Dallas Foundation was resolved after the 2009 gift, having contributed more than $111 million to the six Dallas designated beneficiaries.

• Baylor University Medical Center
• Methodist Hospitals of Dallas
• Communities Foundation of Texas
• The Salvation Army
• Southwestern University Hospitals – St. Paul
• Education Trust Fund Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Community Involvement
The people of the Sammons family have caring hearts, and are actively involved in our communities. One by one, we are making a difference where we live and work. We step up to serve on Boards, coach little league teams and serve as volunteer firemen. We lend a helping hand in times of natural disasters. We volunteer at soup kitchens and fundraisers to stop family violence and with our senior citizens.

You will find Sammons people at The North Texas Food Bank packing weekend food for hungry children in Dallas. Our people in Cannock, England sponsored the training for a beautiful service dog through Dogs for the Disabled. In Fargo, we help the elderly prepare their homes for the winter and participate in the building of an indoor riding arena for physically challenged children. We fill countless sandbags as the Red River floods its banks. In Sioux Falls, we help feed the hungry and volunteer to make Special Olympics a meaningful experience for participants.

The list goes on and on. We are physically involved. We organize volunteer efforts through our businesses, and we volunteer independently. We spend our time and our money supporting the issues that we are passionate about to make our lives and communities better for our families and our neighbors.

Our Giving Program
We believe our success is grounded in our commitment to live and work responsibly, to make a positive difference. Sammons contributes to a variety of non-profit organizations that support the underserved, education, the arts and medicine. In addition to the money contributed through the Sammons Dallas Foundation, we have made a commitment to the North Texas area and the locations where Sammons companies conduct business:

At Home
Corporate Giving Program Our Founder Charles A. Sammons was committed to the City of Dallas during his lifetime. While creating many jobs here, he established a high standard of personal and corporate responsibility to the Dallas community which was evidenced by his philanthropy. Sammons continues that commitment to the people of the City of Dallas and the surrounding North Texas area with contributions to the following organizations:

• Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Irving Family YMCA
• Carry the Load
• The Senior Source
• The Family Place
• Rising Star Scholarship Endowment Program through Dallas County Community College District

In our Communities
The Partner Program
In 2006, Sammons partnered with three of its companies on community projects, contributing $95,000 while the employees contributed their muscle and time building homes with Habitat for Humanity. The enthusiasm for making a difference was impressive. Four years later, the people and the companies of Sammons have built a neighborhood of seven Habitat homes that stretches from Dallas, to Houston, Atlanta and Des Moines.

Sammons has quadrupled the initial Partner Program budget, and the requests keep coming. Here are some of the organizations which have benefited by a combination of muscle and money:

• Habitat for Humanity: Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Des Moines
• The Banquet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• Make-A-Wish Foundation, Dallas and Des Moines
• Riding on Angels' Wings, Fenton, Minnesota
• Birdies for Charity, The Principal Charity Classic, Des Moines
• Junior Achievement, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• The Warrior Open, Dallas, Texas
• Fraser Ltd., Fargo, North Dakota
• Special Olympics South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• Wounded Heroes Foundation, Chicago, Illinois
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa
• Captain Hope's Kids, Dallas, Texas

Matching Programs
The people of many Sammons companies participate in a matching program. Employees can submit a request to the company to match a contribution they have made to a 501 (C) 3 organization which fits the criteria established by the company.