Contribution provides seed money to grow Black-owned small businesses

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, July 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sammons Financial Group will donate $100,000 to The Directors Council, a Des Moines-based not-for-profit organization that oversees several programs including One Economy, African American Leadership Academy, Black Urban Professionals, Financial Empowerment Center, I Am Des Moines, and Doing More in the Core. The contribution will directly support important One Economy initiatives by providing an operating investment to seed a minority small business development fund and an emergency loan pool.

“Sammons Financial Group is deeply committed to the communities in which we live and work,” said Esfand Dinshaw, chief executive officer of Sammons Financial Group. “Our community involvement committee, with input from all employees, directs our charitable giving and volunteer efforts to organizations that are truly making a difference. We believe the work being done by The Directors Council is transformational and will help reduce or eliminate the significant, and unacceptable, racial economic inequities in our community.”

“The One Economy: The Blueprint for Action provides a clear picture of economic, educational, and health-related disparities impacting the African American community. It invites businesses, policymakers, and community leaders to take notice and make their place at the table,” said Teree Caldwell-Johnson, board chair of The Directors Council and CEO of Oakridge Neighborhood. “This generous contribution from Sammons Financial Group will provide seed money to create a Community Development Financial Institution Fund to help low-income individuals and families start new businesses and grow existing businesses; help families establish, build, or repair credit through an emergency loan pool; and, in time, lead to wealth creation among our most vulnerable populations.”

Sammons Financial Group member companies offer life insurance, annuities, and retirement planning products. Operating on a national scale from its four corporate sites in Des Moines, Chicago, Fargo, and Sioux Falls, the company supports more than 100 organizations that its employees are active in or passionate about. Sammons Financial Group learned of The Directors Council’s latest initiatives through its recently published One Economy: The Blueprint for Action (2020), which was the culmination of significant research and a focused response to the earlier One Economy: The State of Black Polk County (2017).

“In light of recent events across the country, a very bright spotlight is shining on issues of racial injustice and inequity,” said Dinshaw. “Sammons Financial Group is pleased to partner with The Directors Council to help address some of the root causes that have led to these systemic problems confronting our communities.”

In 2019, Sammons Financial Group contributed $3.5 million to local charities in its four corporate locations. Additionally, employees contributed more than 5,000 hours in volunteer service.

About The Directors Council
The Directors Council (TDC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization consisting of CEOs and executive directors of several Des Moines area organizations including Oakridge Neighborhood Services, Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families, Children & Families of Iowa, The Williams Group, Financial Empowerment Center, Betty Andrews Media, Des Moines Human Rights, and YMCA.

TDC is a coalition of leaders collectively dedicated to improving the conditions of the individuals in the neighborhoods they serve. By coordinating services and experience, TDC is able to work together to fund member organizations’ individual programs as well as implement their own unique initiatives. TDC programs include One Economy, African American Leadership Academy, Black Urban Professionals, I Am Des Moines, and Doing More in the Core (non-profit boot camp).

For more information, visit tdcdsm.org and connect at facebook.com/TheDirectorsCouncil. To view electronic versions of One Economy: The State of Black Polk County (2017) and One Economy: The Blueprint for Action (2020), visit tdcdsm.org/one-economy.

About Sammons^® Financial Group, Inc.
The companies of Sammons^® Financial Group, Inc. help families and businesses protect their future to enjoy life’s moments today. A subsidiary of Sammons Enterprises, Inc., Sammons Financial Group is privately owned with member companies that are among the most enduring and stable in the financial services industry. Our companies include Midland National^® Life Insurance Company (including Sammons^® Corporate Markets); North American Company for Life and Health Insurance^®; and Sammons Institutional Group^SM (including Midland Retirement Distributors^® and Sammons Retirement Solutions^®). Together, we offer today’s most sought-after life insurance, annuity, and retirement planning products. Sammons Financial Group: With You for Every Moment^®.

Contact:
Kevin Waetke
Sammons Financial Group
kwaetke@sfgmembers.com
Cell: 515-608-2558

Teree Caldwell-Johnson
The Directors Council
TCaldwell-Johnson@Oakridgeneighborhood.org
Cell: 515-418-4171