National Random Acts of Kindness Day 2020 kicked off on Monday, February 17th and, once again, the Dallas Capital Bank family jumped in to demonstrate “How Dallas Does Kindness.” We designated the entire week for random acts of kindness and provided our team members with $25 Visa gift cards to support their community however they wanted.
Supporting the Good Works of Others
Several of our employees chose to support local non-profits and organizations that support the Dallas community. Executive Vice President, Private Banking Michael Shtofman donated his gift card to The Senior Source “Foster Grandparent” program, which pairs older adults with children to jumpstart them on a path to emotional and educational success. Treasury Management Officer Mirza Sadafsaz used his $25 gift card to purchase a variety of hygiene products to support the services of The Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County. Funding Analyst Stephen Martinez donated his gift card to The Family Place, a non-profit that helps victims escape domestic violence situations. His contribution will be used to help thousands of women, children and men find safety and assistance.
Vice President John Thomson donated to the Southwest English Setter Rescue, an organization close to his heart as a Setter owner himself. Financial Services Associate Joan Hogan donated her gift card to Jonathan's Place, which provides a safe place, loving homes and promising futures for abused and neglected children, teens, and young adults. Yet another team member partnered with three of their friends to create 50 kits of day-to-day essentials for a local homeless shelter.
Executive Assistants Marla Mallery and Chanel Dent, along with Vice President of Business Banking Christine Moses bought and personally delivered Tiff’s Treats to the Farmers Branch police force. Senior Vice President, Commercial Real Estate Kelly Dotson purchased and donated books to the Children’s Medical Center library. Likewise, another Dallas Capital Bank employee used their card to purchase classroom books for George H.W. Bush Elementary School in Addison.
Supporting Neighbors
Generous hearts are hard at work throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth community, and their initiatives provided several of our employees with a wonderful way to help others outside of our daily business. Director of Operations Tara Campbell donated her card to a fundraiser for a local family struggling with severe health issues. With both parents facing difficult medical treatments in the coming months while still providing for their two young children, Tara’s contribution will help make their lives just a little bit easier. Another one of our team members added $25 to a group fundraiser supporting a young man with medical bills and the care of his two very-young children after recently losing his wife to breast cancer. Yet another of our team members gifted the $25 to a family trying to obtain a service dog for their special-needs son through 4 Paws for Ability.
Helping Individuals in Need
Many of our teammates chose to pay it forward to another individual. For some, the act of kindness was shared face-to-face, for others it was an anonymous gift. Client Services Specialist Victoria Dube approached a homeless woman and asked her, “If someone would be kind to you today, what can they do?” The woman had a simple request: warm clothes. Upon hearing that, Victoria used her $25 Visa gift card to purchase some warm winter attire for the woman. Senior Vice President Chris Malone gave his card to a saleswoman to thank her for her above-and-beyond service to him and his son, and Vice President Jessica Aaron paid for another family’s dinner while out to eat.
In a powerful demonstration of the impact of small acts of kindness, one Dallas Capital Bank employee triggered a domino effect when they used their card to pay for the lunch of the two people behind them in line at a local restaurant. What began as a random act of kindness prompted the individual following them to then pay for the lunch of the individual behind him – and then that person paid for the next customer who followed.
Other random acts of kindness were extended to The Family Place, the GRACE non-profit in Grapevine, St Jude’s “Ride for a Reason” and the North Texas Food Bank.
We couldn’t be more proud to serve the Dallas community in our daily business, and in our acts for the community. As we finish our second year celebrating How Dallas Does Kindness with Random Acts of Kindness Week, it was incredible to not only witness the generosity of our team but also to understand the power those random acts of kindness have to deliver tangible and lasting benefits.
Want to read more about all of our 2020 Random Acts of Kindness? Visit our Facebook and LinkedIn pages to catch up on what our team was up to throughout the week and share any acts of kindness you or someone you know participated in by using #HowDallasDoesKindness in your post!