The first time Syamala Samanthula, an analyst on the JCPenney Customer and Supply Chain Engineering team, donated her hair to children with cancer was by chance. Having moved to Fort Worth, Texas, from Portland, Oregon, in 2000, she quickly discovered that Texas heat and her below-the-waist locks weren’t compatible. “It was too hot for me to manage my long hair,” she laughed. While at the salon, a hairdresser asked if she’d be interested in donating her 17 inches of hair they’d cut off, and she

Shelby Hooks, a corporate recruiter for the design and sourcing teams, could hear the tornado racing closer to her Richardson, Texas, home on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 20. As the sirens began to wail, Shelby grabbed her sleeping 2-year-old son and ran to the bathroom, along with her husband, Nelson, their two dogs, and Shelby’s father and stepmother who were visiting that day.

When Dawn Pickens discovered she had breast cancer last February, she didn’t immediately tell her fellow JCPenney associates. A part-time cashier at Store 2270 in Heath, Ohio, Dawn also holds a full-time job at a local bank. Even there, she opted to keep the news to herself for a while, secretly crying at her desk and wondering if she was going to live.

Every year since 2011, ORIX employee Allison Austin has volunteered at Camp iHope, a weeklong summer camp in Anna, Texas, for pediatric cancer patients and their siblings. “The kids get to just be kids instead of cancer patients,” Allison says. “It’s amazing to see their smiles and know that you’re creating a lifetime memory for them.”

When you think of the Girl Scouts, thoughts of Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs may spring to mind, but the organization is about much more than its popular cookies. Since 1912, the Girl Scouts organization has been delivering on its mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character—girls who grow up to be admirable women like Rebecca Short, Internal Audit Manager for ORIX USA. Having joined the Girl Scouts in first grade, Rebecca is now a member and periodic volunteer—meaning she hel

Every Wednesday morning, you’ll find Leveraged Finance Associate Hunter Foreman at The Bridge, helping to serve food and drinks to the homeless. “I wanted to find a place that I could go to regularly and a place where I felt I was making a meaningful contribution,” Hunter says. And he found that place a few years ago at The Bridge, a homeless assistance center located in the Farmers Market district of downtown Dallas. This 24/7 facility serves breakfast, lunch and dinner almost daily, and also

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.” The words of John Wooden—record-winning college basketball coach—struck a chord with Doug Probst, the uncle of RED Capital employee Tyler Probst. Looking to get involved with something outside of his standard work, Doug shared an idea with two of his fellow executives at DSW Inc.: What if they created a team of successful business leaders in the

Recently, social scientists have carried out experiments that demonstrate how acts of kindness can have a domino effect, rippling through social networks and triggering similar generous deeds that extend far beyond that original act. That’s something that ORIX Staff Accountant Andrew McAllister thinks about, and it’s this kind of mindset that leads him to volunteer with organizations such as The Rise School in Dallas. Based out of the Moody Family YMCA at the Park Cities, the Rise School provi

There’s a simple but powerful mantra that Senior Financial Analyst Eddie Provencio always tries to live by: Make a positive difference in somebody else’s life. This giving attitude is what led the native Texan to join his church in putting together Thanksgiving baskets—complete with a turkey and all the trimmings—for families in need 20 years ago, and it’s a tradition that continues today. It was through this volunteer opportunity that Eddie was introduced to Family Gateway, a nonprofit founded

In December 2013, Dot’s Tots Foundation was officially born, launched by RED Capital Group Director Andy Warnock and his wife, Ashley. Two months later, a fellow RED employee received the heartbreaking news that her 16-year-old son, Skylor, was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer—and suddenly the mission of Dot’s Tots became crystal clear. With no logo or website, Dot’s Tots jumped in wholeheartedly to support the family financially and emotionally. In 2014 alone, the organization—with lots

One of the things Assistant General Counsel Cary Schmelzer missed the most while living in Singapore for over 20 years was a great library. “Libraries now go way beyond books, offering things like GED and ESL classes,” Cary says. “Libraries serve as portals to knowledge, wisdom and a better life.” After moving to Dallas from Singapore two years ago for his current role at ORIX, Cary was thrilled to discover the company’s headquarters is only a couple of blocks from the J. Erik Jonsson Central L

About two years ago, RED Capital Managing Director Sharon Walker was asked to accompany a friend to a fundraising event for Legacy Counseling Center. The only requirement? She had to get dressed up and head out the door in 15 minutes. The time crunch didn’t faze Sharon, and that night she was introduced to Legacy, a 27-year-old nonprofit that provides mental health care, substance abuse treatment and housing services for people living with HIV and AIDS. According to Dallas County Health statist