April 9, 2008

Deerfield Beach, Fla. --- Five distinguished individuals were recently recognized at the 16th annual African-American Achievers awards ceremony, "A Legacy of Leadership," presented by JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family) and Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET). Nearly 1,000 community members attended the March 27th event at the Broward County Convention Center to honor Daisy Odom Fulton (Arts and Culture); George L. Burrows, Sr. (Business and Entrepreneurism); Andrea Kilpatrick (Education); and Vern Dooling (Community Service) for their leadership and service to the South Florida community. This year's Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever award recipient, Khenitha Reeves, was announced live at the event.

JM Family Enterprises President and CEO Colin Brown provided remarks. "Tonight's theme is 'A Legacy of Leadership,'" said Brown. "Like our late founder, Jim Moran, who created this program, our 2008 honorees are dedicated and compassionate. They work hard every day to build their own legacies of leadership and inspire future generations."

As the first African-American Achievers ceremony since Mr. Moran's passing, a special video of his heartfelt comments from past African-American Achievers programs was played. Following the tribute, Brown emphasized the recurring messages made by Mr. Moran over the years. "Be active in your community and take care of one another. Remember that recognition of others is important – and don't forget the words, 'thank you,'" said Brown. "Mr. Moran lived those principles every day. He never forgot where he came from, and always gave credit to others. And so, tonight we give thanks and credit to each of our honorees."

Donations to Nine Community Organizations
In honor of the Achievers, JM Family and SET donated a total of $20,000 – $5,000 in each adult Achiever's name – to the charity or charities of his or her choice. New this year, for each person who nominated one of the adult Achievers, JM Family presented a check for $500 to the charity of the nominator's choice – totaling another $2,000 to deserving organizations. This year's Achievers and those who nominated them contributed to the following organizations: Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Fort Lauderdale Negro Chamber of Commerce, Harris Chapel Life Enrichment Center, Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, Cool Kids Learn, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, American Cancer Society of Broward County, and the Urban League of Broward County.

Dwight Lauderdale Honored
WPLG-TV Local 10 news anchor Dwight Lauderdale, who emceed the event for over a decade, passed his duties to Ch. 10 anchor Calvin Hughes to carry on the tradition. Lauderdale recently announced his retirement from Local 10 this May. At the end of the evening, Jan Moran, on behalf of her late husband Jim, surprised Lauderdale by presenting him with an honorary African-American Achiever award for his many years of service and leadership in the South Florida community.

Special Performances and Sponsors
The Plantation High School Step Team performed a dynamic opening act and soloist Lateefah Dooling, daughter of honoree Vern Dooling, closed the ceremony with an emotional rendition of "Imagine" by John Lennon.

The evening also included recognition of this year's selection committee and concluded with a reception, inclusive of entertainment by the accomplished band, EJ's Company Band. Media partners WPLG-TV Local 10, WEDR-FM 99 JAMZ, and WHQT-FM Hot 105 radio stations were also recognized for their generous support.

Special Performances and Sponsors

Arts and Culture - Daisy Odom Fulton
Daisy Odom Fulton is executive director of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach, an organization dedicated to preserving the area's Black history. Under Fulton's leadership, the Museum has drawn visitors from across the country and the Caribbean, attracted world class exhibits, and served as a center for a wide variety of cultural celebrations. Her tireless efforts have resulted in a budget increase of more than 1,000 percent, resulting in new cultural and educational programs and enabling younger generations to learn even more about their rich heritage.

Business & Entrepreneruism - George L. Burrows, Sr.
George L. Burrows, Sr., became Fort Lauderdale's first Black licensed master electrician in 1948 in the midst of segregation. For 60 years Burrows Electric Company has helped those in need, and is credited with having installed electric service to over 90 percent of the historically African-American community of Fort Lauderdale and unincorporated Broward County. Burrows has been a mentor to countless young men and is proud of having installed the lighting at the football field of his alma mater, Dillard High School, enabling the team to play its first night game "under the lights."

Community Service - Vern Dooling
Vern Dooling, is senior area director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. Although he has been with this organization for 17 years, Dooling has dedicated nearly three decades to working with children and young adults. He considers being a cancer survivor his greatest personal accomplishment, but professionally, it's seeing at-risk kids succeed that means the most to him. Dooling serves as a role model for them, helping youth create meaningful leadership and community service projects. He is co-founder of 100 Black Men of Broward County and recently helped organize a local Million Father March, designed to encourage minority fathers to participate more in their children's education. His motto is "through small successes comes positive change."

Education - Andrea Kilpatrick
Andrea Kilpatrick parlayed her degrees in African-American studies, law, and education from Princeton, Oxford, and Harvard Law School into founding Cool Kids Learn, Inc. This Miami non-profit serves over 2,000 at-risk students annually, with 95 percent success rates in improved reading and math skills. Kilpatrick's lifelong passion for education has also led her to serve as an adjunct professor at Florida International University and to publish numerous articles about nonprofit management strategies.

Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever – Khenitha Reeves

Each year the Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever award is presented to a high school senior who qualifies for financial aid and has applied and received admission to Florida State University ("FSU"). Named in memory of 1995 African-American Achiever Jerome Edmund Gray, Esq., the award is given by The Jim Moran Foundation, Inc. (TJMF) (www.jimmoranfoundation.org) with funding provided through the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University (FSU). The Youth Achiever receives a needs-based, four-year scholarship to FSU. Tom Blanton, founding director and treasurer of TJMF and Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of FSU's College of Business, presented the award to Khenitha Reeves, a senior at William T. McFatter Technical High School in Davie, Fla.

Khenitha is currently class vice president at McFatter. In this role, she has helped coordinate successful fundraising efforts, and both planned and organized various activities that resulted in greater student participation. Khenitha is co-president of the school's Human Resources Council. She strives to promote diversity through enhanced student interaction. She also has been actively involved in the Faith Center Ministries' "Super Girl" mentoring program that teaches young ladies important life skills. Additionally, Khenitha is a junior volunteer at Plantation General Hospital.

About JM Family Enterprises, Inc.
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family) (www.jmfamily.com) is a $12.2 billion diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 22nd-largest privately held company in the U.S. It is currently ranked No. 23 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 10th consecutive year on the list. Primary subsidiaries and divisions include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, World Omni Financial Corp., JM&A Group, JM Service Center LLC, JM Lexus and JMsolutions. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., JM Family has major operations in Jacksonville and Margate, Fla.; Commerce and Alpharetta, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; and St. Louis, Mo.

About The Jim Moran Foundation
The mission of The Jim Moran Foundation is to improve the quality of life for the youth and families of Florida through the support of innovative programs and opportunities that meet the ever-changing needs of the community. It is located at 100 Jim Moran Boulevard, Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442. To learn more about The Foundation, visit www.jimmoranfoundation.org or call (954) 429-2122.

For more information about the College of Business, please go to www.cob.fsu.edu.