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JM Family Enterprises
generously donates $2 million
to the
Museum
of
Discovery
and Science Capital Campaign
JM Family Great Hall of Science will be featured in the
Museum’s expansion
November 8, 2007 - The Museum of Discovery and Science announced
a $2 million gift from JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family)
to the Museum’s capital campaign. The second million will be a
dollar-for-dollar match for any new or increased capital gift
donations up to $1 million, bringing the total sum to $3
million. To show appreciation, the Museum’s expansion plan now
includes a featured area that will be named the JM Family Great
Hall of Science.
Kim L. Cavendish, Museum president/CEO said, “I am
extremely pleased that JM Family has committed this generous
gift to the Museum’s capital expansion and renewal campaign. The
company has always been a strong supporter of the Museum. From
being a longtime Leadership Guild member - to donating the JM
Family Enterprises/Jim and Jan Moran Great Gravity Clock, the
iconic feature in our Museum’s Grand Atrium – JM Family has
created a lasting partnership with us and we are very grateful
to them for all that they have done.”
This generous commitment is a wonderful boost to the Museum’s
three-year, $20 million capital campaign to fund an expansion of
the Museum that will effectively double its public space. The
expansion plan includes a 27,000-square-foot
EcoDiscovery
Center
wing. This new wing
will offer exhibits that will be dedicated primarily to
Florida’s
environment, including interpretation of its unique ecology, the
Everglades,
and the impact of humankind, hurricanes, and climate change.
The gift was announced at the Museum’s spectacular
annual gala on
Saturday, November 3, 2007 by Colin Brown, president and CEO of
diversified automotive company JM Family Enterprises and its
subsidiaries Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC and JM Lexus, to
the delight and applause of the nearly 700 guests.
“An important part of our culture at JM Family is
giving back to the community, which began with our late founder
Jim Moran nearly 40 years ago,” said Brown.
“Supporting the Museum through this gift to their capital
campaign is our way of helping to ensure that they will be able
to continue bringing innovative educational enhancements to
Broward
County
for many years to come.
We encourage other companies and community members to
help make this campaign a success as well.
Together, we can make a difference and have a lasting
impact.”
The Museum’s “Building New Pathways to Discovery”
campaign is being jointly chaired by the following distinguished
community leaders: Tom Angelo, Esq. of Angelo and Banta, P.A.;
Keith Koenig, President of City Furniture; Terry Stiles,
Chairman/CEO of Stiles Corporation; and Jon Ferrando, Chairman
of the Board of Trustees of the
Museum
of
Discovery
and Science. To date, over $12.5 million has been raised in
support of the project.
Since the “new”
Museum
of
Discovery
and Science opened in 1992, nearly 7 million people have been
entertained and educated with interactive and immersive
exhibits, engaging educational programs, larger-than-life films
in the IMAX® Theater, and a live animal collection. The new
EcoDiscovery
Center
wing will feature interactive exhibits with a special focus on
the
Everglades’
rich and fragile ecosystem and how global environmental change
is affecting
Florida,
as well as an iconic indoor/outdoor fresh water otter habitat.
Other highlights include a simulated airboat ride through the
Everglades
and a high wire gravity bicycle.
The expansion will also include laboratory/classrooms
that will increase the Museum’s capacity for classes, camps, and
school programs.
Construction of a new Visitor Pavilion will begin in
January 2008, opening up the existing lobby area for
programming. The popular “Discovery
Center”
children’s area will be expanded to make room for new
interactive water play exhibits.
ABOUT JM FAMILY ENTERPRISES, INC.
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family) (www.jmfamily.com)
is an $11.1 billion diversified automotive company ranked by
Forbes as the 18th-largest privately held company
in the
U.S.
It is currently ranked by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best
Companies to Work For, its ninth consecutive year on the list.
It has also appeared on the
InformationWeek 500
list of leading technology innovators for five consecutive years
[2007-2003]. The company’s primary subsidiaries and
divisions include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, the
world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota and Scion
vehicles; World Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial
services company; JM&A Group, one of the largest independent
insurance and extended warranty groups of companies in the U.S;
JM Service Center LLC, the company’s internal shared services
center; JM Lexus, the largest volume Lexus dealership in the
world; and JMsolutions, a dealer-focused technology
products and services division. 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.
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