Deerfield Beach, Fla. – Hundreds of family, friends and supporters gathered at the 17th annual African-American Achievers awards ceremony at the Broward County Convention Center to honor five community leaders -- including one high school senior announced that evening -- for helping enrich the quality of life in South Florida.

The 2009 African-American Achievers are:
Arts and Culture: Charles Mills
Business & Entrepreneurism: Jim McKinley
Community Service: Rev. Dr. Rosalind Osgood
Education: Dr. Niara Sudarkasa
Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever: Hope Williams

JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family), Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) and JM Lexus presented the inspirational evening, which was held on April 16. Established in 1992 by Jim Moran, founder of JM Family and its subsidiaries, the African-American Achievers awards program continues in his memory to honor those who unselfishly invest their time and talents toward building a stronger community.

During the ceremony, JM Family President and CEO Colin Brown recognized the Achievers for creating their own legacy of leadership as role models for future generations. "Now more than ever we need to focus on sharing the good news about positive things people are doing in South Florida. We need to celebrate them so that others can be inspired."

"This event is important to who we are as a company, and we remain committed to saying thank you and ensuring that these achievers are appreciated for their efforts to improve our communities," Brown continued.

Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever Awarded Scholarship to FSU
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) 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.

Hope Williams, a performing arts enthusiast, ranks in the top 6 percent of her class at Miramar where she is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program. One of four children of an Army veteran, Hope spearheaded a children's book drive for the U.S. Army's United through Reading program. In addition, she organized a fundraiser benefiting a non-profit AIDS research organization and spent the last three summers as a camp counselor to special needs children at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center High School.

Tom Blanton, founding director and treasurer of TJMF and Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of FSU College of Business, presented Hope with the award.

About the 2009 Adult Achievers
Arts and Culture – Charles Mills
A medical illustrator for more than 20 years, Charles Mills – 88 years young – has made art his life's work, and a gift to neighborhoods throughout South Florida. Although his nearly 60-year career includes dozens of exhibitions and numerous awards and recognitions, Mills considers his most notable achievement "The Wall of History," a mural that marks the entranceway to Sistrunk Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The piece depicts the saga of African Americans over the centuries.

Business & Entrepreneurism – Jim McKinley
Jim McKinley is president of McKinley Financial Services, Inc. – one of the most successful minority-owned insurance agencies in the United States. Ask him what he is most proud of, however, and the answer has little to do with business operations—it's having provided more than 80 young people with an educational scholarship through the McKinley Financial Foundation, which he founded more than a decade ago.

Community Service – Rev. Dr. Rosalind Osgood
Once a homeless mother on welfare suffering from substance and alcohol addiction, Rev. Dr. Rosalind Osgood went on to earn a master's and a doctoral degree in public administration and a second master's in divinity. Founder of Women Reaching Women, Dr. Osgood helps those struggling create a more hopeful life. As president of Mount Olive Development Corporation, she increased the budget 175 percent to fund programs for families in low-income communities.

Education - Dr. Niara Sudarkasa
At 15, Dr. Niara Sudarkasa left Dillard High School for Fisk on a Ford Foundation Early Entrance Scholarship. By 25, she had earned a master's and a doctoral degree in anthropology from Columbia. She went on to become a professor and associate vice president at the University of Michigan, and president of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Dr. Sudarkasa now gives back as a major contributor and consulting scholar at the African-American Research Library and Cultural.

Charitable Donations in Achievers' Honor
To further honor the Achievers, the presenting companies donated $5,000 in each Achiever's name to the charity(ies) of his/her choice. And for each person who nominated one of the adult Achievers, a check for $500 was presented to the charity of the nominator's choice – totaling another $2,000 to deserving organizations. The following South Florida nonprofits received a portion of the $22,000 total donation: ChildNet, Coral Springs Museum of Art, Friends of the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, Inc., McKinley Financial Foundation, Inc., Mount Olive Development Corporation, Shake-A-Leg Miami, and United Negro College Fund (Ft. Lauderdale Branch).

Special Performances and Acknowledgments
Local 10 News Anchor Calvin Hughes emceed the event which incorporated special performances by The Jubilee Dance Theatre, lead by 2007 Arts and Culture African-American Achiever Lutricia Welters, and the Silent Worshippers Mime Ministry, under the direction of Deacon Erskine Kennedy.

Daisy Odom Fulton, a 2008 Achiever in Arts & Culture and executive director at the Spady lead the night's invocation. EJ's Company Band entertained attendees during the reception that followed.

Cultural Heritage Museum
This year's selection committee members, which includes past award honorees, were recognized for their contributions: Andrea Kilpatrick, Samuel F. Morrison, Rosalind Murray, Mel Taylor and Tony Thompson.

About JM Family Enterprises, Inc.
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family) (www.jmfamily.com) is a diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 23rd-largest privately held company in the U.S. It is currently ranked No. 33 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 11th consecutive year on the list. The company is also ranked No. 7 on Computerworld's list of "100 Best Places to Work in IT." Primary subsidiaries and divisions include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, World Omni Financial Corp., JM&A Group, JM Service Center LLC, and JM Lexus. 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
Founded by Jim Moran in 2000, 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. Through a long-term Grant Agreement, The Foundation's significant funders are JM Family Enterprises Inc., and its subsidiaries, including Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC. To learn more about The Foundation visit www.jimmoranfoundation.org or call (954) 429-2122.

Media Contact:
Christie Caliendo
(954) 363-6285
Christie.caliendo@jmfamily.com

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