September 17, 2003

Contact:
Jennifer Meriam,
Director (954) 262-5355
Mike Laderman, Associate Director,
(954) 262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Coordinator
(954) 262-5350

NSU Honors Rick And Rita Case As Humanitarians Of The Year
Event Honoring Couple Scheduled for October 8th

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL- Community leaders Rita and Rick Case of Rick Case Acura will be honored as the 2003 Humanitarians of the Year Award during the 4th Annual Humanitarian Awards hosted by Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Center for Psychological Studies, 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 8 at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale-Plantation Hotel, 1230 South Pine Island Road, Plantation.

The Humanitarian of the Year Award is presented to members of the community who have made outstanding contributions to society. Previous recipients include the Honorable Ginger Lerner-Wren, Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne and Lorraine Thomas, wife of the late Dave Thomas.

Well known for their strong, personal commitment to the community, the Cases have made a significant difference to the community at large, especially to the children of South Florida. They are highly involved with numerous projects and organizations, however, their tireless work and support to the Boys and Girls Clubs, CARE (Children are Reasons for Excellence) and “Bikes for Kids,” an annual holiday charity program that provides bikes to needy children, affirm the Cases dedication to the community.

Ronald F. Levant, EdD, Dean of the Center for Psychological Studies, says the Cases’ philanthropy exemplifies the humanitarian spirit.

“The Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University is delighted to honor Rick and Rita Case as this year's recipients of the NSU Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Cases are true humanitarians whose altruistic efforts have long benefited our community. They are well known for their long-standing support of the Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Bikes for Kids program is another shining example of the good that they do for our community.”

Rick and Rita Case have been partners in business, life and their humanitarian efforts for over 23 years. Rick started from humble beginnings, entering the automotive business as a high school student selling used cars out of his backyard in Akron, Ohio. Rita grew up in the automotive business with her parents being dealers. Today, the couple, who met at a Honda Automotive convention in 1977, own 10 car dealerships around the country. Together with Rick serving as CEO and Rita as CFO, they have worked to build an automotive dealership group, which would provide a customer and community friendly experience. All of their dealerships, located in Ohio, Atlanta and South Florida, participate in the philosophy of giving back to the community and helping their customers do the same.

In 1982, the couple started the "Rick Case Bikes for Kids" annual charity program providing thousands of bicycles to needy children. This program allowed their customers and anyone in the community to bring bicycles they no longer were using to the dealerships. Through the Boys and Girls Clubs and other charity organizations, the Cases distribute the bicycles in time for the holidays each year. In the 21 years, this program has given over 150,000 bicycles to needy children as well as providing an avenue for the community to help local children. The mayors in each area have proclaimed a day in December as their city's official "Rick Case Bikes for Kids Day."

Upon relocating their family from Ohio to Fort Lauderdale in 1986, Rick and Rita focused their efforts of giving back to the community with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. Rick has served as president and chairman and has developed many fund-raising events that led Broward County's clubs to become one of the largest and fastest growing organizations in the nation. His accomplishments did not go unnoticed; he has received many awards including the Silver Medallion Award, which is the highest honor bestowed nationally by the Boys and Girls of America Club to an individual that has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment. Other recognitions include Rick being inducted into NSU’s Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame in 2001, being named "Child Advocate of the Year" by Family Central (formerly Child Care Connection) in 1996, and receiving Sports Illustrated "All Star Dealer Award" in 1997.

Today the couple serves as co-presidents of the Davie Board, serve on the corporate board and are supporting the construction of the newest Davie Club named in their honor, the Rick and Rita Case Boys and Girls Club. Rita is on the Board of the Broward Community Foundation while Rick is on the Board of Trustees for NSU.

The Cases, who have two children of their own (Ryan and Raquel), juggle their volunteer activities while their dealerships continue to set national sales records. Their Fort Lauderdale Acura dealership holds many records including being the largest volume Acura dealership in the world for the last seven years. The new Rick Case Honda at I-75 and Griffin Road, broke Honda's national record by selling 1,033 new Hondas in August 2002.

For more information about the Humanitarian of the Year Award, please call Daniela Sciarrotta, CPS Development Director at (954) 262-2121. For more information about the Center for Psychological Studies at NSU, visit the website at http://cps.nova.edu.