Beyond his amazing career and dedication to hard work, Jim Moran was dedicated to giving back. Jan, his partner in life and senior vice president of JM Family and chairman and president of The Jim Moran Foundation, shared his strong commitment of making a positive difference in their communities. Although Jim's passing is a tremendous loss to our community, Jan will continue his legacy of thoughtful, compassionate philanthropy. Always inspiring others to work hard and do their best, Jim was quick to assist with both a financial and personal commitment for community projects, especially those involving children and families. In an effort to involve others, he often challenged organizations to raise money and then committed to match all or a portion of what was raised, increasing the total gift. With the intention of helping charitable organizations plan for the future and set aside funds to keep programs operating, Jim established endowment funds at the Community Foundation of Broward, creating a strategic plan for years to come. Following the tradition he set in Chicago, Jim's personal philosophy of giving back to the communities where he lived and worked paved the way for a lifetime of charitable endeavors. The early years of philanthropy in South Florida were done anonymously. We now know that he supported many organizations such as Kids in Distress, Holy Cross Hospital, and The Starting Place during those years.
In 1988, one of the first public announcements of Jim Moran's charitable giving in South Florida was his $1 million gift to Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale following his open heart surgery. In November 2000, Jim and Jan announced a $6 million Challenge gift to Holy Cross Hospital, the largest single gift the hospital has ever received from a living donor. The Morans' significant donation funded the five-story Jim Moran Heart & Vascular Center, a facility dedicated to being the preeminent provider of education, prevention, early detection and treatment of cardiac and vascular diseases. In May 2006, JM Family and Jim and Jan Moran announced a $26 million Challenge to assist Holy Cross Hospital in the development of the Jim Moran Heart and Vascular Research Institute. Recognizing the opportunity to bring lifesaving treatments to our community, the Morans pledged $10 million contingent on community contributions to the Institute. Groundbreaking research at the Institute will include investigative trials leading to significant advances in cardiac regeneration, interventional cardiology, lifesaving heart and vascular treatment modalities and advanced cardiac imaging.
Jim was most proud of the Youth Automotive Training Center (YATC) that he founded in 1984. This program provides mechanical training, academic education and life skills management to South Florida's at-risk youth. For the YATC students, the school offers a much-needed second chance for a successful, happy life. In addition to the instruction and personal assistance students receive while attending the school, YATC provides scholarships and ongoing support to its graduates to help them find jobs and continue achieving their goals. Once accepting 10 students per class, the school now offers slots to 30 disadvantaged young people working to change their lives for the better. With a graduate success rate of more than 90%, YATC's unique formula is proven, and the school has served as a model for replication for similar programs across the nation, including the Toyota Motor Sales Los Angeles Urban League Automotive Training Center. In December 2001, YATC celebrated the grand opening of its new school in Deerfield Beach. In December 2004, YATC successfully completed the Kresge Challenge through the Community Foundation of Broward and exceeded its $1 million endowment fund goal, receiving an additional $333,333 in matching funds from The Kresge Foundation. In February 2005, the school completed its $5 million Capital Campaign, spearheaded by Jim, which raised building, scholarship and endowment funds, ensuring the school's lifetime commitment to all future students and graduates.
Jim and Jan enthusiastically supported an exciting initiative in Broward County, the $10 million Kresge Challenge, designed to meet emerging needs of this community. Through the Community Foundation of Broward, the Kresge Challenge provided area nonprofits with the opportunity to either establish new endowment funds or grow existing funds as they plan for a future of community service.
Jim and Jan established the Jim Moran Children's Fund through the Community Foundation of Broward, as a part of a $1 million Challenge to the community, and in 1995, they issued a $500,000 Challenge with the United Way of Broward County, establishing the organization's first endowment at the Community Foundation of Broward. Jim and Jan demonstrated their continued commitment to the United Way again in 2000 when they issued a second $500,000 United Way Challenge, a gift the United Way recognized by honoring Jim and Jan with membership in its national Million Dollar Roundtable group of donors. In 2003, Jim and Jan introduced the $1 million Jim and Jan Moran Community Solutions Challenge: New Dollars through New Business. The two-year Challenge match was designed to increase first-time business participation in United Way of Broward County's Annual Campaign and increase fund-raising contributions to the United Way of Broward County's Community Solutions Fund. In addition, the Challenge helped raise awareness of the programs that are meeting the most critical needs in this community.
In 1999, the South Florida community met a special Challenge for the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra from Jim and Jan. In just eight months, the Philharmonic received $1 million in new contributions from the community plus a matching $1 million gift from the Morans and JM Family Enterprises.
Jim and Jan's commitment to human relations and equality for all was underscored by an $80,000 community Challenge given through the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) in honor of Jim's 80th birthday in 1998. The funds generated by this Challenge were used to create a permanent endowment for NCCJ at the Community Foundation of Broward - the first endowment of its kind for any NCCJ chapter in the nation. A year later, when accepting an award recognizing the completion of the $80,000 Challenge, Jim and Jan took their commitment one step further by pledging an additional $50,000 in matching funds to the endowment fund for NCCJ in 2000 upon completion of another ambitious community fund-raising Challenge.
As a testament to Jim's confidence in the mission of the Urban League of Broward County, he initiated another Challenge with a pledge of $500,000 in matching funds to raise a total of $1 million for the Urban League's Campaign for Change to construct a new facility and build its endowment fund at the Community Foundation of Broward. Also in 2000, the Morans and JM Family recognized the 20th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of South Palm Beach and Broward Counties with a commitment to match $200,000 in new or increased giving. The resulting $400,000 would allow the organization to increase its endowment fund at the Community Foundation of Broward, specifically for the purpose of supporting the nationally acclaimed Carrera Program to prevent teen pregnancy.
In 2001, Jim and Jan Moran offered a significant Challenge to Nova Southeastern University (NSU) to enable the University to revolutionize the family center outreach services provided to parents and childcare workers throughout Broward County. By matching $3 million in new or increased donations, Jim and Jan helped expand the University's innovative programs - such as those teaching parenting skills and school preparedness for young children to ensure they are accessible to everyone in Broward County, including those who live in under-served neighborhoods. In addition, this gift created a strong endowment at the Community Foundation of Broward to allow these critical outreach programs to continue for many years to come and complete funding for the new facility at NSU, which is named the Jim & Jan Moran Family Center Village.
With the desire to foster the dreams of many to own their own businesses, Jim and Jan created the Jim Moran Institute (JMI) for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University (FSU) College of Business with an initial gift of $1 million in 1995. Together with JM Family, in 1998 they provided an additional $2 million grant designed to expand JMI's services to entrepreneurs by adding additional staff and providing practical business assistance through annual entrepreneurial showcases, regional workshops, direct assistance and the expansion of the Entrepreneurial Certification Program - all free of charge. Another component of the second gift created the JMI High School Entrepreneurial Showcase, formerly known as Camp Entrepreneurship. This program, now in partnership with Junior Achievement, is designed for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in developing the skills needed to become successful entrepreneurs while learning from local entrepreneurs, professors and adjunct faculty at Florida State University. Additionally, the 1998 gift created the Jim Moran Entrepreneurial Scholarship, which is granted to students that have participated in the JMI High School / Junior Achievement programs, and have been accepted into the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management program at FSU's College of Business. The Morans' gift to JMI also provides for two annual scholarships - one in South Florida and one in North Florida - to give outstanding African-American Youth Achievers a needs-based, four-year scholarship to Florida State University, sponsored by The Jim Moran Foundation.
The Jim Moran Institute expanded to the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville through collaboration with JM Family, FSU and the Morans, creating the Jim Moran Business Technology Classroom. With this outreach, the Morans' goal for JMI to encourage entrepreneurs through practical assistance, education, research and public recognition was initiated in Jacksonville. In conjunction with UNF and Women Business Owners of North Florida, Jim and Jan provided the funding to establish Camp Entrepreneur in Jacksonville, an educational, interactive program designed for a diverse group of young women aged 14 to 17. Like JMI, Camp Entrepreneur instills desire and inspires many young people to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. The innovative nature of the camp fosters a competitive spirit, confidence and leadership skills needed to become successful future business leaders. In 2005, JMI received the Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award from the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and celebrated a decade of providing guidance to small businesses in Tallahassee.
In 1997, the Jim and Jan Moran Theatre in the Times Union Performing Arts Center in Jacksonville opened in honor of the Morans' generous gift to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, made in part to sponsor a series of educational concerts for young people. Also in 1997, the Broward Performing Arts Foundation named the Jan and Jim Moran Stage in the Au Rene Theater of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in recognition of their substantial gift. The Morans' donation endowed and expanded the Rising Stars Summer Camp Program and assisted in retiring the Center's bond debt. During the Morans' involvement in Rising Stars hundreds of campers benefited from this six-week camp, which was initiated to serve children from traditionally underserved Broward County neighborhoods who had little or no access to the performing arts.
Jim and Jan spearheaded the renovation and expansion of Collier City Learning Library, a project that developed after being introduced to the library through the Toyota Families for Learning Center in 1991. After learning about Collier City and attending the dedication of the Toyota Families for Learning Center, they were impressed and moved by the extraordinary dedication of the library's staff and their commitment to developing true family literacy. The expanded facility now houses a computer lab, distance learning opportunities, space for children, youth and adult programs and meeting rooms to offer residents a place to study, learn and grow. Through community partnerships with Nova Southeastern University and Holy Cross Hospital, the library also offers vital community services to its residents. The expansion/renovation project was completed in 2003 and is now named the Jan Moran Collier City Learning Library, a decision made by the Broward County Board of Commissioners in recognition of Jan's commitment to the Collier City neighborhood.
Another of Jim and Jan's most noteworthy projects in recent years was the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County's Capital Campaign, for which they served as General Chairpersons for more than four years. This effort, the most successful Capital Campaign for any Boys & Girls Clubs in the United States, raised $21.8 million. The Capital Campaign funds were used to upgrade the nine existing units and build three new Clubs, including the Jim & Jan Moran unit in Deerfield Beach. The successful fund-raising undertaking also enabled all clubs to open their doors on Saturdays and expand educational programming offered at each location to better serve thousands of young people in the Broward County area. In November 2001, Jim and Jan were recognized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, who presented them with the National Award of Merit.
Along with Paul Newman and General Norman Schwarzkopf, the Morans became Founding Board Members of Camp Boggy Creek, an organization that provides chronically and terminally ill children with a safe, fun camp experience for one week free of charge in Cassia, Florida, just outside of Orlando. Family weekends are hosted throughout the year to help the children and families learn more and cope with their specific illnesses.
Jim and Jan also served together on the Advisory Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida, which grants the wishes of chronically ill children in their community.
Additionally, many organizations have benefited from the Morans' support, including:
- American Red Cross
- The Dan Marino Foundation
- Florida Ocean Sciences Institute
- Humane Society of Broward County
- March of Dimes
- Museum of Discovery and Science
- NE Focal Point C.A.S.A.
- NW Federated Woman's Club Senior Center
- NFL YET Center
- The Starting Place
In 2000, Jim ensured that his personal commitment to the community would endure beyond his lifetime. With a mission 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, The Jim Moran Foundation will continue its Founder's philosophy of giving back in perpetuity. Significant funding for The Foundation is provided through a cooperative giving commitment with JM Family Enterprises and its subsidiaries, a tribute to the philanthropic philosophy Jim has instilled in the company.