Alice and Mike Jackson lead by example to lift up the community they love. They have volunteered their time and dedicated their giving to causes and organizations that shape a brighter future for people in Broward County.
Their drive to get involved and make a difference is fueled by years of hard work and deep appreciation for their personal successes.
As a child, Mike shoveled horse stalls to save money to go to college because his father told him, “Education gives you choices in life.” After working three jobs during undergraduate school, he was on his way to law school when his car broke down. Not having the $300 needed for repairs, he offered to work at the dealership doing anything to pay off his debt. Sweeping floors quickly elevated to working as an apprentice mechanic. Mike delayed law school as he found the automobile business “interesting” and, as they say, the rest is history. Ten years after his car broke down, he borrowed every cent he could and became managing partner of the dealership where he swept the floors. Fifteen years later, he became the CEO of Mercedes Benz North America and later became the CEO of AutoNation for 22 years.
Alice’s first introduction to giving back came from observing her mother driving families with disabled children to their various therapies. At age 12, Alice started an after-school day care for the kids in her neighborhood. She researched ways to make a difference and donated money she earned from her day care. Her father was a real estate developer and Alice was bored by the stories he shared at the dinner table. Alice wanted a more glamorous profession, so after graduating from college she became a buyer for Allied stores – but quickly found poor pay and working seven days a week during the holidays far from glamourous. So, she enrolled in real estate school at night without telling her parents and, with support from her late husband, began a 32-year commercial real estate career.
To help others overcome hurdles to success, Alice and Mike support nonprofits that champion working families in need, early childhood education, cancer research and the gift of paying it forward through kindness and generosity. In addition to their charitable giving, Alice and Mike have served on many boards in the community and nationally. That includes the Jack and Jill Center, NSU Museum of Art, United Way of Broward County and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. As a breast cancer survivor, Alice served on the National Advisory Board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Mike was the creator of the AutoNation “Drive Pink” campaign while Wayne Huizenga, the founder of AutoNation, his wife Marti, and Alice were fighting the disease. “Drive Pink” has raised more than $40 million for cancer research, hospitals and nonprofits across the country.
Now Alice and Mike are partnering with the Community Foundation of Broward to ensure their support for the community they love never ends. As a Broward County native, Alice has experienced how much her fast-growing community has changed from the days when she graduated from Northeast High School. Currently serving her second term on the Community Foundation Board, she sees how endowed support through the Foundation provides permanent resources to keep pace with Broward’s evolving needs.
Alice and Mike are joining our Community Builders – visionary philanthropists with endowed charitable funds of $1 million or more. Year after year, their endowed Alice and Mike Jackson Family Fund will deliver grantmaking support for the causes and issues that matter most to them. With the Community Foundation to safeguard and manage their endowed fund, Alice and Mike’s community impact will last in perpetuity.
“My passion has always been to give back to this wonderful community where I was so fortunate to be raised. The Community Foundation addresses all of the issues that are important to us in our ever-changing community. We want to show and invite others to join in on how effective it is to be kind and generous to those less fortunate than us.” – Alice Jackson
More About Our Community Builders
Community Builders are bold leaders who partner with the Community Foundation to establish endowed charitable Funds of $1 million or more to shape a brighter future for the community they love.
Through the power of endowment, the gifts from these individuals, families and local organizations fuel innovation and tackle Broward’s biggest issues today and forever.
Click here to learn more about all of our Community Builders.
To learn more about partnering with the Community Foundation to create bold impact that never ends, contact Vice President of Philanthropic Services Kelly Marmol at kmarmol@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.
