February is Heart Month, and Rick Case Automotive Group has made a contribution to help keep hearts beating.

The Florida-based dealership group teamed with the American Heart Association to donate 250 CPR Anytime training kits to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., and Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale.

“Our goal is to make sure every family can go home with one of these CPR kits so they can save their child’s life if they needed to, because they’ll have the equipment, tools and training right at home,” president and CEO Rick Case Automotive Rita Case said. “What inspired me is the fact that 90% of people — infants, adults, children, all ages — that have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital die.

“If they’re administered CPR within the first few minutes, it doubles and triples the chance of survival. Up to 80% survive, so when you go from 90% passing away to 80% survival with a 30-minute training kit, I said, ‘I have to be involved in this.’ “

The self-facilitated kits, designed for users to learn basic lifesaving skills at home in about a half hour, were distributed at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital to the families of hospitalized children to take home with them so they can confidently learn to administer CPR to their children, other family members, friends or strangers anywhere, anytime.

“Learning CPR can be very intimidating, but there’s not one of us who doesn’t have someone in our families or in our lives who’s impacted by heart disease,” Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Services CEO Caitlin Stella said. “By having a kit at home, you can practice and learn not to be intimidated.

“You never know when you’re going to save somebody’s life. It could be any one of us, anytime, anywhere. I want to thank Rita for being so forward thinking and open to being able to give this gift to our community.”

The donation was made in support of the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative, which is designed to turn bystanders into lifesavers by encouraging more people to learn CPR and act in emergencies.

Over the next three years, AHA will distribute 750 kits, including infant, child and adult kits, throughout Broward County hospitals and neonatal intensive care units. AHA said more than 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year in the U.S., and 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital.

“Thanks to the generosity of supporters like Rita Case and Rick Case Automotive Group, we are one step closer to achieving our goal of equipping communities with the tools and knowledge needed to save lives during times of emergency,” said Marisol Vera, executive director of the American Heart Association of Greater Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

Over the years, the American Heart Association has distributed more than 2,300 CPR Anytime Kits to individuals and local organizations throughout Broward County. Since launching the Nation of Lifesavers initiative two years ago, AHA said, bystander confidence to perform any type of CPR has increased from 33% to 39%.

Castle makes sale and acquisition in a ‘portfolio refinement’

Castle Automotive Group announced a dealership sale and an acquisition, describing the moves as a “significant portfolio refinement.”

Castle sold its Ford dealership in Michigan City, Ind., and acquired Happy Hyundai of Oak Lawn in Oak Lawn, Ill., which has been renamed Castle Hyundai of Oak Lawn.

The dealership group operates 18 locations in Illinois and Northwestern Indiana.

In a news release, Castle said the addition of the Hyundai store is a strategic move that strengthens its commitment to the greater Chicagoland area, “advancing its mission to expand with a customer-first approach.” The company said it continues to have a “clear focus” on expansion.

“Our ‘Shop Easy, Drive Happy’ philosophy revolutionizes the car-buying process by making it simple and enjoyable,” CEO Joe Castle said, “all while providing top-tier service to every customer. Expanding into Oak Lawn allows us to deliver that experience to more people and strengthen our ties to the community.”

Castle thanked Ford Motor Company and the people of Michigan City.

“Our long-standing relationship with Ford has been invaluable, and we look forward to continuing that collaboration,” he said. “The Michigan City community has been incredibly supportive and we are grateful for the opportunity to have served them over the years.”