Rita Case, president and CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group, presented the second annual Rita and Rick Case Changemaker Award to the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation and Jonathan DeLuca, Fred DeLuca’s son and a director of the foundation, during the 2024 South Florida Heart Ball, hosted by the American Heart Association.

The Rita and Rick Case Changemaker Award was established last year to be presented “annually in perpetuity” to an individual or organization that has made an impact, sets the tone, leads by example and inspires others to join the mission of the AHA.

Case pointed out that Jonathan DeLuca is also one of the American Heart Association’s regional board members.

“When he was chair from 2017 to 2018, the AHA had a record-breaking fundraising year, hitting the $1 million mark,” Case said in a news release. “The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation is a valued supporter of the AHA’s mission, and Jonathan has played a crucial role in improving and ensuring the AHA is able to address important issues within the Broward County community.”

Rick Case Automotive said in a news release that the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, which was created by the late Subway co-founder in 1998, has been a changemaker by funding a number of AHA initiatives.

Those initiatives include Survivor Fashion Shows, in which survivors of cardiac and cerebrovascular events take to the runway to celebrate life; Healthy Families, a six-week culinary and nutrition education course for single-parent families; an ongoing strategy for clinics in three counties to offer specialized telemedicine support to patients experiencing hypertension; and the AHA’s Target Blood Pressure initiative, purchasing BP cuffs to distribute to patients to monitor their blood pressure.

Mercedes store offers gift cards to loyal service customers

Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale has launched a new incentive program that awards American Express gift cards to customers who purchase vehicle services exceeding specified amounts.

The Arizona dealership said the limited-time offer aims to “enhance the customer service experience by providing tangible rewards for vehicle servicing at the Scottsdale location.”

The reward program, which the dealership said is designed to “give back to the customers who make Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale their service center of choice,” is offering a $50 American Express Gift Card to customers who spend $800 or more on vehicle services. Those who spend $1,500 or more in services will receive a $100 American Express Gift Card.

To qualify, customers must present the offer at the time of write-up. The offer cannot be combined with other promotions, and taxes are not included in the total amount. The gift cards cannot be applied to previous services performed.