Ride 2 Revive

THE DAVID FAMILY IS ONE OF THE MOST ambitious and successful families in all of South Florida. The oldest son, Brett, runs the family business, Prestige Imports/Lamborghini Miami, serving as the CEO, while his sister, Brooke, runs her own real estate business in addition to working with the family automobile empire as co-owner. And their mother, Valerie David Kaye, is the creative director of Prestige Imports. However, two things are more important to the Davids than their success: the first, remaining a tight-knit family, and the second, creating something bigger and more impactful than their day-today lives. Even better? Doing this together. That’s exactly what Brett, Brooke and Valerie have all done with the creation of their annual charity event, Ride2Revive. The unique philanthropic event brings together children from the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, the Holtz Children’s Hospital, Chai Lifeline and the MyWish4U organization to spend a day on the Homestead-Miami Speedway driving in some of the world’s most coveted supercars.

“Brett and I always knew we wanted to give back to the community and especially work with children, but we didn’t really know what we wanted to do because we were approached by many different organizations to contribute donations, but that was only a monetary donation—never an interactive experience,” Brooke explains.

“So in 2011, a father brought in his terminally ill son to the dealership who was a car fanatic,” says Valerie. “And after explaining his story to us, we offered to take him for a ride in the Lamborghini. From the moment the boy got in the car, he was smiling from ear to ear and had this amazing glow on his face that his father had never seen before. When they got back from the ride, Brett and Brooke knew they had just done something really special to make this sick boy feel so happy, and they couldn’t believe what just a 10-minute ride in a Lamborghini did for this child. It actually made him feel alive again— and that’s how Ride2Revive was born.”

The concept of revitalizing the senses of these sick children, as well as their families, through the use of beautiful supercars was a concept completely new—and has proven to be incredibly effective in boosting the morale of the children and their families during these difficult times.

A unique aspect of the event is the incorporation of the entire family—one that the Davids, being the close-knit family that they are—felt was very important. “We know how difficult it is for the entire family when a child is stricken with cancer, so we make this day for everybody—including siblings—at the track,” notes Valerie.

“Unfortunately, a lot of emphasis is put on the sick child throughout this process, and the other sibling not only sometimes gets forgotten, but also takes on the burden of the sibling’s illness as well as the family’s stress, which is a lot on a child,” says Brooke. “That’s why we offer this day to everyone. And it’s a special time because the siblings all get to go for rides together, and the parents get to watch, and create these moments together as a family that will last forever.”

And their philanthropic efforts far surpass just one day on the racetrack with Ride2Revive. “Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital has us on speed dial,” Valerie shares. The family keeps the connection going with the children and the families at these hospitals throughout the year, especially when times may be tough.

“We make sure to always keep in touch, especially with those we’ve developed special relationships with to check in and see how they’re doing. If a child is a little down and needs a pick-me-up, we’ll drive over to the hospital and take them for a ride if they’re allowed to go out,” says Valerie. If the children aren’t permitted to leave, the Davids will bring the fun inside and surprise the patients with gifts and hang out with them in the room. They’ve even hosted birthdays at the Prestige Imports dealership where they’ll have a cake, presents and get to take a ride in a Lamborghini around the neighborhood.

hospital, or when they leave but may be weak from chemotherapy, a little upgrade from the ordinary wheelchairs can help boost their spirits. The Ride2Revive custom wheelchairs will replicate one of the sports cars—made with carbon fiber wraps and colorful paint, branded with the Ride2Revive logo.

“We thought a cool, updated and fun wheelchair—one that may even give them ‘superpowers’—can help keep these kids going. If they’re feeling down and spot our Ride2Revive logo, we’re hoping they’ll feel motivated to keep going in hopes that they’ll be at the next Ride2Revive event,” says Brooke.

And of course, all of this could not be done without the outstanding support of the event’s sponsors, volunteers and the community. Valerie mentions that the Homestead Police Department has been especially generous, bringing their police vehicles down to the track and allowing the children to climb in the cars and play around in them, as well as putting on a canine show for the audience. And particularly noteworthy, Ride2Revive has been able to take it to the next level within the past two years as they’ve moved to the Homestead-Miami Speedway—expanding from parking lots to a professional racecar track—allowing for an even cooler experience, as well as more room for cars to drive and more children to participate.

As the event is now approaching its eighth year, the Davids are extremely grateful for how big it has been able to expand, how many children’s lives they’ve been able to touch and how they’re able to do it all together.

“It’s so special to be able to do this as a family. It’s always been a goal of ours to create something that’s bigger than what we do daily and give back,” says Brooke. “It’s so important for us to continue to give back and leave this wonderful legacy behind to our kids one day. This is one event that we really look forward to every year, and we’re excited for what this year will bring.”

Ride2Revive will be held on January 27 th at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. They are currently accepting event volunteers and drivers to volunteer for the event. For more information, head to www.ride2revive.org

BY PAIGE MASTRANDREA