On May 3rd gap intelligence closed our office doors and headed over to beautiful Maderas Golf Club to do great for the Emilio Nares Foundation at our 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides Golf Tournament. Don't worry your eyes aren't playing tricks, you read that right, we chose the 00-7 James Bond theme in honor of Drives for Rides' 7th year. What can I say…we like to shake (not stir) things up.
Sporting our flyest tuxedo shirts, gappers and golfers alike flocked to the course in support of the Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF). ENF helps low income families in San Diego navigate their child's journey with cancer. Consider it your not so secret mission to learn more.
Almost every one of us traveled to Maderas Golf Club by car that day. In all honesty, most of us probably get into a car every morning on our way to work, the gym, or just about anywhere else we want to be. We do this without hesitation or worry that we won't get where we are going.
But for more than 200 families in San Diego, the luxury and convenience of traveling by car isn't the case. But rather than heading off to work, the gym, or a golf tournament, the place where those families need to be is Rady Children's Hospital for their child's cancer treatment appointment. Their child's life literally depends on it. Some are forced to take public transit, walk, or miss their child's cancer treatment appointment altogether because of a lack of transportation.
That's where ENF and Drives for Rides comes in.
(Golfers/Gourmet Hot Dogs) + (Maderas Golf Club x gap intelligence) + (Donors + Sponsors) = 1,240 Rides with Emilio for the Emilio Nares Foundation
My super scientific math formula might look a little confusing, but I promise you it all adds up to an awesome day to do great for families in need! For more info, I show my work step by step below.
Step One:
130 fearless golfers showed up to conquer the sprawling landscape of Maderas Golf Club in support of the Emilio Nares Foundation. You can’t have a golf tournament without golfers! This was no easy mission. The Maderas Golf Club is a challenging course. In addition to the typical golf-related hazards like lakes and bunkers, golfers were treated to a brief warning regarding wildlife they may encounter including rattlesnakes, turkeys (there were several), and the potential mountain lion (must have been hiding in the brush). In support of the Emilio Nares Foundation, our golfers were brave!
Golfers fueled up for the day courtesy of Duff’s Dogz. If you are in the Poway Area, do yourself a favor and stop in…your taste buds will thank you. Tell Hatch, Papa Duff, and Agave that Drives for Rides sent you. My personal favorites are Western Dog or Chicago Dog.
Step Two:
It takes a village to staff a golf tournament. The 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides was chock full of games, entertainment, food, and drinks. gappers hung up their keyboards, applied sunscreen, packed snacks, and hit Maderas Golf Club ready to do great in their finest tuxedo shirts to ensure every hole was a party for ENF.
Step Three:
One word: PRIZES. The 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides had the BEST Raffle, Silent Auction, Team, and Game Prizes. Gift cards, merch, coffee, beer, spa days…you name it! Local businesses rallied around Drives for Rides and donated amazing goodies to ensure there was something for everyone.
The 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides was made possible by more than 30 Sponsors! Tournament Sponsors, Hole Sponsors, Major Sponsors, Beverage Sponsors, you name it the 00-7th Drives for Rides golf tournament benefiting ENF was generously supported by an array of organizations and people who believe in their mission.
Step Four:
The last and most important part of our formula: Julia. Julia was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when she was only 2 years of age. When she was diagnosed she had to move away from her dad and two older sisters to receive cancer treatments. Julia and her mom have lived with a family friend while Julia received chemotherapy and other cancer treatments 4 days a week. They don't have a car, but they were able to make it to Julia's appointments because of Ride With Emilio.
On May 3rd, Julia spent the Drives for Rides dinner banquet with us. We got to hear directly from Julia and her mom about the impact Ride with Emilio had on her journey with cancer. Today Julia is doing well. She is in remission and her appointments are to ensure the cancer stays that way. Behind the scenes, there were 3 other families, with a total of 4 children undergoing cancer treatment who were all supposed to be with us that night, but one by one those children all had fevers that spiked . Unlike most kids, you can't just give them Tylenol and ignore the fever until it passes. If your child has cancer, every fever is an emergency. Every one of those families who couldn't be with us at Drives for Rides was admitted for inpatient treatment at Rady. We were there for them in the Maderas Banquet Hall even if they couldn't be there with us. Every single one of those families is why we Drives for Rides in support of the Emilio Nares Foundation.
That is just about all the math I have in me and it's time to talk about the mission end.
Drum Roll Please
On May 3rd, every single gapper, golfer, community member, and local business who supported Drives for Rides and the Emilio Nares Foundation got to make a direct impact on ensuring that children are getting the medical treatment they need, when they need it, and in a safe, clean vehicle.
We ate, we played, we laughed, we cried, and came together to do something amazing; provide 1,240 Rides with Emilio. That is 1,240 life-saving rides to and from a child's cancer treatment appointments at no cost to families in need.
Every year we seek to do more for an organization that does so much for families in our community. We like to "joke" that we start planning the next year's tournament the day after Drives for Rides, but SURPRISE! its true. Drives for Rides will return in 357 days. Mark your calendars for May 1st and lets do something great.
A special THANK YOU to all of the 007th Annual Drives for Rides Sponsors and Donors.
Feeling inspired? Email golf@gapintelligence.com to learn more about how you can support the 8th annual Drives for Rides in 2020.
