gap intelligence has a very special partnership with the Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF). ENF is a San Diego based nonprofit serving low income and underprivileged families as they navigate their child's journey with cancer. ENF founder Richard Nares' family's heartbreaking story always brings tears to my eyes. When Richard speaks of his late son Emilio's journey with cancer, he thinks of himseld as lucky. Yes, you read that right…LUCKY. Richard's family considers themselves lucky because they had a support system in San Diego. They had access to safe, clean, and reliable transportation to get Emilio to his apppintments. While attending treatment with Emilio, Richard noticed that families were missing their children's cancer treatment appointments. When he asked the hospital staff why, he was told that many families missed treatment because they lacked the transportation and resources needed to get there.
Cancer Touches Us All
Several years before I found my way to gap intelligence, I was a San Diego State University student. I was seeing someone at the time, and we weren't even Facebook official when after going in for a regular checkup, we found out that his leukemia relapsed. Even though he was almost 20 years old, he found himself back at Rady Children's Hospital, the same place that he was first diagnosed and treated as a young teen. In Emilio's story I see that college boyfriend.
First came inpatient, then came outpatient clinic. His cancer treatments quickly became a part of the daily routine, and I was in awe of how quickly his family adapted to the path in front of them, of their strength. Him, his mom, and his dad all charged into a fight they had fought once before, head on. Mom spent her days with him in treatment and dad headed to work. When my class schedule permitted, I would go too. This was their normal, month after month, and I was honored to be allowed on their journey. The Rady's outpatient clinic, where he was too tall for the bed, became a home away from home.
He beat cancer.
Listening to Richard's story, I immediately thought back to that college boyfriend, his family, how lucky they were, and how much they were like the Nares family. Transportation was never a question. His family had two reliable vehicles and a close support system to ensure he got to and from his treatment without difficulty. His parents didn't have to leave their jobs. His family didn't lose their home. They never had to take a bus several hours each way. They never had to figure out how to carry him up-hill when walking home after undergoing hours of cancer treatment. There was never a time he had to go without his treatment because of a lack of transportation.
Transportation is a Life Saver
Transportation is something that so many of us take for granted, myself included. Along a child's journey with cancer, transportation is invaluable. Transportation can literally save lives. In 2000 when Richard and Diane Nares lost Emilio to cancer they created ENF in his memory. What started with Richard Nares giving families in-need rides in his own Buick quickly grew into ENF’s flagship program Ride with Emilo.
Today Ride with Emilio offers free and safe transportation for underprivileged children and their parents to and from the hospital for cancer-related appointments. Cancer doesn’t take a break, and neither do the Ride with Emilio Vans. The Ride With Emilio program has virtually eliminated missed appointments due to transportation challenges among the patients it serves. In 2018, Ride With Emilio’s vans traveled over 105,000 miles and provided over 3,800 rides for 221 patients (that’s over 2,000 life saving appointments). Every Ride with Emilio is a beacon of hope.
We Drives for Rides for Emilio. We Drives for Rides for the families that ENF serves. We Drives for Rides for hope. We Drives for Rides so that no child misses their life saving cancer treatment due to lack of transportation and hope that you will too.
Do Great
You don’t have to be a part of MI6 to be in on the why behind Drives for Rides. gap intelligence is a values-led company that believes in Doing Great for each other, our clients, and our community. In 2012 we were looking to partner with a local nonprofit and host a golf tournament, giving them 100% of the proceeds. There was just one little problem, everyone thought we were a scam and no one would call us back. Luckily, we were put in contact with ENF by a gapper who had previously volunteered with them at Rady Children’s Hospital and felt passionate about the work ENF was accomplishing. How could we not want to get involved with an organization doing so much good in the local community?
Drives for Rides was born.
Last year, with the support of businesses and people just like you, the ‘Sith Annual Drives for Rides’ golf tournament raised over $60,000 for ENF and provided funding for 1,200 Rides with Emilio! In the last six years the ‘Drives for Rides’ golf tournament has raised over $250,000, 100% of which has gone directly to supporting the incredible work of the Emilio Nares Foundation.
We like to have fun along the way so Drives for Rides is much more than a game of golf. We also host a raffle, silent auction, course games, and an awards dinner. Grab your golf clubs and bust out your martini glasses because the 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides arrives at the Maderas Golf Club on Friday, May 3rd (tuxedo optional). We love to shake (not stir) things up and with the success of last year’s Star Wars theme, we couldn’t let Drives for Rides’ lucky 7th year go by the wayside. We are going with a Bond, James Bond theme for the 7th annual Drives for Rides and we need golfers, sponsors, and donors to help us achieve our goal of 1,200 rides for ENF.
We need your help. Don’t let lucky #7 pass you by. You can golf. You can donate. You can sign up to be a sponsor. Help us reach our goal of 1200 Rides for ENF!
For more info check out the event page, contact golf@gapintelligence.com, or pick up the phone and give us a ring, 619-574-1100. All funds raised at Drives for Rides supports the Emilio Nares Foundation in ensuring that NO child misses a cancer treatment due to lack of transportation.
Fiday, May 3, 2019
Maderas Golf Club – 17750 Old Coach Road, Poway, California 92064
Registration opens at 10:30am
Pretournament Lunch, Drinks, & Casino Festivities
Shotgun Start at 1pm
We'd like to give a golf clap to the incredbile sponsors that have supported the 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides so far!
Metro Steel
Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP
The Red Family
Davis Reed Construction
Lolitas
Dunn DeSantis Walt & Kendrick
Avritek
poolwaterrecycling
UBM Law Group
PEP
Southland Surveying Inc.
Zlotnik Law
Huge thank you to our 00-7th Annual Drives for Rides Donors as well!
Gingerly Wax
mikrospa
Polish Me Nails
Point Loma Tea
Skin by Loreen
Remember to Breathe
Trader Joes Liberty Station
The Yes Bar
Lemonade Hillcrest
Pura Buena Onda
Blind Lady
Citizen Brewers
Marina Sailing of SD
Heartwork Coffee Bar
Hello Birdie Nail & Lash Lab
Obey Giant
Bar Sin Nombre
USA Freestyle Martial Arts
Camp Run-A-Mutt Point Loma
The Oil Hive
SD Dance With Me
Belmont Family
Raven & Sage Collective
PLSC
Yoga Six
Club Pilates
Brew Coffee Spot La Mesa
Life's Rad Clothing
Carillo Pottery
Kimberly Design
PF Changs
Rodan + Fields
Original Grain
Guava Beach Bar & Grill
Wonderland Ocean Pub
DJ Turbo
Morton's The Steakhouse
SmushFace Dogs
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
The Home Brewer
The Golf Mart
Balboa Tennis Club
Pala Resort & Casino
Fit4mom
Buona Forchetta
Passion Planner
Cali4Fitness
Georgette Fitness
Copperhouse Donuts
La Vecindad
Wholesale Nutrition Center
San Diego Protein Company
Thrive House
United Martial Arts Family
Feeling inspired? Check out our event page or email golf@gapintelligence.com to learn more about how you can support the 7th annual Drives for Rides.
