When I started gap intelligence back in 2003, my passion was to build a company that made a concerted effort to give back to our community. I was inspired by values-led companies such as Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, The Container Store, and Whole Foods that put people and giving ahead of shareholders and profits. In many ways, a values-led company recognizes that the community contributes as much to the success of a company as does the actual work. We can’t exist without the roads, infrastructure, police, fire departments, and schools that San Diego provides and that it’s up to us to pay the community back with more than taxes.
Do Great
gap intelligence’s purpose is to “Do Great”: For ourselves, our clients, and our community, and over the years we have given forward to San Diego in many different ways. We have packaged food at the San Diego Food Bank, we have served meals at Father Joe’s Shelters, we have given blood to the San Diego Blood bank, and we have walked, ran, and hiked in dozens of charity fundraisers.
Drives for Rides
In 2012, we hosted our first golf tournament, called “Drives for Rides” that raised $10,000 for the Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF), a San Diego non-profit that navigates families through their child’s journey with cancer. Today there are 125 families in San Diego who have a child fighting that terrible fight and don’t have transportation to make their treatments. ENF provides these families free transportation to and from treatments and offers endless lines of in-hospital support. Our first year fundraising total of $10,000 was enough money to provide free transportation to two families for two years and remains an accomplishment that we’re extremely proud of.
Six Years Later
This year on May the Fourth, we hosted our sixth annual “Drives for Rides” charity golf tournament benefiting the Emilio Nares Foundation. This year’s tournament was my favorite not only because it was Star Wars themed (May the Fourth Be With You), but because the event consisted of gap intelligence’s own community who collectively built something special. In attendance were our lifetime supporters including college roommates, my first boss, family, and the attorney who filed gap intelligence’s articles of incorporation. Also in attendance were our bankers, our insurance agents, our business coaches, accountants, property managers, and even our clients. Together, this community of gap intelligence raised $60,000 for the Emilio Nares Foundation, enough money to provide fourteen families free transportation for two years, which is about the length of time a child needs to complete their chemotherapy treatments.
We Saved Lives on the Fourth of May
gap intelligence has always recognized that we are fortunate for our success and we actively look for ways to pay back the community. By hosting Drives for Rides, we not only raised $60,000 to ensure that no sick child misses a treatment due to a lack of transportation, but we made our gap intelligence community that much closer. Thank you to our clients, vendors, partners, and friends for contributing to our success and achieving something truly special.
Thank you all for your support, success and we hope to see you on May 3, 2019.
If inspired, donate to www.enfhope.org.
