SAN ANTONIO – George Gonzaba, partner and general manager of Gonzaba Autoplex/Lotus San Antonio is one of three fathers the San Antonio chapter of the America Diabetes Association (ADA) will honor during its first Father of the Year awards celebration scheduled for Thursday, June 5, at SeaWorld San Antonio. Gonzaba is committed to raising at least $40,000 for the ADA to benefit local research and education efforts.
Gonzaba, a San Antonio native, has put a creative twist on his fundraising efforts by mixing business with philanthropy. He and other sponsors, including cars.com, B.G. Products, Home Page Online, Lotus Cars USA and O’Reilly Auto Parts, are hosting “Drive for Diabetes” at Gonzaba Autoplex/Lotus San Antonio, 8333 Broadway, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 24.
During “Drive for Diabetes” approximately 30 Lotus sports cars will tour North San Antonio, each with a VIP passenger: local children, many of whom are afflicted with diabetes. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, who will be riding in a Lotus Elise, will lead the 30-mile caravan, which begins at 11:30 a.m. and ends at approximately 12:00 p.m. Upon their return to Gonzaba Autoplex/Lotus San Antonio, each child and his or her driver will be treated to lunch by Gourmet Burger Grill. From 12:00 p.m. to 4 p.m., the public is invited to view the same high-performance Lotus cars that were used during the tour and enjoy food and drink from Gourmet Burger Grill.
There are currently more than 20.8 million Americans, including 1.3 million Texans, living with diabetes. In San Antonio, 12.6 percent of the population has diabetes, twice the national average.
Since 1999, the American Diabetes Association has hosted Father of the Year awards in cities throughout the U.S. Fathers who have demonstrated the ability to balance their personal lives while achieving a high level of professional success and serving as outstanding role models in the community are honored. Past national honorees include Michael Bloomberg, John Edwards, George Foreman, Rudolph Giuliani and Colin Powell. Throughout its history, Father of the Year events have raised more than $10 million to benefit the American Diabetes Association.
