{"id":249146,"date":"2015-09-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/gone-but-never-forgotten\/"},"modified":"2015-09-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T07:00:00","slug":"gone-but-never-forgotten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/gone-but-never-forgotten\/","title":{"rendered":"Gone, but never forgotten"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emilio Nares\u2019 memory and a spirit of service at heart of upcoming fundraiser<\/strong><\/p>\n

Por Dave Fidlin<\/p>\n

With a beaming smile and an unmistakable laugh that could lighten the mood in almost any setting, Emilio Nares was known for the joy he brought at such a young age.<\/p>\n

But Emilio, who succumbed to leukemia in 2000 at age 5, had another character trait \u2014 bravery \u2014 that will be forever etched in the minds of the people who interacted with him. That spirit of joy and giving are at the heart of the upcoming Harvest for Hope fundraiser.<\/p>\n

Drawing from first-hand experience, Emilio\u2019s parents, Mission Hills residents Richard and Diane Nares, established the Emilio Nares Foundation<\/a> in his honor. The foundation offers assistance, including hospital transportation and meals, to families of children battling leukemia and other serious illnesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter (Emilio) passed away, my wife and I really wanted to give back, knowing what we know,\u201d Richard said. \u201cWe just wanted to share our experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Emilio<\/a>
Emilio Nares of Mission Hills died of leukemia in 2000 at age 5, but his
memory lives on. (Courtesy of Emilio Nares Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since its inception in 2003, one of the cornerstones of the Emilio Nares Foundation is Harvest for Hope, an event designed to bring the community together and raise money that benefit the assorted services offered by the organization.<\/p>\n

Harvest for Hope, which debuted the same year as the foundation itself, is entering its 12th year. This year\u2019s benefit \u2014 scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13 \u2014 will be held on the outdoor deck of the Central Library Downtown.<\/p>\n

As has been the case the past 11 years, Harvest for Hope is designed to be a fun, breezy affair that dually shines the spotlight on the serious issue of severe childhood illnesses and what goes into the treatment process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a difficult journey,\u201d said Diane, who has worked in the food and beverage industry for more than 25 years. \u201cHearing your child has cancer is one of the most difficult words you can hear from your pediatrician. Everyone\u2019s hopes and aspirations come to a stop at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Nares took a brief sabbatical after Emilio lost his brave battle, they have spent the past dozen years building up the foundation. Within the past year, Diane gleefully said the organization has evolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been able to grow our transportation program, which we\u2019ve been very excited about,\u201d Diane said. \u201cThere has been a huge need, and we\u2019ve realized there are some people that aren\u2019t being cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning a loved one has a condition such as leukemia obviously is a weighty hand dealt in life \u2014 a reality the Nares known all too well \u2014 and the goal behind the transportation programs is to assist with some of the everyday issues.<\/p>\n

Some of the families transporting children diagnosed with serious medical conditions to and from Rady Children\u2019s Hospital \u2014 the same venue where Emilio received his treatments, when it was still known as Children\u2019s Hospital of San Diego \u2014 have struggled with transportation issues, particularly those who rely on public transit as their sole mode and contend with added bus fares.<\/p>\n

After the most recent expansion of the transportation program, the foundation operates two service vans and employs two full-time drivers in San Diego. On average, the foundation transports about 40 families to and from the Rady facility.<\/p>\n

More recently, the foundation also has expanded in a northerly direction, forging a relationship with Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County. Families in Orange and Imperial counties have been privy to some of the foundation\u2019s services through a passenger van.<\/p>\n

\"(l<\/a>
(l to r) Randi Hosking, an honoree at the 10th
annual Harvest for Hope benefit, with Diane Nares
and Richard Nares (Courtesy of Emilio Nares Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While transportation is one of the foundation\u2019s main focal points, it is not the sole service. The Nares have created a resource center within Rady where families can gather important information, including housing, financial assistance and other weighty issues families might contend with upon hearing serious news.<\/p>\n

As the Nares pause briefly to focus attention on this year\u2019s Harvest for Hope, Diane said she is excited about this year\u2019s program, which puts the spotlight on local restaurateurs and other food service providers. The itinerary includes food and beverage stations and a live and silent auction.<\/p>\n

The Snake Oil Cocktail Company, located downtown, is a newcomer to this year\u2019s fundraiser. Bartenders will serve an assortment of craft beers, spirits and wines that span the globe. Local musicians Lori Bell and Ron Satterfield will provide entertainment.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s food participants replicate the disparate eateries that dot San Diego\u2019s landscape: The list includes Acqua A1 2, AR Valentien, Brooklyn Girl, Caf\u00e9 Chloe, Carnitas\u2019 Snack Shack, Croce\u2019s Park West, Don Chido, Jsix, Rustic Root and Toast Enoteca.<\/p>\n

Diane said this year\u2019s fundraising goal has been notched upward to $130,000. Alongside that benchmark are grander visions of expanding the Emilio Nares Foundation\u2019s programs and mission statement even further.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery family should be able to take care of their most basic needs when their child is receiving treatments,\u201d she said. \u201cIt should be done in an honorable way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Contact Dave Fidlin at<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>dave.fidlin@thinkpost.net<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emilio Nares\u2019 memory and a spirit of service at heart of upcoming fundraiser By Dave Fidlin With a beaming smile and an unmistakable laugh that could lighten the mood in almost any setting, Emilio Nares was known for the joy he brought at such a young age.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":249147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Gone, but never forgotten","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}