Area Ford dealers sponsor breast cancer cure event

COURTESY PHOTO Southwest Florida Ford Dealers, from the left, Tim Zellers of Naples; Paul Langford of LaBelle; Don Gasgarth of Charlotte County, and Sam Galloway, Jr. of Lee County, have teamed together to be the Local Presenting Sponsor for the upcoming Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida Race for the Cure on March 15. The Southwest Florida Ford Dealers have agreed to be the Local Presenting Sponsor for the 2008 Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida Race for the Cure to be held on March 15, 2008. The Dealer Group Members include: Coconut Point Ford (Estero), Don Gasgarth's Charlotte County Ford (Port Charlotte), Langford Ford (La Belle), Sam Galloway Ford (Fort Myers) and Tamiami Ford (Naples).

The Southwest Florida Ford Dealers were the Local Presenting Sponsor of the region's inaugural Komen Race for the Cure held last March. They also earned the distinction of fielding the largest team of participants for the first-time event.

"We, the Ford Dealers of Southwest Florida, are honored and excited about being the Presenting Sponsor again," said Sam Galloway, Jr., principal of Sam Galloway Ford and Coconut Point Ford. "We worked very hard to help bring this race to Southwest Florida and will do everything in our power to make it more successful each year."

The Dealers' 2008 Race support includes providing over $22,000 in in-kind media in the weeks prior to March 15, signing up employees and their families to participate in the 5K Run/Walk and distribution of Race entry forms to Ford customers and the public at all Ford stores and service areas. The Ford Dealers will also supply trucks and cars for logistical support both prior to and during the race. Vehicles will be used as water stations along the race course, shuttling volunteers on race day and transporting race registration supplies, bibs and T-shirts to distribution points in the weeks leading up to the 2008 event.