BRECKSVILLE, Ohio -

The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association recently donated $10,000 each for 12 new ambassadors of the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation.

GCADA president Lou Vitantonio highlighted the ambassadorships were presented by GCADA to its past 11 chairmen and current chairman Brian O’Donnell in gratitude of their hard work on behalf of Cleveland-area dealers.

With the year they served mentioned, the 12 new ambassadors are:

—Nicholas Abraham of Elyria, Ohio (1999)
—Fred Baker of Aurora, Ohio (2004)
—Joe Firment of Lorain, Ohio (2002)
—Robert Gillingham of Parma, Ohio (2001)
—Paul Hrnchar Sr. of Strongsville, Ohio (1996)
—Lou Kaltenstein of Hinckley, Ohio (1997)
—Gary Milan of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (1998)
—Brian O’Donnell of Cleveland (2011)
—Gary Panteck of Brunswick, Ohio (2003)
—Frank Porter Jr. of Cleveland (1994)
—Jacob Studor of Middleburgh Heights, Ohio (1995)
—Stu Zalud of Ashburn, Va. (2000)

In addition to the 12 new ambassadors, GCADA also has previously named Cleveland-area dealers Tom Ganley, Richard Bass and Kirt Frye as foundation ambassadors. The Cleveland association itself is also an ambassador.

“I can’t thank Cleveland enough for their unprecedented commitment to the NADA Foundation,” stated foundation chairman Bob Mallon.

“Cleveland is setting a fine example for how other state and metro dealer associations can honor their leaders in the future,” Mallon continued.

Vitantonio added, “This is the beginning of a new tradition for us. We plan to do this for each successive chairman as a way to honor these individuals who have spent so many years working on behalf of dealers in the Greater Cleveland area.

“This is a perfect way to show them how grateful we are,” he went on to say.

The NADA Foundation’s Ambassadors Program

To become an ambassador, NADA explained a dealer, company, association or individual makes a tax-deductible contribution of $10,000 to the foundation in their name or in recognition of loved ones, living or deceased.

Officials noted grants of at least $1,500 are made to organizations of their choice every three years in perpetuity.

Today, NADA said there are a total of 552 ambassadors who provide about $250,000 to organizations each year in the public or private sector, supporting a variety of causes from emergency medical services and education to job training for adults with disabilities.

This year, 155 ambassadors will present grants to organizations of their choice.

Since 1994, more than $1 million has been donated through the ambassador program to organizations across the country.

For more information about the program or to become an ambassador, contact the foundation at (703) 821-7102 or foundation@nada.org.