Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward, a non-profit organization devoted to providing positive educational and recreational experiences to children who are grieving the loss of their father, is proud to announce the 2010 recipient of its inaugural “In My Daddy’s Spirit” award – professional race car driver David Donohue, a resident of Malvern, PA, and son of the late racing legend Mark Donohue, who was born and raised in Haddon Township, NJ.

The 2010 In My Daddy’s Spirit award was presented at an event on Saturday June 12, 2010, at the Simeone Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.  In addition, "In Kind Kindness" awards were presented to the Comcast Spectacor Foundation and to the Simeone Foundation Museum; "Chaper-one of a Kind" was presented to Alexandra Buczek and "Mom Going Above and Beyond" was presented to Denise Pasquale.

Donors who helped make this evening possible include American Executive Centers, American Helicopter Museum, Bob Madonna, Buzzy’s Bow Wow Meow, The Center on Central, Chikara Pro Wrestling, Embassy Suites - Chesterbrook, Gail and Howard Demarco, The Moyer Foundation, People’s Light and Theatre Company , Philadelphia 76ers , Philadelphia Flyers, Reading Terminal Market (Tootsie’s Salad Express and Iovine Brothers produce), Simeone Automotive Museum, Stoner, Inc. and Tasty Baking Company.

When asked what being selected as the first recipient of the In My Daddy’s Spirit award means to him, David Donohue said “I feel honored and privileged and proud of my father that he is still being remembered. I feel proud myself for being able to honor my father through my own pursuits, without treading on his memory.” David’s father, Mark Donohue, a well-known race car driver, died tragically at age 38 from injuries sustained in a track accident during practice runs for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. David was only 8 years old at the time.

The event was made possible in part due to the generosity of Dr. Frederick Simeone, founder of the Simeone Automotive Museum, which is dedicated to celebrating the spirit of competition. “David’s story is a fascinating one – he is a terrific race car driver in his own right, and also carries on his father’s tradition of excellent racing and sportsmanship. He is an outstanding choice for such an award, and I am proud that the Simeone Automotive Museum will host this wonderful event for a very worthy cause,” said Dr. Simeone.

Daddy’s Spirit’s founder and Executive Director Ron Opher, whose own father died when Ron was age 15, sums it up this way: “There is a message that David imparts to today’s grieving children by his deeds – to embrace opportunities presented, to be able to pursue your own passions, and to honor your dad while doing so. It speaks to what the Daddy’s Spirit organization is all about – that we can help today’s grieving children by offering them an optimistic view of the world – even in the face of their personal tragedy – which helps them move forward in life, while also honoring their fathers.”

Event photos

Read more about David Donohue and Mark Donohue