On Saturday, October 24, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Nice Guys will honor the 2009 Nice Guy of the Year (NGOY), Conrad Prebys, at their 30th Anniversary gala. Each year, the Nice Guys recognize someone who has given their time, money, and support to help San Diegans improve their lives.
Since 1979, Nice Guys has given more than $9 million, with 100 percent of every dollar raised going to individual San Diegans who need a one-time helping hand to get their lives back on track, as well as to other charitable organizations with a similar mission. Additionally, Nice Guys continues to provide food and financial assistance to hundreds of military families whose loved ones have been deployed to Iraq. The majority of this year’s proceeds will be used to fund the cases identified monthly by the Nice Guys charity committee. The balance of the funds raised will be used to assist organizations selected by the Nice Guys and Conrad Prebys.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Prebys was raised in a blue-collar, ethnic, working class neighborhood where the mindset was to complete high school and then work in the local factories of Studebaker or Bendix. When he was eight years old, he developed a heart condition where the doctor informed him that he would lead a sedentary life and could never do manual labor. It was decided that he would learn the piano as a way to make a living when he was an adult.
The turning point in his life was an inspirational high school drama teacher, who exposed him to culture and the arts. The teacher was also influential in encouraging Prebys to further his education. He was the first of his five brothers who attended and graduated from Indiana University. He was also the first one in his entire neighborhood to go beyond high school. To this day, Prebys attributes his appreciation for the theater, music, and his success in business to this inspirational teacher.
Prebys went from delivering newspapers at the tender age of eight to achieving success with Progress Construction Company and various real estate enterprises. He is inspired to share his good fortune with the San Diego community. His generosity has included capital and operating gifts to the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County, the San Diego Opera, The Old Globe, Scripps Mercy Hospital, the San Diego Zoo, UCSD Music Centre, and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, to name a few.
When asked why philanthropy, he says, “It is my way of celebrating the gift of a wonderful life!”
“We are privileged to have Mr. Prebys as our Nice Guy of the Year,” says Nice Guys president Zach Zacharias. “His achievements as a businessman are matched only by his generosity and caring for others in our community. He is a dedicated community leader who has been a longtime contributor to many organizations in San Diego. He exemplifies what the Nice Guys organization and its members are all about.” The nonprofit organization has no staff and is run entirely by dedicated men and women community volunteers. “Every single dollar we raise goes to needy San Diegans,” says Kristy Gregg, this year’s Nice Guy of the Year committee chair. (858/597-9397, www.sdniceguys.org)
