The vision and work of Gloria Dei began long before the organization itself was founded. These started with the generous giving of Bob and Mary Cade to organizations, friends, causes, and churches in need. In large part, the funds used for these gifts were royalties from Dr. Cade’s invention, Gatorade Thirst Quencher.
Gloria Dei Foundation is funded through gifts made by the Cades and seeks to sustain both the values they prize and their generous legacy. Thus the founding of Gloria Dei represents an effort to pass this legacy along to the next generation and is administered by the Cade children. Gloria Dei was also established to create a more efficient management process for soliciting and reviewing grant applications.
Dr. and Mrs. Cade both grew up in Texas and met when Bob was in medical school and Mary was a nurse. During the numerous relocations involved in Dr. Cade’s medical education, Mary Cade gave birth and cared for the couple’s six children. The family eventually settled in Gainesville, FL, where Dr. Cade served for many decades as a professor of renal medicine. Early in his career, Dr. Cade began to study the causes of dehydration among university football players. This research eventually led to the development of Gatorade. Throughout his career as a nephrologist, Dr. Cade conducted important research in the areas of sports physiology, the organic roots of schizophrenia, and treatments for autism. Sadly, Dr. Cade passed away in 2007.
Gloria Dei is now a small private family foundation organized to help those in need by providing grants to successful and innovative non-profit organizations. We make grants in the spirit of Isaiah 58:6.
“… to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6 NIV
Gloria Dei seeks to follow Jesus’ call to serve “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) as we would serve Jesus himself. Consequently, Gloria Dei awards grants to Christian organizations as well as to other organizations that promote the common good in accordance with Christian principles. Many of our best projects are seed funding for new initiatives. Here are a few of the organizations Gloria Dei Foundation has funded one or more times: CURE International, I-TEC, Kupenda for the Children, The Chalmers Center, Desire Street Ministries, The Veritas Forum.