Community Clean Up, Saturday, April 27, 2024

When: Saturday, April 27, 2024

Time: 9:00am – 11:00am

Where: Matt Garcia Foundation Office, 717 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533

The Matt Garcia Foundation will provide gloves, garbage pickers and buckets for collecting the trash.

Students can earn community service hours. Lunch provided after the cleanup.

For more information www.FFINEST.org

To receive updated information on volunteering opportunities, sign up for our text alerts.

Text: 81010 | Enter: @mgfv

Direct: 707.372.4160
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Matt Garcia College and Career School

"The week leading up to the first college campus visit for the lucky students at The Matt Garcia College and Career school was rainy. The opportunity to visit The California State University Maritime Academy. The anticipation and hope for a sunny day was heartfelt for all participants.

The day came and it was a beautiful and sunny day. There was a total of 36 students and 4 adults/chaperones; I was one of the lucky to chaperone! The campus is beautiful, peaceful, and surrounded by the bay waters in Vallejo, Ca.

The students had a private tour of the campus, which included their 500-foot Training Ship, the Golden Bear! Each group (we were split into 3 groups) was guided by a current student at the college and we walked through the ship; we were shown the on deck eating area for freshmen, as well as the control room for the ship! It was amazing!

CSU Maritime offers seven undergraduate majors: Business Administration, International Strategy and Security, Marine Transportation, Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Engineering Technology, Marine Engineering Technology, and Oceanography. There are also many "minors" to add onto as well!

The tour was very informative and ended with a great lunch in their famous on campus cafeteria. The extra surprise was it was an "all you can eat" cafeteria! It was great for the students to learn that there are many other opportunities close by and very hopeful to also see in person what this accredited college offers for their future!"

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What Does It Mean to Have "Burnout"?

Burnout is a term that gets thrown around a lot -- and it's something those with ADHD are more susceptible to. But what exactly IS burnout? 

Research for this video provided by: Farah Mahmud

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Blues, Brews & BBQ Cook-off

Sip Savor Grove

The Blues, Brews, and BBQ Cook-off is back on April 20 from 12-4:00pm

Mark your calendar!

 

For four glorious hours, three of your favorite things will all converge at the County Green in downtown Fairfield. What more could you ask for?

 

Want to know more? Click here for BBQ contest info, band info, and participating vendors!

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Advisory Council - Open to All

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What sex ed doesn’t tell you about your brain - Shannon Odell

Explore what we know— and still don’t know— about puberty and its effects on the body and brain.

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While we often talk about puberty’s effect on the body, what gets overlooked are the fascinating changes that happen in the brain. Puberty, in fact, begins in the brain, and lasts as long as five years. And during this extended process, the brain undergoes its own transformation, thanks to estrogen and testosterone. Shannon Odell details what we know— and still don’t know— about puberty.

Lesson by Shannon Odell, directed by Biljana Labović.

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Survivors Support Group

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Conversation With Our Youth

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Happy Easter

Happy Easter To You.

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How to get motivated even when you don’t feel like it

Explore the psychology of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and dig into how these forces contribute to our drive.

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Motivation is complicated. Psychologists define motivation as the desire or impetus to initiate and maintain a particular behavior. But sometimes, no matter how passionate you are about a goal or hobby, finding the motivation to actually do it can be difficult. Why is motivation so fickle? Explore intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and dig into how these forces contribute to our drive.

Directed by Magali García.

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Community Clean Up Saturday, March 30th

When: Saturday, March 30, 2024

Time: 9:00am – 11:00am

Where: Matt Garcia Foundation Office, 717 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533

The Matt Garcia Foundation will provide gloves, garbage pickers and buckets for collecting the trash.

Students can earn community service hours. Lunch provided after the cleanup.

For more information www.FFINEST.org

To receive updated information on volunteering opportunities, sign up for our text alerts.

Text: 81010 | Enter: @mgfv

Direct: 707.372.4160
Email: info@ffinest.org
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March Tips

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How smart are dolphins? - Lori Marino

Dolphins are one of the smartest animal species on Earth. In fact, their encephalization quotient (their brain size compared to the average for their body size) is second only to humans. But exactly how smart are they? Lori Marino details some incredible facts about dolphins.

Lesson by Lori Marino, animation by Zedem Media.

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Month of March Safety Topic: Ladder Safety

Each year, there are numerous serious injuries resulting from improper ladder usage (including stepladders). Make sure you are using the appropriate ladder and use it safely. Know your limitations. For more information Visit - The Centers For Disease Control (cdc.gov). They also provide a free NIOSH app for ladder safety (also available at the App Store).

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Assist-A-Grad Scholarship

Time is ticking! Secure your future by applying for an Assist-A-Grad Scholarship. The deadline is Friday, March 8th. Visit www.assist-a-grad.org for more details. Don't miss out on this chance to invest in your education!

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A Few Facts About the Month of March

Color:

Aquamarine, which means happiness, hope and everlasting youth.  

International Women’s Day:

On March 8, 1908, Women workers marched through New York City’s Lower East Side to protest child labor, sweatshop working conditions, and women’s suffrage. Beginning in 1910, March 8 became annually recognized as International Women’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day:

A special day celebrating Irish culture with parades, music dancing, and a whole lot of green. St. Patrick’s Day originated in honor of the Patrick Saint of Ireland.

Start of Spring:

March represents new growth, fertility and procreation in plants. It’s a good time to start sowing seeds for certain plants.

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Real Talk Podcast

Andre & Annette Davis are the founders of WE ARE NEVER ALONE INTERVENTION/PREVENTION OUTREACH MINISTRY PROGRAM. Sharing about the importance of FAITH & FAMILY on Real Talk Podcast Fairfield podcast 2. We believe all parents want to be good parents and have a healthy FAMILY. Well truth be told GOD created All family and left us principles on how to be successful raising our FAMILIES by FAITH through our 1st experiences of lifes storms and ups and downs in trying to raise FAMILY on our own understanding. GOD tells us without FAITH it's impossible to please HIM! We share about what FAITH is. FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, yet things Not Seen. We learn quick that FAITH has an enemy called FEAR (FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL). We also know that FAITH without works is dead. I have been a CHAPLAIN/MENTOR and MINISTER at the Juvenile Hall for the last 28 years under W.A. N. A. Program. as a minister. I have had the opportunity to do more celebrations of life (funerals ) of more children and their parents that have come through the Juvenile System than I can count! So, my wife and I have made a covenant with God through our own child's 13 years of incarceration in and out stuck in the system! We had to learn the hard way that without faith it is impossible to please God! And we want to get this message out to all families that GOD is the beginning and the end and following HIS principles on FAITH & FAMILY in life will be much easier if we seek wisdom and follow HIS blueprint! This way we won't have to FEAR life for our FAMILYS because we have FAITH and follow the one who gives us life! This is what gives us peace to be able to raise the children he has given us responsibility to raise HIS way! This is when we realize that WE WERE NOT EVER ALONE! DRE4CHRIST FOR LIFE!!

Visit www.ffinest.org for podcast episodes.

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Survivors Support Group

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Mandated Child Abuse and Neglect Reporter Training

Board members and volunteers from the Matt Garcia Foundation recently completed the 2-hour mandated child abuse and neglect reporter training, sponsored by the California Department of Social Services. This training is required by the Fairfield Police Activities League (PAL) for all of their volunteers. All PAL volunteers are also required to pass the Department of Justice/F.B.I. fingerprint background check. This will allow us to continue participating in PAL events, including the monthly pizza delivery and youth mentoring events. Special thanks to PAL Director Heather Sanderson for helping us complete this required training!

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Conversation With Our Youth

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Quotes of the Month

 “I do not care so much what I am to others as I care what I am to myself.”

-Michel de Montaigne

Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.”

-Lady Gaga

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REAL TALK FAIRFIELD CAL EP 1

Welcome to the Real Talk Podcast located in the Matt Garcia Foundation Podcast Room! We are here to talk Family, Community, and Generational Wealth! REAL PEOPLE, REAL STORIES, REAL SOLUTIONS!! Come be apart of our community! 

Follow us on all Social Platforms @RealTalkPodcastFairfield

Direct: 707.372.4160
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Volunteer Clean Up, SEE YOU SATURDAY!

When: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Time: 9:00am – 11:00am

Where: Matt Garcia Foundation Office, 717 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533

The Matt Garcia Foundation will provide gloves, garbage pickers and buckets for collecting the trash.

Students can earn community service hours. Lunch provided after the cleanup.

For more information www.FFINEST.org

To receive updated information on volunteering opportunities, sign up for our text alerts.

Text: 81010 | Enter: @mgfv

Direct: 707.372.4160
Email: info@ffinest.org
Website

Real Talk Podcast

I was asked to write why REAL TALK PODCAST is important for Fairfield California!

“It's time for a new thing, why should we follow a path-when we're called to make a Trail!”

First I will give you the Five Pillars that are important to me: why a podcast?

1. I believe that it will build a podcast community that will provide a supportive environment for like-minded people.
2. The podcast community provides space to learn and share our own knowledge with others and gain wisdom from each other, building a trust that what each other has to say is important.
3. We can make great friends and collaborate together to build a better Fairfield just by putting our resources together.
4. Belonging to a podcast Community can help you feel less alone. And our ministry is, “We are Never Alone, an Intervention & Prevention Program.
5. A podcast Community unlocks fantastic Network opportunities. We must realize that our next generation is looking for foundational truth, not just words from our mouth.

That's why, when problems are brought up, we want to find a solution for them that is biblically sound, and not just a “he says-she says” approach. I believe that our creator has put purpose in each one of us and he knows what's best for his creation. So this Podcast will bring us the opportunity to come together, so we can achieve incredible things. To me the greatest threat to being all you could be, is satisfaction with who you are. Also what you can do is always endangered by what you have done.

Tragically, when I look out and see all the individuals who are buried with their talents, gifts and abilities in the cemetery of their last accomplishment. Many have settled for less than their best. I believe that the enemy of the best is good, and the strength of good is the norm. The power of the norm is the curse of our society. It seems like the world is designed to make the norm comfortable and the average respectable. I believe this is a tragedy that can be exposed by the truth! That I am somebody, and God has put a treasure inside of me that needs to be found!

So with this podcast, I pray that we will be able to help people find their purpose, ignite their passion and reach their potential of what the creator has put inside of them! This way, we build relationships! It's time for a new thing, why should we follow a path-when we're called to make a Trail! This is how we lead & leave our children with this generational health and wealth wisdom! 

Much love, Dre'4CHRIST, a resident in Fairfield for 63 years and CO-Founder of “We are Never Alone, an Intervention & Prevention Program established with my Bride Annette Davis.

PODCAST LINK

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"We Love You!"

Happy Valentines Day!

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Survivors Support Group

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FREE Bike Repair

Join Bay Area Bike Mobile at the Fairfield PAL Teen Center and get your bicycle repaired on Thursday, February 15th from 3:30 to 5:30pm

The Bike Mobile can fix flat tires, adjust brakes and gears, and even replace broken or worn-out parts like chains, seats, and tires. The only thing it can’t do is replace missing wheels or gears. While the mechanics work on your bike they’ll explain how to keep your bike running smooth and share safety and maintenance tips!

 

Space is limited and this is a first come, first serve event. Space is limited to 20 bikes. Please call 707-330-8757 to sign up or for more information. 

 

Bike Mobile is a free, mobile, hands-on repair clinic and open to local students ages 18 and under.

• First come, first served. Space is limited.
• Bike Repair & Education.
• We can fix most broken parts: flat tires, brakes, shifters.

Funding for this program was provided by grant funds from the Office of Traffic Safety through the National Traffic Safety Administration.

Direct: 707.372.4160
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Pelaton Cycle Club

Jacob Hirsch and the Fairfield Peloton Club teamed up to raise money for The Matt Garcia Foundation. Jacob works at Chevron in Richmond, CA. and they matched dollar for dollar!

Wow!!!!! Thank you so much! 

On behalf of The Matt Garcia Foundation, I want to express our sincerest gratitude for your incredibly generous donation. We are grateful that you and the Peloton Cycle Club chose The Matt Garcia Foundation to receive this extremely generous donation totaling $1,420.00.

Your support means the world to us. Your contribution and Chevron matching the funds your Peloton Cycle club raised will make a significant impact on our efforts, by supporting our youth, helping to create a culture of non-violence, which ultimately strengthens our community. 

With your support, we can continue to make a positive difference in our community and beyond.

Once again, thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Sincerely,

Teresa Courtemanche

Direct: 707.372.4160
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February is National Black History Month

February marks Black History Month, a tradition that got its start in the Jim Crow era and was officially recognized in 1976 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebrations. It aims to honor the contributions that African Americans have made and to recognize their sacrifices.

 

Three simple ways to celebrate Black History Month and honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy:

 

Make a Commitment to Stand up to Hate!

Dr. King’s life was dedicated to the rights and dignity of all people. His courageous stand against bigotry was an inspiration to all of us. As hate and intolerance rise once again, honor the civil rights leader by making your own stand to stop hate. 

Learn something new (know then grow!)

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education”.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Serve Your Community

Serving with the Matt Garcia Foundation is a perfect way to Honor Dr. King’s legacy!

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Shop With a Hero

A huge THANK YOU to Fairfield Target for making this amazing morning possible. The Matt Garcia Foundation received a $2,500 Heroes to Helpers Grant. A total of 25 students were selected from the Matt Garcia Career and College Academy. Each student received a $100 Target gift card and was partnered with a Fairfield police officer or Fairfield Fire Department officer to shop at Target for anything they wanted. We’re so grateful to everyone involved who helped create this magical morning for these students.

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Start with WHY in ALL Your Conversations

Whether you're on a date or on a sales call, you want to be chosen over someone else. Simon explains how starting with WHY can help.

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Community Clean Up Saturday, January 27th.

When: Saturday, January, 2024

Time: 9:00am – 11:00am

Where: Matt Garcia Foundation Office, 717 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533

The Matt Garcia Foundation will provide gloves, garbage pickers and buckets for collecting the trash.

Students can earn community service hours. Lunch provided after the cleanup.

For more information www.FFINEST.org

To receive updated information on volunteering opportunities, sign up for our text alerts.

Text: 81010 | Enter: @mgfv

Direct: 707.372.4160
Email: info@ffinest.org
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Welcome New Advisory Board Member

Roxanna Torres-Guerrero

My full name is Roxanna Torres-Guerrero, born and raised in Austin, Texas. I consider myself part of the 200%, that means 100% Mexican, and 100% American. I've worked in the Texas education system and the non-profit sector since 2017. 

Living in California has been a new experience. I have focused on learning what it takes to have a business in the service industry. My dream is to have a business of my own. In the meantime, The Matt Garcia Foundation allows me to have a purpose. The foundation selflessly does for their community, and that aligns with my passion to help others. By focusing on the youth early on and building relationships that instill trust, they can trust us when we say they are capable of their dreams.

Warmly, 

Roxanna

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The best thing to do for your brain | David Eagleman on The TED Interview

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist who decodes the web of neurons and electricity that make our minds tick–and make us human. In this episode of The TED Interview podcast, Eagleman shares tips on how to be a good steward to your brain so that you can build mental resilience. Listen to the rest of the episode where Eagleman explains the mysteries of the brain, considers consciousness, and what it means to be human.

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Downtown Fairfield Tree Lighting

Thank you to those who came out and volunteered with The Matt Garcia Foundation during the Downtown Fairfield Tree Lightning event in December. It was a wonderful night to see all the families come out and enjoy themselves. We couldn’t have done it without your help. We were able to bring smiles to all the families that came to our booth for hot chocolate, cotton candy and popcorn. It was also nice having the Photo Booth and rock painting in our downtown office. 2024 is going to be another successful year as we continue working together to improve Fairfield and support our youth.  

“There is no greater reward than working from your heart, and making a difference in the world.”

- Carlos Santana

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A HUGE THANK YOU!

We want to give a huge THANK YOU to the @fairfieldsuisunchamber for choosing The Matt Garcia Foundation to receive the funds raised during the cake auction at this years annual Chamber holiday mixer.

The dessert auction raised an amazing $6050.00!!!

We are honored and so excited.  We look forward to an incredible 2024!

Thank you and Happy New Year,

Teresa Courtemanche, President

The Matt Garcia Foundation

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Is it normal to talk to yourself?

Dig into the psychological benefits of positive self-talk, and find out when it can become problematic.

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Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability. But decades of research show that talking to yourself is completely normal; most if not all of us engage in some form of self-talk every day. So why do we talk to ourselves? And does what we say matter? Dig into the psychological benefits of positive self-talk.

Directed by Avi Ofer.

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Survivors Support Group

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Conversation With Our Youth

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Happy New Year to YOU!

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