Gang Member-Turned-Ph.D. Mentors Youth on the Fringes

Victor Rios says he has lived two lifetimes. In his first, he was a gang member, juvenile delinquent and high school dropout. Now, he's a sociology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who tries to help adolescents avoid the same mistakes he made and get second chances like he did. Ray Suarez reports.

Matthew O'Reilly: "Am I Dying?" The Honest Answer.

Matthew O’Reilly is a veteran emergency medical technician on Long Island, New York. In this talk, O’Reilly describes what happens next when a gravely hurt patient asks him: “Am I going to die?”

The Matt Garcia Foundation's 5th Annual Golf Tournament is October 20th!

The Matt Garcia Foundation is pleased to announce our 5th Annual Charity Golf Tournament which will be held on Monday, October 20, 2014.  This is one of our most well attended and exciting events of the year.  The tournament will be held at Green Valley Country Club which is one of the premier courses in our area.  This fundraiser gives us the opportunity to ensure that the powerful programs that we support throughout the year will continue. 

Our late city councilman Matt Garcia was a young man with a vision.  Matt's dream was to make a difference in the community.  Many of his hopes have been realized through the programs we support including youth sports, empowerment programs, community service days, the Gun Buy Back, Scholarship Programs, the Matt Garcia Learning Center, the PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center, and much more.  The Matt Garcia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization run entirely by volunteers.   100% of your donation goes to fund these programs.

With the help of generous individuals and companies such as yours, our foundation has been able to raise the essential funds needed to “Keep the Dream Alive.”  We anticipate another successful event and we hope you will be a part of it.  Would you consider donating gift baskets, concert or sporting event tickets, vacation or spa packages, and other donations to be used for raffle and/or silent auction? 

We are a high-profile organization with a powerful presence in the community that is associated with positive change.  As a sponsor, your name, business or establishment will be prominently displayed in all our event publicity.  The event itself is an opportunity to network with many potential customers and clients.   Most importantly, your donation will send a powerful message that you are partnering with us to create a world that is safer and more meaningful.  It is our mission to support youth, help stop crime, and strengthen our community. Thank you in advance for your support.  Your contribution will make all the difference!

For more information or to donate, please do not hesitate to contact me or our tournament director Lesley Snedeker-DePorto at (707) 452-9676, or email ktdalesley@comcast.net.

Sincerely,

Teresa Courtemanche

Teresa Courtemanche

President

Matt Garcia Foundation                                                                                

Join Us For Our Monthly Community Clean Up This Saturday!

When: Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at 9am

 

Where: Starbucks Downtown Fairfield 700 Jefferson St Corner of Jefferson & Texas (map)

 

Description: We meet every last Saturday of each month (weather permitting). We clean up different locations and neighborhoods. Please join us. All are welcome

 

At the Matt Garcia Foundation we don’t want to complain about this, we want to create solutions to problems. It is with this spirit that we began our Monthly Community Clean Ups.

On the last Saturday of every month, volunteers get together and clean up a neighborhood in Fairfield. We pick up trash, work on landscaping paint windows, fix fences – all in an effort to improve our community. This is another example of community coming together to help make a difference.

The Matt Garcia Foundation Dream Team, is all about stepping up and stepping out of ourselves to serve others and our communities to be a part of the solution. Matt would say ” if you see a piece of garbage on the ground, please just pick it up” How simple is that! So, that is what we do.

After- School Should Not Be An Afterthought

After- School should not be an afterthought: Jim Clark at TEDxYouth@SanJuan

Compassion and Kinship: Fr Gregory Boyle at TEDxConejo 2012

Father Gregory Boyle, founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, is an acknowledged expert on gangs, intervention and re-entry and today serves on the U.S. Attorney General's Defending Childhood Task Force.

Zak Ebrahim: I am the son of a terrorist. Here's how I chose peace.

If you’re raised on dogma and hate, can you choose a different path? Zak Ebrahim was just seven years old when his father helped plan the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His story is shocking, powerful, and ultimately, inspiring.