Monday, September 29, 2014

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?”

Friday, September 26, 2014

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                                                                                

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

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.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

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.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

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.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Matt Garcia Foundation's 5th Annual Golf Tournament



The Matt Garcia Foundation's 5th Annual Golf Tournament is at Green Valley Country Club on October 20th, 2014

Get signed up today!
 
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 at (707) 452-9676, or email ktdalesley@comcast.com

Monday, September 8, 2014

Colin Grant: The son of a difficult father



Colin Grant has spent a lifetime navigating the emotional landscape between his father’s world and his own. Born in England to Jamaican parents, Grant draws on stories of shared experience within his immigrant community — and reflects on how he found forgiveness for a father who rejected him.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Angela Patton: A Father-Daughter Dance ... In Prison



At Camp Diva, Angela Patton works to help girls and fathers stay connected and in each others' lives. But what about girls whose fathers can't be there -- because they're in jail? Patton tells the story of a very special father-daughter dance. (Filmed at TEDxWomen)

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Forgiveness and the Freedom of Letting Go



Forgiveness is the mental, emotional and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution