Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Gang 'Killing Fields' Become Site of Safe Parties for Families in Los Angeles



Los Angeles has turned former urban battlegrounds into common grounds for communities in an effort to stomp out gun violence. What looks like a regular block party is a program that brings gang members, police officers and other neighbors together. Ray Suarez examines how the Summer Night Lights event is making the city safer.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Theaster Gates: How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art



Theaster Gates, a potter by training and a social activist by calling, wanted to do something about the sorry state of his neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. So he did, transforming abandoned buildings to create community hubs that connect and inspire those who still live there (and draw in those who don't). In this passionate talk, Gates describes his efforts to build a "miniature Versailles" in Chicago, and he shares his fervent belief that culture can be a catalyst for social transformation in any city, anywhere.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Join Us For Our Monthly Community Clean Up on Saturday!

 
When: Saturday, March 28th, 2015 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.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Support The Matt Garcia Foundation Through AmazonSmile!

You can help support The Matt Garcia Foundation by shopping through AmazonSmile.

  • Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to The Matt Garcia Foundation whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
  • AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same Amazon Prime benefits.
  • Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com.

 
Click the logo above to start shopping!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Joan Halifax: Compassion and the True Meaning of Empathy



Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax works with people at the last stage of life (in hospice and on death row). She shares what she's learned about compassion in the face of death and dying, and a deep insight into the nature of empathy.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Ismael Nazario: What I Learned as a Kid in Jail



As a teenager, Ismael Nazario was sent to New York’s Rikers Island jail, where he spent 300 days in solitary confinement — all before he was ever convicted of a crime. Now as a prison reform advocate he works to change the culture of American jails and prisons, where young people are frequently subjected to violence beyond imagination. Nazario tells his chilling story and suggests ways to help, rather than harm, teens in jail.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Gang Membership a Family Affair in Chicago



CNN's George Howell reports on one family's deep involvement in gangs and how they're now trying to change.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Helping High School Youth Learn by Doing



Since 1994, YouthBuild has trained 110,000 high school dropouts around the country to put up houses for their community and think critically in the classroom while earning their GEDs or diplomas. As part of the American Graduate series, Paul Solman reports on a program designed to keep kids learning inside and outside of class.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Ilona Szabó de Carvalho: 4 Lessons I Learned from Taking a Stand Against Drugs and Gun Violence



Throughout her career in banking Ilona Szabó de Carvalho never imagined she’d someday start a social movement. But living in her native Brazil, which leads the world in homicidal violence, she realized she couldn’t just stand by and watch drugs and guns tear her country apart. Szabó de Carvalho reveals four crucial lessons she learned when she left her cushy job and took a fearless stand against the status quo.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

The Matt Garcia Foundation's Community Investment Day - S.T.A.N.D.

 

The Matt Garcia Foundation invites you to STAND with us this day to Support, Teach, Advocate, Nurture, and Dream with the youth, businesses, and residents of our community. Help us continue our efforts to support the many neeeds of our neighbors and partners by pledging to STAND with FFINEST.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Why Students Who Underperform Drop Out of School



In the U.S., one million students leave school early each year. Ray Suarez kicks off American Graduate Week with Victor Rios, Stephanie Krauss and Adam Steltzner, three individuals who know firsthand what it's like to be a high school dropout, but who ultimately turned their lives around and returned to get more education.