Saturday, February 27, 2016

A Simple Way to Break a Bad Habit | Judson Brewer



Can we break bad habits by being more curious about them? Psychiatrist Judson Brewer studies the relationship between mindfulness and addiction — from smoking to overeating to all those other things we do even though we know they're bad for us. Learn more about the mechanism of habit development and discover a simple but profound tactic that might help you beat your next urge to smoke, snack or check a text while driving.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Join Us For Our Monthly Community Clean Up on Saturday!

 
When: Saturday, February 27th 2016 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.

Monday, February 22, 2016

How to Avoid Miscommunication - Katherine Hampsten



Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem, only to realize that he just doesn’t seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group, and it’s met with utter confusion? What’s going on here? Katherine Hampsten describes why miscommunication occurs so frequently, and how we can minimize frustration while expressing ourselves better.

Lesson by Katherine Hampsten, animation by Andrew Foerster.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Take a Street and Build a Community: Shani Graham at TEDxPerth



How well do you know your neighbours? Suburban life is often isolating and rarely a true community experience. This is not the case in Hulbert Street.

Shani Graham helped lead a sustainable-living revolution that ultimately resulted in strong neighbourly relationships, the fences pulled down and the establishment of a street festival. In this talk, she explains how it happened.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Support The Matt Garcia Foundation Through AmazonSmile!

Click the logo above to start shopping!

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.

Friday, February 12, 2016

S.T.A.N.D. - Support



The Matt Garcia Foundation supports various youth organizations throughout the community by providing sponsorship to local youth sports teams and other nonprofit groups that benefit the young people of Solano County.

The Foundation has given thousands of dollars to the PAL Youth Center here in Fairfield, which provides after-school activities to local teenagers. This money has helped to purchase computers, a recording studio, roller skates, and much more.

The Foundation also gives out several college scholarships a year to graduating seniors through the Assist-A-Grad program.

 https://www.grouprev.com/standwithffinest

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

S.T.A.N.D. - Advocate


In a direct effort to curb the violence in our community and advocate for peace, the foundation has sponsored several successful gun buy-back programs that have taken hundreds of unwanted guns off the streets.

The president of the Foundation, Teresa Courtemanche, has also advocated by going into the prisons and speaking to prisoners serving life sentences about the impact of Matt’s murder on her family and community.

These prisoners are a part of a program that helps them improve their lives and take responsibility for their actions. As a result, the Foundation has received letters and checks from some of these prisoners whose lives have been changed as a result of the program and her visits.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

How Frustration Can Make Us More Creative



Challenges and problems can derail your creative process ... or they can make you more creative than ever. In the surprising story behind the best-selling solo piano album of all time, Tim Harford may just convince you of the advantages of having to work with a little mess.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

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.