Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Year End Giving Opportunity To Keep The Dream Alive!


We appreciate cash donations in any amount, 
and at the end of the year, 
here's a great opportunity for you 
to get a last minute tax benefit from your donation
and help keep Matt Garcia's dream alive.

Please click the "donate now" button below. 
You can use your PayPal account or any credit card,
and you can make it a one-time donation 
or a recurring donation throughout the year.

See our donation page:



Thank you for your generous support 
to keep the dream alive!

HELP SUPPORT YOUTH... STOP CRIME... STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY

Monday, December 26, 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, December 23, 2016

Happy Holidays!


May Songs of Joy Fill Your Home with Warmth and Your Heart with Happiness this Holiday Season

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Why are Afterschool Programs Important?



Joe Davis, afterschool advocate, on extending the education day to build better learning environments in safer surroundings.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Help for Kids the Education System Ignores | Victor Rios


Define students by what they contribute, not what they lack -- especially those with difficult upbringings, says educator Victor Rios. Interweaved with his personal tale of perseverance as an inner-city youth, Rios identifies three straightforward strategies to shift attitudes in education and calls for fellow educators to see "at-risk" students as "at-promise" individuals brimming with resilience, character and grit.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Why Do We Feel Nostalgia? - Clay Routledge


Nostalgia was once considered an illness confined to specific groups of people. Today, people all over the world report experiencing and enjoying nostalgia. But how does nostalgia work? And is it healthy? Clay Routledge details the way our understanding of nostalgia has changed since the term was first coined in the late 17th century.

Lesson by Clay Routledge, animation by Anton Bogaty.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Three Types of Forgiveness and Why They Matter to Us As Leaders


Forgiveness.

We see it in public gestures like Nelson Mandela forgiving his captors after his long imprisonment or when President Ford pardoned President Nixon.

And we often see the results when there is no forgiveness.

Like in the news every day - from revenge violence to road rage to people arguing about reclining seats on airplanes.

Yes, Mandela and Ford were leaders, but how does forgiveness apply to us as "everyday" leaders?

It applies immediately and directly.

But before I share my thoughts, let's start with the three types of forgiveness. They are:

• Forgiveness of self
• Forgiveness of others
• Forgiveness of situations

As I describe each, I believe the relevance to you both personally and as a leader will become clear.
Forgiveness of Self

We all make mistakes. We all exercise poor judgment. We all screw up. It is what we do next that matters most. If, after our mistakes, we live in guilt and in the past where the mistake happened, nothing positive will come from it.

It's considered a universal truth that "we learn from our mistakes". Yet this "truth" is missing a couple of components - lessons in mistakes are there but the learning isn't guaranteed, and the learning won't come if we are living in the mistake or not willing or able to reflect on it, or won't let go of it and forgive ourselves first. A more complete statement of that truth is that "we can learn from our mistakes if we will let ourselves learn and choose to do so."

And that learning can't happen without self-forgiveness.

There are other reasons why self-forgiveness is important. It will allow ourselves to focus on the future, rather than the past, and it will allow us to reduce our stress and frustration (and makes us healthier too).

Forgiveness of Others

Admit it.

When you read the title of this article, this was probably the type of forgiveness you were thinking of.

Think for a second about the way you feel about a person who hasn't forgiven you. Do you want to be around them, or work for or with them? Are you willing to give them your best effort? Or does the barrier between you (which can include self-forgiveness too) keep you from moving forward?

When we don't forgive others, we set ourselves up for animosity, reduced productivity, more conflict and drastically lowered trust.

So how open to forgiving others are you?

Forgiveness of Situations

Things happen that might not be anyone's "fault". Do you know people who continue to dwell on a past situation that caused them grief or pain, even if it was just a situation? When we are able to forgive situations, we are able to let go of those negative feelings and move forward.

Your forgiveness of situations defines how forgiving you tend to be of negative circumstances, events, or situations that are beyond anyone's control. This would include things like illnesses, natural disasters and the like.

Can you let go of these situations so you can move forward?

If you hear yourself saying lots of "If only... " or "If it had just happened that way... " type statements, you likely have a ways to go in this area.

So What?

When we can forgive, we can move from a past focus to a future focus, which provides us with hope, accountability, and the opportunity for growth and advancement. As long as we (or others, or an entire group) are living in the past, no progress can be made.

Because error is part of being human, forgiveness allows mistakes, failure, slip ups, errors in judgment and decision making, flaws and other breakdowns to become a source of increased wisdom and learning. Without the forgiveness, the same events and situations create more divisiveness, angst, conflict and discord.

The best leaders use the practice of forgiveness to transform themselves and their organizations into forward-looking, agile learners and promote better results every day.

But?

If you are still reading and still are having reservations, it is likely that you agree with my premise, but aren't sure how to let go. Perhaps this quotation from the psychiatrist Thomas Szasz will help - "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget."

The point is instructive. Events, mistakes and mishaps in the past can be learned from, but only if we can let them go through forgiveness. This does not mean we should forget those events, but rather put them in the proper perspective. They are events in the past that we can't change now, but we can learn from.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Eikenberry

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8733671

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Anger, Compassion, and What It Means To Be Strong | Russell Kolts


While anger can feel powerful in our bodies, many of us use angry behavior to avoid dealing with things that make us uncomfortable. Compassion gives us a way to be strong that helps us courageously face the things that scare us—about the world, and about ourselves—and help make them better.

Russell is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Eastern Washington University, where he has taught for the past 16 years and has received numerous honors including twice being named the associated student body’s Faculty of the Year. Dr. Kolts has authored and coauthored numerous books and scholarly articles, including The Compassionate Mind Guide to Managing Your Anger, An Open Hearted Life: Transformative Lessons for Compassionate Living from a Clinical Psychologist and a Buddhist Nun (with Thubten Chodron), and the forthcoming Buddhist Psychology and CBT: A Practitioner’s Guide (with Dennis Tirch and Laura Silberstein). Dr. Kolts has pioneered the application of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) to the treatment of problematic anger and regularly conducts trainings and workshops on CFT.

Monday, December 5, 2016

A Prosecutor's Vision for a Better Justice System | Adam Foss



When a kid commits a crime, the US justice system has a choice: prosecute to the full extent of the law, or take a step back and ask if saddling young people with criminal records is the right thing to do every time. In this searching talk, Adam Foss, a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in Boston, makes his case for a reformed justice system that replaces wrath with opportunity, changing people's lives for the better instead of ruining them.

Friday, December 2, 2016

Join Us TONIGHT for The Matt Garcia Foundation's Winter Extravaganza 2016!


December 2nd, 2016 
6:00pm to 8:30pm 
West Texas Street (under the Fairfield Sign) 

All you have to do is make a donation of your choice that day!


TO DO: 

 ♦ ICE SKATE the night away ♦ Play in the SNOW 

 ♦ Capture the fun at the PHOTOBOOTH ♦ Indulge in some delicious HOT COCOA 

 ♦ Create winter CRAFTS ♦ Take home a SOUVENIR

Brace yourself! You are invited to experience the night of your life! Bundle up and come down to the Fairfield sign to experience a winter wonderland in your own town! Yes, you heard right! Snow is coming to Fairfield! Be sure to pick up a cup of hot chocolate, capture the moment with family and friends, complete holiday crafts, and take home your Matt Garcia Foundation balloon! A great time is sure to come when you spend it with the FFINEST!