Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Why Not Put the Gun Down?: Yoni Hernandez at TEDxYouth@Watsonville 5/19/13



At the age of seven, in Chiapas, Mexico, Yoni was shot during the uprising of the Zapatistas. Immigrating to the United States, Yoni was bullied at school and sought protection from a gang when he attended Watsonville High. Yoni's life story and message: Why Not Put the Gun Down? is relevant for youth involved in gangs and adults involved in war. Yoni's life is a story of triumph and courage.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Tania Luna: How a Penny Made Me Feel Like a Millionaire



As a young child, Tania Luna left her home in post-Chernobyl Ukraine to take asylum in the US. And one day, on the floor of the New York homeless shelter where she and her family lived, she found a penny. She has never again felt so rich. A meditation on the bittersweet joys of childhood -- and how to hold them in mind.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Roberto D'Angelo + Francesca Fedeli: In Our Baby's Illness, a Life Lesson



Roberto D'Angelo and Francesca Fedeli thought their baby boy Mario was healthy -- until at 10 days old, they discovered he'd had a perinatal stroke. With Mario unable to control the left side of his body, they grappled with tough questions: Would he be "normal?" Could he live a full life? The poignant story of parents facing their fears -- and how they turned them around.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

6th Annual Matt Garcia Softball Tournament 2013

 Step Up To The Plate And Help Strengthen Our Community!
 
SIGN YOUR TEAM UP NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - AUGUST 17TH & 18TH
COMPETITIVE AND COED DIVISIONS
 
EARLY BIRD ENTRY FEE $325.00 BEFORE JULY 27TH
 
REGISTRATION FEE $375.00
DEADLINE TO REGISTER AUGUST 9TH, 2013
(4 Games Guaranteed / 15 Players Per Roster)
 
Lambrecht Sports Complex off Petersen Rd in
Suisun City, CA 94588
 
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY 
(Jump House, Great Food, Music & Face Painting)
 
Contact Information
(Team Registrations) Dave Diaz - Cell # (707) 249-9747 / Email ktdadaved@gmail.com
(Sponsorship Inquiries) Scott Siordia - ktdascotts@gmail.com

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Why Not Use Love to Heal?: Amber Zeise at TEDxYouth@Watsonville 5/19/13



Amber is a senior at Mount Madonna School and wants to pursue a career as a psychotherapist. As part of her study, she traveled to India where she worked with children who are orphaned and living in extreme poverty. Through this journey she saw children in horrific circumstances discover themselves as vibrant human beings without the help of modern pills or therapy. Amber came to the conclusion that love is the best therapy and asks why it tends to be ignored in the western healing systems.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Community Service Day

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.

For more information, please visit http://www.mattgarciadreamteam.org/

 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Allan Witt T-Ball Fields

The Matt Garcia Foundation is committed to investing into sustainable resources. That is why we are dedicated to the Fairfield Pacific Little League T-Ball Field’s at Allan Witt Park. We have committed time and money to this cause and will continue to work on this until it becomes a reality for the youth of Fairfield. These fields will be next to our current fields at Allan Witt Park so we can have our whole League playing at the same location. We are working very hard on getting donations to complete our goal and build two new baseball fields that will be the future home for our T-Ball, Farm (Coach-Pitch) Divisions, and our new Challenger Division for children with disabilities.

We really need your help! If you can spare an hour or two to help our League please come down to the Allan Witt fields with your work gloves and any gardening tools you may have so we can make this dream a reality. We will provide our field improvement project days here on our website. Please keep checking our website for the latest dates and events!

You can learn more about the project by visiting the Fairfield Pacific Little League WEBSITE.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

6th Annual Matt Garcia Softball Tournament 2013

 Step Up To The Plate And Help Strengthen Our Community!
 
SIGN YOUR TEAM UP NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!
 
SATURDAY & SUNDAY - AUGUST 17TH & 18TH
 
COMPETITIVE AND COED DIVISIONS
 
EARLY BIRD ENTRY FEE $325.00 BEFORE JULY 27TH
 
REGISTRATION FEE $375.00
DEADLINE TO REGISTER AUGUST 9TH, 2013
(4 Games Guaranteed / 15 Players Per Roster)
 
Lambrecht Sports Complex off Petersen Rd in
Suisun City, CA 94588
 
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY 
(Jump House, Great Food, Music & Face Painting)
 
Contact Information
(Team Registrations) Dave Diaz - Cell # (707) 249-9747 / Email ktdadaved@gmail.com
(Sponsorship Inquiries) Scott Siordia - ktdascotts@gmail.com

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Daniel Goleman: Why Arent We All Good Samaritans?



Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, asks why we aren't more compassionate more of the time.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

S.O.A.P. - Save Our Activities Programs

Now Under the Leadership of The Matt Garcia Foundation
S.O.A.P. - Save. Our. Activities. Programs.

Attention concerned citizens of Fairfield!
As you all may know, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School district has come upon hard times. Recent budget cuts have closed schools and severely limited valuable resources for our youth. Included in these cuts are secondary education stipends that fund athletic and co-curricular programs in middle school and high school. These are vital activities that provide a well-rounded high school experience for our youth, and they must be preserved.

In 2010, an effort began to raise funds solely to save the athletics programs in our high schools in Fairfield. This was spearheaded by a group of parents who called themselves S.O.A.P (Save. Our. Athletics. Programs). This original S.O.A.P. successfully raised over $100,000 for our sports programs. However, by 2011 the impact of S.O.A.P had diminished and no longer had the same level of support from the community.

The newly constructed S.O.A.P is now a fundraising committee under the leadership of the Matt Garcia Foundation. It has expanded its vision to encompass the many influences that shape the positive educational experiences of your youth.

Therefore Save. Our. Athletics, Programs has become Save. Our. Activities. Programs. As a subcommittee of The Matt Garcia Foundation, the S.O.A.P Advisory Board is headed up by a foundation board member, Dwight Lundy, and consists of five youth representatives: Brittany Chudzinski, Leilani Reyes, Eric Brimer, Cristian Cobos, and Darius Levan.

The Matt Garcia Foundation will provide valuable direction and accountability to the group. The Foundation’s own vision to support youth, stop crime, and strengthen our community is a perfect fit for S.O.A.P.’s mission of youth empowerment. We are here to ensure our Fairfield youth are provided with the best high school experience possible. These programs are crucial – please join us in helping to save them. Thank you!

Please Make Donations to:

The Matt Garcia Foundation
P.O Box 3301
Fairfield, Ca 94533
(Put in check memo “S.O.A.P” or “The Matt Garcia Foundation/ S.O.A.P”)

Facebook: S.O.A.P (Save. Our. Activities. Programs.)