Thursday, October 31, 2013

Monday, October 28, 2013

Fairfield PAL - The Matt Garcia Youth Center

250 Travis Blvd., Fairfield, CA 94533
707-422-MATT (6288)

For hours of operation and more information visit their website @ www.fairfield-pal.org

 
The center was named in memory of 22-year old Fairfield City Councilman, Matt Garcia, who passed away in early September 2008. When Matt ran for city council, one of his campaign promises was to open a teen center. The center was originally to be named the Billy Yarbrough Youth Center, but at the request of the Yarbrough family was re-named.
 
The Fairfield Police Activities League (PAL) Matt Garcia Youth Center builds community by organizing youth sports and healthy activities that develop personal character and foster a positive relationship among police officers, youth and dedicated volunteers.
 
In the past several years, the City of Fairfield was confronted with the growing problem of juvenile delinquency. Through the inspired efforts of Community Leaders, Law Enforcement, and Local Citizens to counteract this trend, the Fairfield PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center was established. The vision of the Fairfield PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center is to provide supervised programs such as basketball, boxing, martial arts, music, multimedia, soccer, dance, running, homework tutoring, and more.
 
The Fairfield PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center reaches out to underserved kids in the City and provides safe, healthy activities which promote teamwork, personal responsibility, self-confidence, exercise and healthy living. At a time when youth are barraged with negative influences and unproductive choices our programs offer safe, constructive alternatives to gang involvement, crime, teen pregnancy, delinquency, video game playing and just plain lethargy.
 
The Fairfield PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center provides a framework of rules and regulations that serve as guideposts for youngsters while they are growing up and will continue to serve them in later years. Dedicated civilians and police officers serve as coaches, instructors and mentors to youth who participate in the Fairfield PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center programs. For some youth these adults are the only people in their lives holding them to high expectations while teaching basic fundamentals of sports and leadership.
 
The Fairfield PAL Matt Garcia Youth Center is a community based tax exempt charitable organization that raises funds through individual, corporation and foundation support. We leverage each donation ten-fold by the hundreds of volunteer hours our coaches and program volunteers contribute.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Hetain Patel: Who Am I? Think Again



How do we decide who we are? Hetain Patel's surprising performance plays with identity, language and accent -- and challenges you to think deeper than surface appearances. A delightful meditation on self, with performer Yuyu Rau, and inspired by Bruce Lee.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Alessandro Acquisti: Why Privacy Matters



The line between public and private has blurred in the past decade, both online and in real life, and Alessandro Acquisti is here to explain what this means and why it matters. In this thought-provoking, slightly chilling talk, he shares details of recent and ongoing research -- including a project that shows how easy it is to match a photograph of a stranger with their sensitive personal information.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

The Matt Garcia Home for Women and Children


  • Program supporting 12-18 months, completed November 2009 
  • 6,265 square foot building 
  • Housing for 63 residents 
  • Additional open spaces for family support 
  • Resident assistance residence 
  • Mixed dorm and private family rooms 
  • 2 large lounges for meeting rooms and relaxation 

The Matt Garcia Foundation:

Matt Garcia was a man with a vision. He was the youngest city councilman elected in the state of California in November 2007. Matt was a great young leader and inspiration to all who knew him. Matt was only 22 years old…but he lived more in those short years than many adults can even imagine. He led by inspiration, with integrity and ambition.

Matt’s dream involved supporting the youth and creating places for them to go and things for them to do; Changing a culture of violence and crime in the city through youth involvement. By uniting a community all people will have a sense of belonging and responsibility to the city of Fairfield. Matt’s life was cut short, but his legacy, work and heart live on.
 
The Matt Garcia Foundation was established to carry out Matt’s dream. We are dedicated to the work and efforts that Matt started and hope that we can inspire others to be the change in this world we live in, just as Matt inspired us.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Brilliance, It's In Their DNA: Mike Smith at TEDxYouth@Lincoln



Founder of The Bay and Skate for Change. Mike Smith is a professional speaker who encourages youth to make a difference. In his talk, he challenges both youth and adults to get ready for what this generation will bring to the table.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Gary Slutkin: Let's treat violence like a contagious disease



Physician Gary Slutkin spent a decade fighting tuberculosis, cholera and AIDS epidemics in Africa. When he returned to the United States, he thought he'd escape brutal epidemic deaths. But then he began to look more carefully at gun violence, noting that its spread followed the patterns of infectious diseases. A mind-flipping look at a problem that too many communities have accepted as a given. We've reversed the impact of so many diseases, says Slutkin, and we can do the same with violence. (Filmed at TEDMED.)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Throwback Thursday - Support Youth, Stop Crime, Strengthen Our Community



Support Youth, Stop Crime, Strengthen Our Community from Chris Jordan-Bloch on Vimeo.

A documentary about the Matt Garcia Foundation. The Fairfield, California-based organization was started in the wake of the tragic death of Fairfield City Councilman Matt Garcia. It's aim is to carry on Matt's mission of building community though supporting youth and fighting crime.

Monday, October 7, 2013

The Matt Garcia Foundation's 4th Annual Charity Golf Tournament is October 14th!



 
SIGN UP NOW

4th Annual Charity Golf Tournament
Monday, October 14, 2013

Yocha DeHe Golf Club
at Cache Creek Casino Resort
14455 CA-16
Brooks, CA 95606



The Matt Garcia Foundation is pleased to announce our 4th Annual Charity Golf Tournament which will be held on Monday, October 14, 2013.  This is one of our most well attended and exciting events of the year.  The tournament will be held at Yocha Dehe Golf Club (Cache Creek) which is one of the premier courses in our area.  Our fundraiser is an 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 at (707) 452-9676, or email ktdalesley@comcast.com.

Friday, October 4, 2013

We're Just Different: Landon Beard at TEDxYouth@Lincoln



Landon is a 16- year old senior at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. Landon is very passionate about people being able to achieve their full potential through any medium. He speaks about unleashing brilliance through unseen potential, specifically tackling the issues surrounding the special education system in public schools.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013