In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. I was given the opportunity, along with several other Kaiser employees, to volunteer 4 hours of my day at the Fairfield PAL Center. Myself and three student PAL members painted a few walls in the food pantry area. It was exciting to be a part of something so needed and appreciated.

I hold a special place in my heart for the Fairfield PAL Center as Matt was involved in helping to make the PAL Center in Fairfield a reality before he was killed. Matt knew we needed a place for our young people to go to just be kids. Matt understood that in order to have successful communities we need to have places where our youth are given opportunities to thrive and be the best that they can be.This is exactly what PAL is!

I just want to thank Kaiser and the Fairfield PAL Center for caring about our youth. 

Sincerely,

Teresa

On January 13th, 2023 the Foundation had a wonderful going away dinner for Briana Esquivias and Sakina Ali at the Hilton in Fairfield. Briana and Sakina, thank you so much for your service with the Foundation. We are a better organization because of your time, talent and leadership. Matt Garcia would have been very proud of you because you inspire us to do our very best, and your encouragement makes everyone feel so blessed. Although you will both be missed, we’re all excited to see where life takes you next. You are destined for greatness!

High School Key Club Pop-Up Palooza

Will C. Wood, Early College and Rodriguez High School Key Clubs held a fundraiser at the Matt Garcia Foundation Office on Saturday January 28th. They sold baked goods, bracelets, tote bags and Boba. The purpose of the fundraiser was to raise money for their upcoming field trip. Key clubs are student led organizations that teach leadership through serving others, right inline with the mission of our foundation. It was nice opening up our office for the youth that come and volunteer for our clean ups and Tree Lightning events. We look forward to opening our office for these worthwhile events in the future.

Words Matter | Your breath says, you are Enough!

Raymond Courtemanche aka Brother Ray- a chaplain at heart who raised Matt from age 4 will be hosting a open discussion for Transitional Aged Youth on the 1st Thursday of each month from 4-6pm at our downtown Fairfield Matt Garcia Foundation office @ 717 Texas St. “Growing up as a foster youth, I never felt understood. I was Homeless on the streets of Fairfield from ages 16-19. My mindset is, each person has value and it’s not about what you say, it’s about how you care and make people feel. 

See you @ our meet up BR.

For more information you can contact Raymond @ 707 310-4152

or Email Raymond@ffinest.org

We often associate the month of February with hearts because of Valentine’s Day. However, there’s another reason we should think about hearts in February; it’s American Heart Month. February is designated as American Heart Month to advocate cardiovascular health and raise awareness about heart disease.

American Heart Month is a wonderful opportunity to focus our attention on ways to promote and maintain heart health. Since 1963, American Heart Month has been celebrated as a way to educate Americans to join the battle against heart disease.

In the 1800’s Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first African American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. A true pioneer, she battled deep-seated prejudice against women and African Americans in medicine. Dr. Crumpler worked for the Freedmen's Bureau to provide medical care to freed slaves who were denied care by white physicians.

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”

 -Dr. Seuss

“The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause

for being happy except that they are so.”

-William Inge