On Saturday, September 26th, we had our first social distancing clean-up since February. It was wonderful to see so many of our volunteers come out for a few hours to pick up trash. It was an added bonus to see the Matt Garcia Foundation's Adopt-A-Street sign located at 601 Texas Street.
We are thankful to be a positive influence in our city. We also know that we adopted downtown over 12 years ago when we decided to pick up where Matt left off. After his death in September of 2008, Raymond and I walked downtown and began to pick up trash as Matt had done nearly every weekend. This was our way to honor our Matt and help ourselves begin to heal. It became a thing! We are eternally grateful that it did. We are honored to be recognized by the City of Fairfield.
If you would like to come out and help We would love to see you. We meet at 9:00AM on the last Saturday of each month (weather and covid-19 permitting) at 601 Texas Street (across from the downtown Starbucks).
Thank you all for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Teresa Courtemanche (Matt's Mom)
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The Matt Garcia Foundation Golf Tournament
Cancelled for 2020
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Sadly, we will be unable to hold our annual golf tournament this year due to COVID 19. This tournament, which we host every fall, is not only a great time for all involved, but is also our only major fundraiser of the year. Last year, our tournament raised over nineteen thousand dollars, and with these funds, we were able to award thousands of dollars in scholarships through the Assist-a-Grad Program, support events at the Matt Garcia Career and College Academy, and help fund other community needs that promote our mission statement. Without our tournament, your online and/or mail-in donations are needed now more than EVER.
We ask that you please help us to help our youth and our community.
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Monthly Community Cleanup |
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October 31, 2020 @ 9:00am – 11:00am
Located 'on the green' at the corner of Jefferson & Texas Streets
Fairfield, CA 94533
- If you are sick in any way, DO NOT come out to the cleanup.
- Maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet from everyone you encounter, even if you are wearing a mask.
- ALWAYS wear gloves.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Unfortunately, you may find used gloves, masks, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) among litter. DO NOT PICK UP ANY PPE without a grabber.
The Matt Garcia Foundation will be proving gloves, grabbers and buckets for collecting the trash.
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Distance Learning
By Board member Shawna Serpas
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We are living in uncertain times, and we know that distance learning can be difficult for parents, students and teachers. Everyone involved has entered unchartered waters, as this is fairly new to all of us. Here are a few tips from a teacher:
- Manage your expectations - an online school day is not going to look like an actual school day. Try to be patient and not to stress too much. Know that everyone is working hard to assure that students get the best education possible under the circumstances.
- Learning space - create a place in the home for learning, preferably with as few distractions as possible.
- Breaks – students need to take “brain breaks” away from the computer throughout the day.
- Technical difficulties – report problems ASAP to your school site administrators, so they can fix them in a timely manner
- Monitor – keep up with grades through Parent Portal and work posted on Google Classrooms.
- Resources – visit your district’s and school’s websites for important information and resources.
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Preventative Healthcare during the
COVID-19 Pandemic
By Board member Nathan Nevins
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It has been over six months since COVID-19 began to rapidly spread in the United States, and we all have been affected by it in one way or another. According to the CDC, 1 in 3 Americans know someone who has been infected with it. Our way of life has been drastically altered, and it will take some time before we can go back to “the old normal.”
While taking precautionary measures for COVID-19 is important, it is also important to remember that other health issues have not gone away. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Approximately 1 in 8 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their life. Here in Solano County, that rate is even worse. According to the Solano Commission for Women and Girls, Solano County’s breast cancer rate is 35% higher than California’s rate, and 40% higher than the United States as a whole.
If treated before spreading to other parts of the body, breast cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 99%. Whereas if it spreads outside the breast, 5-year survival rates can drop to as low as 27%. This is why it is so crucial to detect it early. The CDC recommends that most women aged 50+ receive a mammogram every two years. For women aged 40 - 49, or women younger than 40 who have high risk factors, the CDC recommends discussing with your doctor the pros and cons of getting a mammogram. But this is just general advice -- every woman is unique, so it is important to talk to your doctor about your risk and take precautionary measures in case you become one of them.
Another ailment that has not gone away is the flu. Flu season generally starts in October and ends in May, with a peak between December and February. The CDC estimates that 29 million Americans were infected with the flu during the 2016-17 flu season, and 500,000 of those infections resulted in hospitalization. Most of these cases could have been prevented with a flu shot.
This year, it is especially important to get vaccinated because of the presence of COVID-19. As the weather gets colder, we tend to spend more time inside, which causes viruses such as the flu and coronavirus to spread more easily. A large outbreak of both the flu and COVID-19 could cause emergency rooms and hospitals to become overwhelmed beyond their capacity. While there is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, there is for the flu -- so make sure that you get vaccinated as soon as possible.
COVID-19, breast cancer, and the flu are just a few of thousands of ailments out there. While you should still be cautious with COVID-19, don’t let that undermine any other health conditions that you may be experiencing. Hospitals are still open, healthcare professionals are still there, and the help you may need is still available to you. No one knows your body better than you do, so if you feel that something is wrong, take the proactive steps necessary to get help.
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Impact
You never really know the true impact you have on those around you.
You never know how much someone needed that smile you gave them.
You never know how much your kindness turned someone’s entire life around.
You never know how much someone needed that long hug or deep talk. So don’t wait to be kind.
Don’t wait for someone else to be kind first. Don’t wait for better circumstances or for someone to change.
Just be kind, because you never know how much someone needs it.
-Nikki Banas
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You can support your local small business without spending a cent?
Like or love their post – Tag friends who would enjoy their product or services – Share their post – Join their Facebook group and like the page - Tell your friends!
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Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day… It doesn’t have to be an “A” the next day,
but let’s hope it improves.
-Matt Garcia
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MATT GARCIA FOUNDATION
P.O. Box 3301
Fairfield, CA 94533
DIRECT: 707.372.4160
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