As I sit here in our beautiful downtown office I can't help but to be overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I can’t believe we have had this downtown office location for 1 year now. I remember with tears in my eyes when Matt was taken from us. We all knew, Matt’s friends, our friends, our family, and even strangers, that if we didn’t do something to Keep Matt’s Dream Alive, his story would be just another tragic story of success, devastation, and heartbreak.

That is exactly what we did! Within 3 months following Matt’s murder, a group of us got together and with the help of the Yarbrough and the Russo family, The Matt Garcia Foundation non-profit 501 C (3) was started. I will never be able to thank the Yarbrough and Russo family enough for their constant support.

It’s been over 14 years and we are still going strong. We have an amazing board of directors and advisory board, who focus so much on what Matt wanted to see in our community. Our volunteers are the BEST! The outpouring of support from our city and its residents has been truly amazing. 

Not a day goes by that I don’t remember the sacrifices and the dedication that got us started and keeps us going. I am forever grateful for ALL OF IT! I know that Matt is too.

As we look forward to the future of The Matt Garcia Foundation We are asking for donations of your time as well as monetary donations. We hope to enlist more board member interest. We would love to host more fundraisers throughout the year to help sustain us but we need your help. 

If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved Please contact us at: info@ffinest.org

Thank you all for all that you do.

Sincerely,

Teresa Courtemanche

President

Zach, our board member, has been working on a personal comic (with another artist) and he is seeking followers to join him and various artists on his comic book creating journey! It will be free to read once completed. The comic book series is in its infant stages but there will be tons to come. To find out more, please visit the following links, follow and like to support. See how cool stuff gets made!

Website: https://greenpizzacomics.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenpizzacomics

IG: @greenpizzacomics

BMAC (Buy Me A Coffee): buymeacoffee.com/greenpizzaQ

And just like that, It's April!

I wanted to thank our 2 podcast guests, councilwoman, Doriss Panduro, and Battalion Chief, Jessica Fleshman, for helping us to honor Women's History Month. Hearing their stories about how they got to where they are today is very inspirational. I'm honored that these two amazing women took time out of their busy schedules to come down to our podcast room and talk with Sheila and me.

It is vital that we women respect, honor, and support each other in all that we do and say in this world.

For me, having the support from other women has been my saving grace, especially, during crucial times in my life. I know that having another woman who understands what we women deal with, is extremely important and valuable. We will always need each other.

Thank you all for all that you do

Sincerely,

Teresa

To listen to their podcast click on link below.

National Safe Digging Month Focuses Awareness on Importance of Calling 811. So is April's National Safe Digging Month – a public safety initiative supported by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and more than 1,000 other utilities -- that raises awareness about the importance of having underground utility lines marked in advance of any digging project. It's a nation-wide effort to help keep people safe while doing projects big and small. According to the Common Ground Alliance's damage information reporting tool, an underground utility line is damaged every nine minutes in the United States.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” 

~ Jane Goodall