Our Impact

I realize that we have told you "thanks" many a time, but I don't know if we've ever managed to formalize our true appreciation by putting it into written word. Well here goes the attempt to do such, but I don't believe anyone could put into words how much we appreciate your organization's support for our programs and what it has done for the youth of the communities we serve.

We have been associated with your company and the Carlos Vieira Foundation for over five years and this association came at a time when we were about to "scale-back" on our boxing program(s) and be forced to reduce the number of youth we would be providing activities to less than 50. Since then, and through your organization's support and tremendous generosity, our programs have expanded and we now serve a lot greater number of youth and in 4 different communities within Merced County. The success and popularity of these programs has been recognized and we get calls from other areas of the County regularly asking for services in these various other locations. None of this success would have been recognized without your support and there would be many a young individual deprived of the opportunity to participate in a healthy activity versus the many other unhealthy options that exist outside the walls of their local gym.

As we've previously discussed, the sport of boxing is unique in that it is an individual sport that requires a great deal of individual commitment, both physical and mental, but the rewards are boundless for these kids. There is no greater pleasure for me than to be there and recognize when a young person finds their self- confidence and realizes there is no need for criminal behavior, drug use and/or gang affiliation to be able to feel good about themselves knowing that through hard work and commitment anything can be accomplished.

The Carlos Vieira Foundation has been so generous by awarding our autistic daughter the money for the horse hay to keep our daughter able to benefit from her equine riding therapy. Horseback riding is what we believe helped Shyanne to sooth and control many of her mood swings and tantrums. Equine riding also contributed to her learning to speak and her balance and sensory benefits that come with riding a horse. I believe horses are her friends and she enjoys the rocking motion that comforts her while riding. All of our thanks for your foundations help with our daughter.

Hello my name is Teresa Guerrero, My daughter Sara Guerrero was diagnosed with Autism when she was 18 months.  I was fortunate to hear about the Carlos Vieira Foundation through my friend Kori Escobar about a year later.  I was so excited about applying for the grant because there is very little help out there for families struggling and living with autism.  What I love best about the Carlos Vieira Foundation is the fact that they understand and appreciate the uniqueness of your child and your situation.  They allow you to select the items that would best suit your family’s needs.   I am sure my Sara’s needs are much different from other families.  If you are a family living with autism I would encourage you to apply.  My family has truly been blessed.  The items I have received have changed my family’s life. So I would like to thank the foundation for their continued support!

It’s not easy being a single parent, specifically to a child with special needs. As they get older there seems to be more difficult days than easy ones. This event not only gave my son a day to just be himself but it gave me time to just breathe, allow him some independence without worry and feel included in a world that’s not always Autism friendly. I cannot thank you enough.

This year we were very fortunate to be able to receive the grant for speech therapy. Our son Ronnie was diagnosed at age 4 and 7. He was nonverbal until he was 6, he had about ten words, and echolalia. When he was 6 we started looking for help. Services offered by the public school district special education was 35 minutes of speech therapy per week. This was a good thing, but we knew that he needed much more than that. So we went looking for more help. There was none. The only help available was to pay out of pocket for services. So we did. For years, 6 years. Ronnie has been in speech therapy for almost seven years now and this year we had a little trouble paying the 250 dollars per semester for services. two hundred fifty dollars for about 20 35 minute sessions. About 1,000 per year not including gas, snacks, etc. This year we were able to get help from this foundation! We were ready to start the semester and were very concerned on how we were going to pay. That is when we got the letter in the mail approving us for the grant! This was Great News! These funds were able to pay for two semesters of speech therapy for Ronnie and this has improved his speech along with expressive and receptive language. We were able to go to speech every time, and not worry about having to pay for the therapy. That is such a huge relief, I am sure you know the costs of raising children with autism. Less stress is a rare thing for us, and we thank you for helping carry a few bricks this year.

Carlos Vieira our organization thanks you personally for years of assistance by 51FIFTY Energy Drink and the "Race for Autism" campaign for the generous donations to FEAT-FMC since the kick off the "51fifty Race for Autism" in 2009. That fundraising effort exceeded the goal of $51,500 and continues to do so every year. 51FIFTY Energy Drink also supports the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the "Gloves Not Drugs" program to keep kids off the streets, out of gangs and away from drugs. Thank you for making our community a better place and caring so much about children, mental health issues, and most importantly to FEAT-FMC, autism and how it affects our young.

The Race for Autism campaign put on by the Carlos Vieira Foundation has impacted Valley Achievement Center with their generous donation on being the main sponsorship for our April 16  5k walk/run. With their amazing grant program they can help the families in need with autism. They invited the V.A.C to Kern County Raceway for the Winter Showdown sponsored by 51FIFTY and made an announcement about the programs Valley Achievement Center offers here in Bakersfield. I can't wait to see what this amazing foundation is going to do.

I applied for a grant to purchase an IPad and case for my daughter Seniah to use as a communication device for her speech therapy and school as well. This was a godsend for our family because while we are employed and able to our family, Seniah was our first child and we didn’t anticipate the cost that could be associated with having a child with autism. Carlos Vieira’s program was straight forward regarding assistance and they worked quickly once are grant was approved to ensure we received her device and protective case right away. We are very grateful for this grant program and the people with Carlos Vieira as a whole. I’m extremely elated to know that there are programs out here like this intended to help families like mine! I wish you all continued success and am proud to now be considered a part of the Carlos Vieira Foundation family!

You gave us a wonderful gift we don't know what we would have done without these tools to improve our kids... I want to thank you for your help and support. ... Thank you very much and to all your staff that helped me with the applications. I had difficulty with it, but they went out of their way to assist me with it all I appreciate it very much thank you God for letting me in their life’s.?

This was our first time attending the event. I don’t know who was more excited Leah or me and my husband. First I would like to say how organized everything was. It was super easy to find with the signs. And want to say thank you to the owners of the venue it was held at. Thank you for allowing people on your property. It is beautiful!

We never know what to expect when we go out in public. Some days are good and some days end before they begin. Or some are just very upsetting from people and rude comments. But this day was amazing. I was brought to tears when it was time to leave because I didn’t want to leave. I was so grateful for a day where we could just be...Leah had a moment where she melted down and as I was trying to keep things from getting really bad. I felt myself in the normal feeling of oh gosh people are going to start staring and say something...which one parent did. They came over and said. “It’s okay” I have one too. It was the first time I felt understanding from another person in this situation. Those two words meant so much!

I want to say thank you to your staff and the volunteers. There was some pretty special football players from El D that showed compassion and patience. The whole group was just incredible!

Autism life is hard as much as it can be rewarding. But to have a day where you can just be with no judgment and parental advice about how to fix a child with autism was a feeling of freedom.

Thank you for putting on this event and thank you for all you do to bring awareness. We can’t wait till next year! God Bless!