St. Francis Alumni Association

It's great to see St. Francis grad and assistant soccer coach Juan Fontenla '93 being recognized for his continued service to the community as a Bresee Foundation Board Member and college student mentor/role model. We're proud of you, Juan...GO KNIGHTS! https://www.instagram.com/p/CKpHm7qA7Cj/ From the Bresee Foundation: It's National Mentoring Month and we've had the honor of highlighting and recognizing the individuals that spark change and empowerment in our community and... youth. Meet Juan, a Bresee Board Member, who serves as mentor and role model to our college students. "To be a mentor for me...represents benevolence, gratitude and reflection. The efforts applied by my mentor colleagues remind me of the kindness others demonstrated during my path. This recognition calls on my inner spirit to help those students much more capable than I, when I was in "their shoes." For me, mentoring is also a form of appreciation. I appreciate our student warriors who battle years of systematic barriers and through their struggles and triumphs teach me the beauty of conquering adversity. Lastly, being a mentor is a time of reflection for all the blessings I enjoyed during my academic and professional journey. Spending time with our mentees allows me to reflect. It reminds me of the trailblazers of years prior who put in the time and energy to help me. It is a pure form of passing it forward. Be kind, be gracious, be pensive but above all, be a mentor," expressed Juan. #NationalMentoringMonth #Mentors #RiseTogether #BreseeLA #HighSchool #College

It's great to see that St. Francis grad Ryder Christ '12 will be returning home to work as part of KTLA! GO KNIGHTS!

Here's a great article spotlighting St. Francis grad Markar Agakanian '15. We're proud of the success of all of our graduates as they pursue their dreams! GO KNIGHTS! http://voyagela.com//exploring-life-business-markar-agak/

The funeral of our brother, Michael Abboud '95 will be tomorrow, January 26th 11a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Coronado, CA. It will be live streamed at sacredheartcor.org. Being a retired veteran, military burial with honors will follow. Donations in Michael's name can be made to two charities he held close to his heart:... Coptic Orphans P.O. Box 2881 Merrifield,VA 22116 Sacred Heart Catholic Church 655 C Avenue Coronado, CA 92118

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and your families! As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, may the hope of Christ remind us that it is often in our darkest hour that the light of God's presence shines the brightest.

What a joy it has been to watch St. Francis grad Greg Dulcich '18 grow and thrive as a tight end for UCLA football. He had two touchdown catches in a tough loss against Stanford this past weekend. We're proud of your determination and we're cheering for your success, Greg...GO KNIGHTS! https://www.latimes.com//starring-for-ucla-pie-in-stomach-

Online HSPT Entrance Exam - Saturday, January 23 @ 8:30 a.m.

Sharing this on behalf of Brian Cameron ‘79 and family. If able to assist please do, also please keep the family in prayers. https://www.gofundme.com/f/gage-camerons-recovery-fund

It's great to see St. Francis grad Michael Bazarevitsch '18 serving as one of the unsung heroes for the TCU football team. Michael has a heart for service, and we're proud of his dedication! GO KNIGHTS! https://spectrumlocalnews.com//the-unsung-heroes-of-tcu-fo#

Congrats brother! We are proud of you. Mahalo for all you do!

Please pray for our brother, Travis Montavon ‘97, and his family. LT4 brother! God be with you.

To my fellow alums, Let me be one of the first to wish you all a Happy Advent, a Merry Christmas, and last but not least, allow me to remind you we only have 24 days left in the year 2020. I want to thank all of you for your participation in the Canned Food Drive from last month. Over 6,000 cans were collected, of which over 2,000 (1/3 of the total amount) were donated by us, alums of SFHS.... While this year has been tough on us all, let us remember that there are those who are less fortunate than us. The alumni association will participate in the second annual toy drive to benefit St. Lawrence once again. The drive goes from today until December 15th. You have options to drop off toys, or have them delivered directly to the school. All options are listed on the graphic above. Let’s finish off this year strong and donate toys for kids who may not have anything to open on Christmas Day. Please DM us for any questions. My best wishes to you all as we end the year, and I pray that 2021 is the best year yet for us all. Mike Daher ’06 President, Alumni Association Graphic by Matt Barker’08

Gents...sons of St. Francis, it IS ours...to continue building His church on earth. Perpetuate this great 75 year legacy with a gift to support our beloved Alma Mater www.SFHS.net/giving

An update on service Information from Coach’s son.

Lots of familiar faces actively giving today. LOTS OF NEW FACES coming to the table for the first time!! Love our Family!

Anonymous supporter placed these last night in tribute to Coach. God Bless you, Jimmy!

A message from Mr. Altobelli on this Giving Tuesday. Hope you are all well on this first day of a December. Not sure how many of you will see this, but I thought I’d give it a shot Almost everyday for the last 38 years, I have been blessed by one organization. From the time I set foot on campus in the Fall of 1982 to today as I will enter my classroom shortly, St. Francis High School has been an immeasurable force in my life. It has forged me (along with my family) into... the man I have become today, and will continue to help me continue to develop into the man I am to become in the eyes of God. St. Francis has provided for me spiritually, educationally, and personally. In good times and bad, the values of the school and the people who work there (both past and present) have been with me to share the joy and pain. People who believe in the school’s mission have supported Golden Knights, for generations. Today is Giving Tuesday. Our beloved school needs our support to continue to impact generations of future Golden Knights to come! As a member of the (revamped) Alumni Association, I have been telling Alumni that when I encouraged them to join the Association (https://alumni.sfhs.net) (And why haven’t you joined us?), I told them it was not necessarily about the money, but about the Brotherhood of Golden Knights and continuing to do what they have always done. This will be the one time it is about the money An opportunity to choose numerous options to support our Alma Mater. From specific endowments and programs on campus, to scholarships and Capital Campaigns. Chose to support what nurtured you in school and/or what nurtures you soul today. I’m supporting the initiative to name our current athletic stadium after Coach Bonds. Jimmy was my friend, a mentor to many, a great coach, and truly a great man. All I ask in this post is to consider a donation, regardless of the amount, to continue to support a place we once all called home. Be well brothers! See more

To our St. Francis Alumni family, As you’ve seen by now, we lost our mentor, father figure, leader, and friend, Coach Jimmy Bonds. To say his influence reached many is an understatement. He helped mold us into the fathers, brothers, husbands, and men we are today. The alumni association wants to honor our coach and show his family how influential he was by having one more Game Day. For one week, pick a day where you wear mass dress, a letterman’s or football pullover, and ...tag #bondsstrong to show his family how much he has meant to us. Let’s show them how many of us he touched. It’s a blessing to have been coached by him, to learn from him, and it’s now on us to spread his message and his spirit. He stated himself, St. Francis is a family unlike any other. Let us lean on each other now more then ever, let’s lift up the Bonds family, and one another. Together, we can and will honor him. In Brotherhood, Mike Daher, ‘06 President, Alumni Association

Tonight’s prayer service. Please join in to pray and mourn our head coach, mentor, and friend.

With great sadness, it pains us to announce our beloved coach has passed.

Our hometown team @dodgers supporting #bondsstrong

Dear St. Francis Community, We would like to invite you to join us as a community to lift up Coach Bonds in prayer during a special prayer service on Wednesday,... October 28, 2020 at 7:00 pm. The prayer service will be livestreamed from the St. Francis HS chapel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-_rtIbnXoqLr32vkXBE-w Fr. Christopher Iwancio, OFM Cap. Campus Chaplain

UPDATE ON COACH BONDS ~ From Tom Bonds: Let me give you a quick summary.... He was transitioned to hospice yesterday from City of Hope after being told the fight is over. He slept peacefully last night with me, his son, his nephew and his best friend surrounding his bed. He had many visitors yesterday at his window at City of Hope and this morning at his house. Your emails, texts and calls inspired him greatly. This afternoon the family had a consultation with a myeloma expert at another hospital. After significant review of the data and records, He indicated there was still a sliver of Hope. We then had a conversation with Jimmy after that, and he said he still had some in the tank, he was not ready to quit, he wanted to try anything he could. He and I just arrived at UCLA in an ambulance. He is fighting for his life. We believe that your prayers make a difference. Thank you. This hospital saved his daughter's life once. We need that miracle again. He will NOT give up. Spread the word. Love you all, Tom Bonds

Prayers for our beloved Coach Bonds, his family, and all the St. Francis community who had the honor to be coached and mentored by him.

Feel free to post any stories of Coach Bonds so we can share with his family