Black Lives Matter - Statement from your Board

Hola Culers,

Over the past two weeks, we’ve all seen, listened to, and participated in the protests in solidarity with our black community, members, and loved ones. As a Penya, we fully believe and support any cause that recognizes the rights of all people and their equal access to liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness.

Our Penya is a family that welcomes all people. We stand with our brothers & sisters and echo the voices of those calling for equality in the United States and the world. We acknowledge unequivocally that systemic racism exists and scream the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many countless other black lives that have been lost as a result of these systems. Black Lives Matter is a mantra we proudly stand behind. We want it to be clear with all of our members where we stand.

In support of the BLM movement, we are making a donation to ACLU/NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. We have set up a GoFundMe page for any of our members who would like to monetarily contribute to help end these injustices. The Penya will be starting things off with a donation of $530 from our charity raffle funds. Rest assured that we will be taking every step we can to continue to educate ourselves and those in our communities. We support our members in the actions they are taking to help. If you would like to help and want to know where to start, feel free to get in touch and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.

Through this gesture, we hope to do our part in catalyzing the much needed change in our current system. We love all of you as we stand here in solidarity with you and hope for a better tomorrow, and Barca in our hearts. Also, do not forget to Register to Vote!

Please see below for links.

With much love, say it loud and say it proud! Tots Units Fem Força y Black Lives Matter!!

Sincerely,

Your Board

Penya Barcelonista San Francisco

Help for Houston

Join us in helping our fellow culers in Houston help feed the hungry after the devastation cuased by Hurricane Harvey.

Please consider donating to the Houston Food Bank. We've created a website to make it easy to donate to the cause, where 100% of the money will go directly to the Houston Food Bank.

Announcing our New President

Hi Culers,

By now, i'm sure most of you have met Matt Manson, who i'm happy to announce will be taking over as president of the penya. Matt has been the de-facto lead in organizing club activities so it's a well overdue honor to hand the reigns over to him.

When Javier Caelles and I started watching games together over five years ago we never imagined that we were starting something that would grow to the size of our organization and become the official San Francisco. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished together and look forward to many more games in the future. I will be continuing to help out as secretary and look forward to seeing you at the games!

Robert Manson

Support for Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco

This year we were honored to welcome Mr Jordi Mestre, vice president and responsible for Sports Area of FC Barcelona. He was gracious enough to present the Penya with a player's jersey signed by the entire team.

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Sr. Jordi Mestre with Matthew Manson at South Beach Cafe

In the spirit of "Més Que un Club" the penya recognized this as a great opportunity to support Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, an organization that sponsors athletic and academic programs for local children.

We began selling tickets and in June we announced the winner of the raffle after raising $1,000 for The Tenderloin Clubhouse of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco.

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The lucky winner!

Special thanks to everyone who bought a ticket for the raffle! We raised a substantial sum for a worthy organization, helping disadvantaged youth in San Francisco and throughout the country. Tenderloin Clubhouse of Boys & Girls Clubs provides essential services such as after school soccer and other sports for those who wouldn't have access to it otherwise.

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Matthew Manson of Penya Barcelonista San Francisco, Ashley Monro of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and local youth.

We are all excited for next season to begin but I'm i'm also excited for the opportunity for us to continue to help the community.  With everyone's help we can use the strength of our organization and the spirit of Barça to make a difference in San Francisco.

Looking forward to season to come,

Robert Manson, President, Penya Barcelonista San Francisco