by Dr. G (Dr. Luis S. González) on 2023-07-06

On Thursday, June 29, friends and family gathered to kick off the Fourth of July holiday with a good old-fashioned pizza party. Dressed in red, white, and blue, the G-Team, one of Colton’s active volunteer groups, took some time out of their busy schedules to gather for delicious pizza, enjoy a cool beverage, share a few old-time stories, and end the celebration with a colorful patriotic cake.

About 45 people joined Dr. G to enjoy the positive atmosphere. The event was held at Pizzadilly Restaurant at 194 East Valley Blvd, and owner Raymond Dorado, was a gracious host, along with his staff, Gloria (sister) and Denise (niece). “This was a nice event,” said Yaneth Murillo, who brought her three children to join in on the fun. Long-time G Team member Norma Gallardo added, “I really looked forward to this. It was a perfect way to celebrate the Fourth of July,” as she was referring to the decorations and the patriotic colors

“It’s really nice to get together and celebrate a positive spirit among the people of the community,” says Cynthia Velasquez, one of Dr.G’s long-time supporters and helper with the pizza party. Another attendee, Evelyn Lopez commented, “We had a great time and laughed.”  

The positive spirit of the event seemed to fill the room, especially when four attendees offered their favorite “Dr. G Story.” Rachel Ngo talked about the craziness of weed problems, Linda Hanson talked about quick phone calls, Teresa Vera talked about the strange yellow marking in the ally, and Jackie Ficarota shared the silly dog story in So. Colton. All of the stories were real, all of the stories were enjoyable to hear, and all of the stories had a successful outcome. “It’s great that these supportive people are comfortable sharing the stories,” smiled Julia Cardenas, one of the helpers at the pizza party.

This was a good, creative way to celebrate the Fourth of July and generate community spirit. The G-Team, which started in 2019, is just the right group to pull this together in a positive way. So what is the G-Team? It’s a group of people who love and care for our community and the people who live here. A hands-on approach is common with G-Team projects, as are prayers and words of encouragement. This pizza party event was a great outreach to family, friends, and the community. Nothing extraordinary about it… Just caring for people.

Congratulations to the G-Team for their continued community outreach, their volunteer efforts, and their positive contribution to community “spirit.”

During the year, the G-Team participates in several productive activities that contribute to the positive atmosphere in our community. Such efforts have included talking with residents, having neighborhood meetings, having trash clean-up projects, planting flowers, painting park tables, visiting shut-ins, helping with the homeless, and more.

For more information about CITY TALK, various community groups, Colton history, the trash clean-up project, the G-Team, prayer list, history briefs, Veteran spotlight, Church Spotlight, Business spotlight, U.S. Flag Watch, neighborhood meetings, community projects, and events, or the online live-stream programs, contact Dr.G at 909-213-3730. Questions and comments are always welcome.