“I want this ‘thing’ - this father figure - to help me through life, and I didn’t have it.”
Joseph and Kialynn [Kia] Olivarez are turning tragedy into triumph through the Matthew Mark Foundation - A local non-profit centered around outdoor activities like mountain biking and skateboarding, where the focus is mentorship and well-being.
Having grown up in southern Califorina, Joseph and two of his closest friends, grew up in single-parent homes, often relying on each other or older friends for guidance.
“I was born in Montana, California, until second grade when I got into a bad car accident,” Joseph shared. “After that, my parents decided to move to Hawaii. I think it was an escape for them as much as it was for me. They decided to split up, and my sister and I moved with my mom to San Diego.”
“My dad remarried pretty quickly and wasn’t around very often, so it was just me, my sister, and my mom. I had a lot of friends, but I grew up in a single-parent household. I met Matthew (Matt) and Mark in middle school, who the foundation is named after. Matt had a single mom and Mark’s mom died from cancer when he was young. So, there was kind of this unspoken bond between us.”
Joseph, Matt, and Mark shared a classic childhood narrative: riding bikes, learning to surf and skateboard together with a little mischief mixed in. The friends were so close, in fact, that during a school sabbatical, Joseph and Matt lived together in Hawaii.
“My friend Asher’s brother was a professional surfer on the Big Island of Hawaii and convinced me to put off going to college to surf. Mark was living on Oahu, going to college. We got an apartment together, and I did all sorts of odd jobs to afford rent, food, and fun. That’s all I cared about.”
It didn’t take long for Joseph to feel unsatisfied with the direction his life was heading.
“I had a heart-to-heart with Matt, and he convinced me to go get my degree,” Joseph said. “I got into music school at the University of San Diego and I got a degree in composition with a teaching credential. By that time, I was 28, so I decided to go straight to graduate school. I went to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and got a master's in music with an emphasis in composition and education.”
Thinking back on it, the founder of the Matthew Mark Foundation says filling that father-figure role after his parents separated, and becoming a teacher, were the foundation he needed to start a non-profit for youth like him and his friends Matt and Mark.
“I never thought I’d go back to California, but an opportunity came up at Morro Bay High School, and soon after, my sick grandfather asked me to help take care of him. It was during that time, I met Kia.”
The Olivarez’s were starting their life together in Southern California when Joseph received two life-changing phone calls.
“Early in my relationship with Kia, I got a call from Matt. It was a good, but strange call. And the next thing I know, he’s gone,” Joseph shared. “That was heartbreaking. He was like a brother. Matt was the type of person who was perceived as a bully because he was a big kid, but I saw the heart. Then, three weeks later, Mark calls me. He was never emotional, and he was telling me how much he loved me. Then he was gone.”
It’s common for anyone who has faces tragedy like this to think, “What could I have done?” Joseph’s answer to this question was the Matthew Mark Foundation.
During the pandemic, the Olivarez family relocated to Bentonville. Looking to create some space from the place that weighed on their hearts, they were optimistic for a fresh start where they could break the cycle they experienced in California, and be present with their kids.
“When we moved to Arkansas, we had started a company with our friends called Gravity NWA,” Kialynn said. “After a while, their lives had changed, and they were ready to move on. It was a great time for a name change, and this had been on his [Joseph] heart for a while.”
“For a long time, I had wanted to start something for mentorship and wellbeing,” Joseph added. “Through teaching, I learned, there’s no such thing as bad kids, just misdirected kids. Some just need some direction and encouragement.”
The Matthew Mark Foundation offers free mountain biking and outdoor programs, creating a safe space for youth to build resilience and community. The mission is funded by donors, sponsors, lessons, and events.
Referencing I Corinthians, the Foundation promotes, “Let all that you do be done in love.”
“That’s how I’ve always tried to be with kids, like a big brother, showing the love of God,” Joseph said. “Without being centered and balanced - without my faith - I cannot be the best version of myself to be a loving father and kind person in the world.”
Without my faith, I cannot be the best version of myself to be a loving father.