Ray Thomas

Founder of Youth Education Sports (Y.E.S.) in the United States and Grupo de Apoyo Ray Thomas (G.A.R.T.) in Mexico.

The epic journey of Ray’s life began playing ball on the streets of Pittsburgh. The instinct to strive and survive, along with the professional skills he aquired as a business man in Califormia, has helped him to build Y.E.S./G.A.R.T into the organization that it is today. When Ray first came to the Baja Peninsula in 1989, he was a distinguished baseball and softball umpire. His passion for sports and love of children was infectious. He saw a widespread need for athletic opportunities in Baja communities; and he got right to work. "A bat and ball are basic human rights," according to Ray, and G.A.R.T. is fully dedicated to that credo. Ray has traveled the globe to places such as Africa, South America and Europe, giving everything to this cause. Through his generocity, he has earned himself the reputation as a global sports ambassador, along with the many that have accompanied him on this journey.

Although Ray has touched many parts of the world, his heart remains with the children of the Baja Peninsula, the place he has called home since 1989. Ray's founation, Y.E.S./G.A.R.T., continues to address the growing needs of children in in the Baja community and has recently expanded to offer school breakfast programs and graffiti awareness and cleanup programs to local schools. Ray will continue to strive to make a difference.