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MEET RICARDO

Ricardo Avitia is a true native Fort Worthian who continues to live on the same street he grew up on. He brings ongoing advocacy to the local residents in District 11. 

Ricardo is a homegrown candidate who still lives on the same street he grew up on. He is a product of Fort Worth ISD having graduated from Paschal High School. Ricardo is a US Marine Corps Veteran and earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Unit Medal while defending our country as a member of Operation Desert Fox and Operation Southern Watch. Upon his return from service, he continued serving his country and community as a youth football coach and mentor in sports such as boxing, baseball, and wrestling. Throughout his life and career, he has recognized and acknowledged the importance of education. Knowing how expensive a quality education was, Ricardo leaped into higher education and assisted his children to become college graduates while also serving the veteran community as a veteran's specialist at Texas Christian University and Tarrant County College. In addition, Ricardo is also a TCCD Alum. Outside of work, Ricardo continues proactive community activism having spearheaded Defend Hemphill/Hemphill No Se Vende (Hemphill Not for Sale) a community organization composed of residents and businesses in South Fort Worth to combat gentrification. He has also founded and is President of Hemphill Mutual Aid Fund, a local non-profit extending it's services to South Fort Worth and surrounding areas. Avitia continues to be a representative of his community by providing leadership to and revamping the previous dormant JMSL neighborhood association. He is also a member of the American Legion, and Hispanic Women's Network of Texas (HWNTFW). He has provided his community with FAFSA workshops for high school students, as well as back-to-school events which provided backpacks, and free haircuts. Additionally, he has also provided food distributions during the pandemic and provided hot meals to our homeless community  during the freeze storms. He has also collaborated with organizations such as Funky Town Fridge and United Fort Worth on social issues and injustices facing our communities. Today, he is on a new endeavor which he believes is the next level of his advocacy leadership, which is to represent District 11 on the Fort Worth City Council. 

Military service aligned with mentoring new future leaders. 

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit members Lance Corporal Ricardo Avitia (left), a rifleman helps Corporal Jimmy M. Hussey get his M40 chemical-biological field mask fitted properly. Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) protective equipment was a major concern of these Marines as they set up defensive positions in the desert somewhere in Southwestern Asia.

- 1998 U.S. National Archives 

Ricardo served in the United States Marine Corps attached to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Infantry unit based out of Camp Pendleton California. In 1998 he deployed in defense of our country during Operation Desert Fox and Operation Southern Watch. His commitment to our country is an example of his continued service and commitment to our community and his future commitment to District 11. 

Image is from the 1998 U.S. National Archives

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Community service is an ongoing daily effort to bring everyone together to either solve community issues or fill in community gaps.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ricardo gathered with other community leaders to get the necessities needed to residents to District 9, and anyone else in Fort Worth. The common basic necessities show never go unnoticed or unanswered. This is part of moving "forward together" which is needed in our communities Ricardo has kept the unanswered call to truly serve others in our city of Fort Worth.

We leave no one behind, part of this effort was to feed the homeless population during this time when immediate needs were faced. Part of our coalition is to work with hospital systems, community leaders, and third-party organizations, to start helping mend behavioral issues at the forefront. 

Working together is where it starts, and taking it to our city hall for true change!

Community advocacy isn't just at city hall, but out in the neighborhood leading from the front. 

Advocacy isn't just taking issues to city hall, but to where it counts, with our neighbors and our most precious future our, "children." 

Ricardo has been a leader and mentor to our youth and future generations to come. Part of his duties was to take part in areas of associations that interest the youth, including Convention Planning, Education, Awards, Scholarships & Grants, Content and News, as well as an Advocacy sub-committee. 

Mentoring the youth through sports is a huge responsibility that the majority of people don't look to take part in because of the complexity of leadership it takes. This is a different type of leadership advocacy he continues to display on a daily basis for our future. 

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Real Experience in Construction Management fighting against over bidding projects

Ricardo has taken extra education in Construction Management because he saw the grossly overbidding projects that the city continued to pay out without proper overview and knowledge. 
 
By doing so, it prepared him to be a leader in the construction industry by gaining real-world experience through practicum and volunteering on projects & bids. He built a foundation upon which he also grew his career in commercial, industrial & residential construction. 

Skills:

  • Understanding how the bidding process works

  • Understands the value of material prices

  • Understands the labor costs

  • Coordinated construction processes to meet design specifications, deadlines & budgets

  • Collaborated with architects, engineers & building specialists

  • Knowledge of cost estimates & budgets

  • Supervised contractors & their employees

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