The people of the San Geronimo Valley love Noel “Arti” Fernandes almost as much as Mr. Fernandes loves soccer. (It’s hard to imagine even the most ardent love burning hotter than his passion for the beautiful game.)
Mr. Fernandes, co-owner of Arti Natural Indian Cafe in Lagunitas, who plasters his pickup trucks with splashy decals featuring the logos of his favorite teams and players, has always dreamed of watching Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar, play in the World Cup.
It was a dream that seemed out of reach, until now.
Mr. Fernandes’s customers recently surprised him with a GoFundMe campaign called “Send Noel from Arti’s to the World Cup.” It reached its goal of $1,500 in little more than a day—enough to send him to Houston on June 23 to watch Portugal take on Uzbekistan.
“This community and my patrons never let me down,” said Mr. Fernandes, who was shocked to receive such a generous gift. “I was crying inside.”
He plans to attend the game with his 11-year-old daughter, Nicole, who will be carrying a banner addressing Ronaldo by his nickname, which combines his initials and his jersey number: CR7, PLEASE SIGN OUR SHIRT.
Mr. Fernandes will carry a banner of his own, and he hopes the television cameras notice it: THANK YOU LAGUNITAS FAMILIES FOR SENDING ME TO THE WORLD CUP.
“This community means everything to me,” Mr. Fernandes said. “Through the good times and the challenges, people have stood by us. Their support has helped me provide for my family, grow my businesses, and create a life I am deeply grateful for.”
The GoFundMe was organized by Haila Hiller, who has lived in Forest Knolls for nearly six years. The idea came to her while she was waiting for a takeout order at Arti’s.
“I was looking at all the soccer paraphernalia in his restaurant, and I asked if he was going to the World Cup,” she recalled. “He said he’d looked at tickets, and they were kind of expensive.”
Ms. Hiller, one of Arti’s many regulars, suggested that she and her friends and neighbors would have to chip in and send him to a game.
“He was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no,’” she said. “Then we did it anyway.”
Another regular, Taylor Rechtshaffen, helped spread word of the fundraiser to the moms in her Sculpt Baddies workout group. She was all in as soon as Ms. Hiller suggested the idea.
“My heart totally melted because Noel is such an amazingly good man and important part of the community,” Ms. Rechtshaffen said. “He’s always so kind and friendly. I thought, not only does this need to happen, but it’s going to happen.”
As soon as Ms. Rechtshaffen got the word out, people responded.
“It was a thrill to watch the donations flood in and realize that so many people are looking for ways to be kind,” Ms. Hiller said.
Mr. Fernandes, 45, is from Goa, a state on India’s western coast that was under Portuguese rule for 450 years before India annexed it in 1961. The Portuguese converted many Muslim and Hindu Goans to Christianity and baptized them with Christian names.
Thus, Mr. Fernandes has two religions: Catholicism and football.
He loves any team Ronaldo has played for, including Portugal and Real Madrid, but F.C. Goa, his hometown club, has a special place in his heart. The team’s color is orange, and fans chant “uzzo”—fire in their native Konkani—every time the team scores.
On his cellphone voicemail greeting, Mr. Fernandes ends with “uzzooooooooooo!”
The word is tattooed on his forearm, along with the team’s logo, which was also emblazoned on the front of his pickup, until it broke down recently after its arduous 300,000-mile lifetime. The tailgate was adorned with an iconic image of Ronaldo, arms raised, celebrating a goal.
Mr. Fernandes is waiting for new decals to arrive from the printer, which will make his new white Tacoma as unforgettable as its jet-black predecessor, which drew cheers from fellow fans, many of whom stopped to take selfies beside it.
Mr. Fernandes opened Arti’s in 2010 with his close friend, Hans Singh. Until recently, they operated a takeout location in Lake County, which Mr. Singh managed while Mr. Fernandes ran the show in Lagunitas.
Derived from Sanskrit, “arti” is a Hindi word that describes a ceremony of light and devotion meant to overcome ignorance and darkness. It is part of both Hindu and Sikh traditions. Many of his customers have bestowed the moniker on Mr. Fernandes, unaware that his name is Noel.
“Ninety percent of the people call me Arti, which makes me happy,” he said. “It’s no offense, brother, it’s a good word!”
Mr. Fernandes is a fixture at both the restaurant and in the community. He offers free mango lassis to his customers’ children and holds fundraisers for the Lagunitas School.
This is not the first time the community has rallied to support him. In 2020, after vandals broke into the restaurant, damaged furniture and stole $200 from the cash register, the community set up another GoFundMe. They quickly raised $15,000—far more than he needed for repairs.
Mr. Fernandes used the extra money to build a heated patio, where customers could enjoy their food outdoors during the pandemic, and gave some to the school and the local Presbyterian church.
“I believe in karma, he said. “Do good to others, and it comes back to you.”