July 2018 Newsletter

Gratitude Quote of the Month

“I’m grateful for being able to be a part of JKL with my sister. We work out and encourage each other to work towards our life and fitness goals.”
— Jordan, Hamilton
 


 

Photography JKL Contest

 

Alyssa – 1st Place Finalist

During the month of May, we received an awesome donation of high quality photography equipment from San Diego natives, the Hicks Family. We decided to have a fun photography contest with some of our aspiring JKL photographers.
 

We had students from our Los Angeles, Dallas, and Austin programs enter the contest. Each participant had to submit 3-4 photos that represented what JKL means to them through their camera’s lens.
 

We had some amazing entries with great creative approaches that made it hard to pick only two winners! Both our 1st first place (Alyssa) and 2nd place (Lucy) came from our Animo Inglewood JKL program.
 
Lucy – 2nd Place Finalist

We are so grateful for every single donation we receive as a foundation. It makes opportunities like this possible and gives our students a creative outlet of expression!
 


 

Beach Day With the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation

 

For our JKL Los Angeles End of the Year Celebration, we were thrilled to team up with our friends at the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation. This organization is doing remarkable work through providing free ocean therapy classes and surf lessons to veterans, foster children, and inner city youth.
On Saturday, June 2nd, we brought over 80 JKL students to El Porto Beach in the South Bay for a day filled with sunshine, laughter, physical challenges, and peer to peer motivation. For many of our students, it was their first time getting on a surfboard and for some, it was even their first time in the ocean.
The event itself helped bring to life the four major components of the JKL program by featuring Surfing & Body Surfing Stations (Fitness), a Yoga Station (Gratitude/Reflection), Beach Clean-Up Station (Community Service), and a healthy lunch and snacks for all attendees (Nutrition). We also had a Sandcastle team building station that turned out to be very competitive!
We are so grateful to the JMMF for all of their help executing this event and securing so many wonderful volunteers who donated their time to help make the day one our students will never forget. Additionally, we would like to thank our just keep livin teachers and staff, Growing Great, LACO Lifeguards, Campsurf, National Charity League, Surfrider SouthBay, Yoga Mittra, Luxottica, and Jersey Mikes.
 


 

Rewind and Dine

 

On Monday, June 4th, 2018, the JKL team from Theodore Roosevelt High School as well as our community partner, the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative invited our seven 12th grade JKL members to highlight and congratulate them on their upcoming graduation and as a thank you for participating in the JKL program. The team took the students to the restaurant Station 4 located in SW Washington, DC.
The premise to this activity being called “Rewind and Dine,” was to provide a new dining experience and reflect on the students’ experiences with the JKL Program during the 2017-2018 school year. The JKL students who attended were asked to share their biggest highlight with the program for the year as well as provide recommendations for the future. Below is a recap of what some of the students shared!
Christy shared that her highlight was feeding the homeless during their community service activity which took place on Sunday, April 8th. She recommended providing more insight into the student population with some of the community partners who come in to work with the students. That recommendation is an ongoing process the team is working on to improve throughout the entire school community, so Christy was right on point with that feedback!
William shared that his highlight was the Courtside Sports Panel event at Howard University that occurred on Friday, April 13th. William was intrigued and excited with the entire atmosphere of the college campus!
Emmanuel shared that his highlight was just being a part of the program. He stated that he appreciated the support and a place to go after school where he had the opportunity to have fun while exercising!
Overall, the first JKL “Rewind and Dine” evening experience was a success! The students were challenged to step out of their comfort zones and experience something new and different. The JKL instructors expressed how the evening was both exciting and refreshing to witness the students enjoy themselves and communicate their gratitude for the special evening and the program overall!
 


 

JKL National Teacher Training 2018

 

On June 21-22nd, just keep livin completed another successful Teacher Training where 70 of our JKL instructors gathered in Los Angeles. This year’s theme of “Strength in Numbers” provided the platform for all 32 of our programs to come together to share best practices, discuss programming, curriculum, and most importantly get re-energized for the 2018-2019 school year.
We thank all of our dedicated staff members who are on the front line providing successful programming across the country!
 


 

Grocery Shopping Tip from Camila

 

When you are at the grocery store, stick to shopping the perimeter of the store …. This is where you are going to find all of the healthy, whole foods that you want to be eating. If you can avoid getting most of your items in the isles, you will be able to eliminate a lot of processed foods.

 


 

Recipe of the Month – Infused Waters from Beller Nutrition


Most of us forget to drink enough water in the day and with so many other options (like juices, sodas, energy drinks) water can seem kinda dull… Mega tip: add any of these combinations to your water, whether it’s in a bottle for school or a bigger pitcher at home. Have fun hydrating!
Ginger and Lemon
1 tsp freshly grated ginger + 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Blueberries and Mint
1/4 cup frozen blueberries + 6 to 10 mint leaves
Apple Cinnamon Ginger
1 tsp freshly grated ginger + 1/4 apple, sliced + 1 cinnamon stick + splash of apple cider vinegar
Ginger Lemon Cucumber
1 tsp freshly grated ginger + 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced + 1/2 a medium cucumber
 


 

Swag of the Month

 

What’s in your bag!

You will find lots of things to carry in this 12” x 12” x 6.5” sturdy, polyester canvas tote bag.
This tote has an outside pocket – perfect for a water bottle or umbrella and several smaller inside pockets.
shop alright gear!
 

Support Just keep livin foundation

When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates.