April 2019 Newsletter
Student Spotlight: Niya, John Adams High School
“Upbeat,” “curious” and “motivational” are just a few words that describe Niya, a Senior at John Adams High School in Cleveland, OH who is blossoming in the JKL program!
During her sophomore and junior year, she heard about the JKL program but never had the time to stay after school. For her senior year, though, she made it a goal to be more intentional and decided to finally join the JKL program despite the fact she works 4 days a week and has a packed schedule.
This past Fall semester has exposed Niya to so many first time experiences: the Breast Cancer 5k, Cavaliers games, yoga lessons and exploring the sights outside of her neighborhood. She now regularly implements and shares with her mother the many tips and recipes she gets from the JKL monthly nutrition component.
“Niya is hardworking and has a tremendous amount of integrity. She is one of our JKL leaders and has truly begun to shape the program here at John Adams,” said JKL instructor, Ms. Ware Rembert.
After high school, Niya would like to study the field of criminal justice and become a homicide detective. We wish nothing but greatest for Niya for this spring semester and for whatever the future holds!
Gratitude Quote of the Month
"I’m grateful for having this program where I am accepted and feel part of the team!"
— Emmanuel, Fremont High School, Los Angeles
Matthew McConaughey Joins just keep livin Students on the Field!
Earlier this month, students in our Dallas-area just keep livin Foundation programs got to experience a special treat, thanks to our longtime partners at the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and JKL Founder, Matthew McConaughey.
Teens from Rangers-funded JKL programs at Eastern Hills High School, L.G. Pinkston High School and Sam Houston High School met up at the Rangers’ MLB Youth Academy for a raucous game of Wiffle ball and some one-on-one time with McConaughey.
He spoke to the students about JKL’s monthly quote for March – “Respect and trust yourself” – and also passed along some heartfelt condolences about JKL teacher, Rebecca Pfleger, who had suddenly passed away in January. To read more about this special afternoon, click here.
Lakers Youth Foundation Basketball Clinic
On Saturday, March 9th, our just keep livin program at Huntington Park attended a basketball clinic hosted by the Lakers Youth Foundation!
It was all smiles as the students participated in agility and endurance drills, strength training exercises, and listened to a presentation on the importance of proper nutrition, hydration and how to prevent injuries. Of course, the last portion of the clinic focused on basketball drills which was a big hit! The students had an amazing time and we are so grateful to the Lakers Youth Foundation for hosting another fun filled event!
Click here to sponsor a JKL field trip »
Los Angeles Rams Mental Health Clinician Inspires JKL Students
JKL students at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles were thrilled to welcome Dr. Carrie Hastings as a Guest Speaker.
Dr. Hastings, who is a licensed Clinical and Sport Psychologist and is the Mental Health Clinician for the LA Rams, shared a motivational presentation about “Grit and Courage” while touching upon her own personal journey from being a high school and college track star to finding her way to her current career.
The kids were riveted and very curious about her job, as many of them didn’t even know that such a career existed. And of course, we had lots of Rams fans in the house so they were very impressed that she gets to talk to the players on a regular basis!
Click here if you are interested in being a Guest Speaker »
Field Trip with the Houston Dynamo
JKL students from Chavez High School in Houston were thrilled to attend an “International Women’s Day” event put on by the Houston Dynamo, the city’s MLS team, at their stadium headquarters.
Our Chavez students are all big fans of their local soccer team and were looking forward to this event, but little did they know that they would be given the full VIP treatment from arrival to departure! They were welcomed with open arms before being given a tour of the entire facility, including the field, locker rooms, press room and play-by-play booth.
After the tour, our JKL students listened to a panel discussion filled with accomplished women who work for the Houston Dynamo Organization: Tiffani Whittington (Sr. Director, Fan Relations), Pierina Inciarte (Video Services Coordinator), Martha Carvejal (Premium Service manager), Veronica Latsjo (Profession Player, Houston Dash) and even a former Chavez Alum, Liliana Cardenas (Academy Administration). The panelists spoke to students about their college experiences and their journeys into their career paths, along with providing real-world examples of how to prevail in the face of a letdown.
The students really appreciated these ladies’ transparent responses to their questions and were so grateful to receive Houston Dynamo swag bags and game tickets!
Click here to sponsor a JKL field trip »
Get Your Tickets for Austin’s Biggest Party!
Don’t miss your chance to join us in Austin for our annual fundraiser, Mack, Jack & McConaughey taking place at the Austin City Limits (ACL) Moody Theater in Austin, TX on Friday, April 25th.
Tickets for the “Jack & Friends” concert featuring Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriters go on sale THIS FRIDAY, April 5th at 10:00 am Central Time via Ticketmaster It is a very special evening hosted by Matthew McConaughey, Mack Brown and Jack Ingram and featuring performances by renowned artists including Jessi Alexander & Jon Randall, Holly Williams, Butch Walker – and many more!
Get your tickets soon and read more about the event here.
Camila’s Tip: Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs!
Instead of using regular old food dye to make your Easter eggs this year, Camila has a few much more creative options! Camila stopped by the Rachel Ray Show and showed her how easy it is to do at home using fruits and veggies! For the video and easy instructions click here.
Beller Nutrition Recipe of the Month
Basic Roasted Vegetables
Rachel Beller MS, RDN
Tired of hearing about the veg and how good they are for you? Think veg is the most boring topic there is? Well,I would not be jumping to conclusions just yet! Did you know that the Spanish love not only to eat tomatoes but also throw them…at each other?! Yes, there is a famous Spanish festival – La Tomatina- where people throw about 150,000 tomatoes at each other. Nothing boring about that! I’m not encouraging you to throw a salad at your friends next time you see them (although that would be super fun, right?!), I mean start thinking about veg as these superheroes that can protect your body from almost any disease if you only let them! So, have fun and veg out!
My basic recipe is great to have on hand and the roasting technique brings out the natural sweet flavors of the vegetables and they’re so easy to prepare! In fact, I make some version of this as least once a week with any vegetables I may have at home (my favorites: carrots, green beans and zucchini). You can keep it simple with salt and pepper, or add some garlic, turmeric or Italian seasoning.
Ingredients:
8 cups seasonal vegetables
2 tablespoons olive oil Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Clean and cut vegetables to desired shape around the same size.
3. Toss vegetables in the olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh herbs (and any other spices you wish… the more the merrier).
4. Place vegetables on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 25-35 minutes, shaking the pan at least twice during the roasting time. Roast until the veggies are tender and nicely roasted.
Swag of the Month
Inspired by one of the just keep livin foundation teachers, Mr. Thomas! We hope this tee shirt will inspire you to live consciously. Whether it’s an environmental effort, community project or self reflection, we all need to take time to give back and make each day count.