January 2018 Newsletter
Student Spotlight: Leslie
Leslie, an avid runner and a sci-fi book lover is a senior at Hamilton High School who has embodied the JKL mission for 4 years! The JKL program has been a family affair for Leslie since early on in her high school career. Both her uncle and sister attended JKL and introduced her to the program.
Before joining the JKL team, Leslie was a very shy person who never understood the importance of being thankful. After getting acclimated with the JKL culture and mission, Leslie is now a true believer in being grateful and looks forward to participating in the gratitude circle. “The gratitude circle brings out the positive of the day and it allows us to end the day on a good note.”
Through the JKL program, Leslie has reduced her consumption of junk food, sugar and has become more conscious of her health especially with having a family history of diabetes. Camping, learning how to surf, and attending annual race events are some highlights for Leslie that keeps her dedicated and energized about the JKL program. Although the family tradition of having a relative attend JKL is over, Leslie is making sure she contributes to recruitment for the longevity of the Hamilton JKL program.
Dr. Robin Berman Speaks at our Venice JKL Program
One of our amazing and wonderful board members, Dr. Robin Berman, came and spoke to our Venice just keep livin program and shared some of her life experiences with the kids! Robin encouraged the students to “dream big” and not to allow “but” to stop them in pursuing their dreams! She shared with the students some of her experiences in Med School, an accident she endured and overcame, as well as shared some of her favorite quotes.
Following her visit with the kids, Andres was quoted as saying, “Robin’s talk reminded me that even when we are at our lowest, it is not impossible to get back up!” We are so grateful to Robin for her time and continued support of the JKL programs! Her positive messaging really resonated with all the students and they were so appreciative of the wishing bowls she brought for them!
Children’s Institute 23rd Annual Winter Fest 2017
This past December our Manual Arts and Animo South Los Angeles JKL programs participated in the 23rd Annual Children’s Institute’s “Winter Festival.” More than 1,500 local children who have been impacted by trauma, poverty and community violence had the chance to receive some holiday cheer! Our JKL students were among the 250 volunteers who made the day possible and special.
Each child who attended received a free toy and a day full of enjoyment at a Mattel sponsored playground, cookie decorating workshop, holiday photo booth, greeting card station and the entertaining holiday theatre show. It is always an amazing experience when our JKL student volunteer for Children Institute events. We look forward to many more collaborations in the future.
Dallas Community Service Event at Gabe Elementary
Approximately 55 of our Dallas just keep livin students and staff joined together for a community service event at Gabe Elementary School! The JKL students and staff focused their efforts on the blacktop at the school by painting cool stencils that contained games, educational information as well as nutritional information too!
They also cleaned out the garden beds, raked leaves and weeded throughout the campus so that when the elementary students arrived on Monday, the campus would be spruced up! We are grateful for members of the American Airlines team in Dallas as well as a few local volunteers who joined our JKL teams to provide this amazing campus beautification project! A great big thank you to our Site Coordinator, Markeith West and Emily Russell from United Way Dallas for their efforts in helping organize this wonderful event!
Donate Your Birthday to JKL!
Looking for a fun and easy way to support the just keep livin Foundation and help empower more students to live healthier lives? How about donating your birthday to JKL this year?! It’s just four easy steps:
– Go to https://www.crowdrise.com/JKLBirthdays
– Click on “Set Up Fundraiser”
– Select “Start a New Fundraiser”
– Give it a name, add a photo, then blast it out to your friends!
Our goal is to raise $30,000 so we can fund an ENTIRE JKL PROGRAM for a WHOLE YEAR! Who’s with us?!
Contact us for more information.
Coaches Corner with Jenn Zerling
3 MINUTE PLANK CHALLENGE
Start your new year off right and do the 3 minute plank challenge! To learn more, click HERE
Planking has become one of the most popular “core” exercise known in the fitness industry. And as many of you might have noticed, it requires a lot of upper body strength, especially in the shoulders, abdomen, back and arms. Let’s be clear. The plank should actually utilize every muscle in the body, including the legs. Read More
Swag of the Month
Alright…Cap or Keep on Truckin’ Cap $22 EACH
6 panel structured with black terrycloth sweatband and velcro closure.
A portion of the proceeds goes to support the afterschool programs at the just keep livin foundation.
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