Student Spotlight: De'Jena

De’Jena is a sophomore student at Animo South Los Angeles who is entering her 2nd year with the just keep livin program. Before she started attending j.k. livin, De’Jena would just go home watch T.V. and wait for her mother to get out of school. After completing her first year with the program, De’Jena has increased her water intake, developed a love for community service and became more positive. Some of her highlights include: participating in beach cleanups, renovating local houses, attending Camp Unbuntu and establishing new friendships. De’Jena's goal for the upcoming school year is to get more of her friends involved and run a full marathon. Her aspirations after high school are to obtain an undergraduate degree in Fashion and get her Master’s in Business so she can one day launch her own clothing line.

j.k. livin Program Expansion

We are excited to announce that the just keep livin program has grown significantly throughout the past few months and will be in 29 sites for the upcoming 2016/2017 school year! We have expanded into two new regions including San Antonio and Nashville to spread the just keep livin mission! We look forward to empowering even more students in the following new schools and sites: in Los Angeles, University High School and A Place Called Home; in Texas, Akins High School (Austin), Sam Houston High School (San Antonio), Sunset High School (Dallas), and David W. Carter High School (Dallas); in New Orleans, Edna Karr High School; in Washington DC, Ballou High School and Phelps ACE High School; and in Nashville, Antioch High School.

Ocean Therapy with the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation

On Thursday July 28th, the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation invited j.k. livin students from Animo South Los Angeles to participate in their Ocean Therapy Surf Class. Students enjoyed a professional and safe surfing experience provided by the great staff and volunteers of the JMMF. Many students caught waves on their very first try and had lots of success throughout the session, which produced unforgettable smiles. Director of Programs and Licensed Occupational Therapist Carly Rogers lead a great discussion about how tackling the sport of surfing can correlate to how we approach our individual goals in life. We are looking forward to partnering with the JMMF on many future endeavors including providing this fantastic opportunity to more of our jkl students in the near future!

Kubo and the Two Strings Collaboration

On Monday August 8th, 20 students from the just keep livin program at Venice High School got the opportunity to go to Universal Studios to enjoy a VIP Kubo and the Two Strings experience, thanks to Focus Features. In addition to seeing a special advance screening of the film (in which our very own Matthew McConaughey voices one of the animated characters!) and meeting the costumed characters, students got to take a private tour through the new interactive exhibit “From Coraline to Kubo: A Magical Laika Experience” at the Globe Theater, in which they got to explore the artistry and imagination behind one of the world’s most acclaimed animation studios. The memorable day wrapped up at the Universal Studios Theme Park, where the kids were treated to lunch and an afternoon of fun on the rides!

Also in support of the release of this spectacular new film, Nike footwear designer Tinker Hatfield and acclaimed animation studio LAIKA auctioned off a limited-edition run of Kubo-inspired Air Jordan XV sneakers with 100% of proceeds going to our Foundation. “I am proud to be able to tie together two projects that mean a lot to me: my charity, the just keep livin Foundation and my newest film, Kubo,” said Matthew. “We are auctioning off 220 pairs of Kubo branded Air Jordans to benefit jkl and empower the kids involved to reach for a better future.” As a result of this auction, j.k. livin is very grateful to be receiving approximately $150,000 in proceeds!

Backpack Drive with the Children’s Institute

Last month, we were given the special opportunity to have our students volunteer at the 5th Annual Back to School Giveaway presented by the Philanthropic Society Los Angeles (PSLA) and Children’s Institute at Ted Watkins Park. Our j.k. livin students spent the day unloading items and passing out backpacks and supplies to members of the local community in need! PSLA makes a meaningful impact on thousands of children each year through support of local initiatives in under-served urban communities. In partnership with Children’s Institute, Inc. PSLA raises funds and in-kind goods to serve the needs of at-risk youth affected by violence and trauma.

Cal Ripken Senior Foundation Summer Camp

Toward the end of August, the Cal Ripken Senior Foundation generously sponsored a group of our j.k. livin students from Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas to attend their annual summer camp. The camp takes place in Aberdeen, Maryland, where outstanding students from many youth organizations gather to have fun and learn from professional trained coaches. Our students were able to enjoy activities such as swimming, high ropes, team building, and playing baseball in the beautiful Ripken Academy Stadium. We are so grateful to the Cal Ripken Senior Foundation for providing this once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students, and we look forward to collaborating again with them in the future!

Run with the just keep livin Foundation

Each year we support the Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, which is taking place on Sunday October 30th (and is Halloween-themed!). We’re putting together “Team just keep livin” where you can sign up to run with us and get lots of cool perks (including a j.k. livin race day t-shirt and wristband!), in addition to helping raise money for our programs. You could also be entered in a drawing to win autographed Matthew McConaughey memorabilia! Our goal is to reach $30,000 - enough to sponsor a program at an inner-city high school for an entire year. You will also get to hang with the kids in our LA programs, who are gearing up to run and volunteer at the event again this year.

Anyone who’s interested in joining our team should CLICK HERE or SIGN UP HERE TODAY!

Coaches Corner with Jenn Zerling

Summertime Blues

I know that as the summer draws to an end, you or someone you know is sending their children back to school. As you dive into the Fall, I challenge you to find a true lifestyle purpose that you can wake up to every day and be excited about. People tend to decrease the frequency of their fitness programming which begins the winter 5. How do you plan on remaining on your quest to fitness and optimization?

Here are some tips:

1) Schedule your weekly workouts. Just like you show up for a business meeting, show up for your workout.
2) Pack your meals every day. Do it the night before so that you aren't running out of the house without your food.
3) Get to bed at the same time every night. Create a habit of doing this so that you never lose sleep.
4) Bring a gallon of water with you to work. Drink that gallon throughout the day. Be sure to complete at least half your body weight in ounces of water for the day.