Student Spotlight: Aaliyah

Antioch High School (Nashville)

Aaliyah is a passionate and humorous 9th grader who is approaching the completion of her first year in the j.k. livin program at Antioch High School in Nashville. Before joining the jkl program Aaliyah spent many years learning life skills through the Girl Scouts. Once Aaliyah arrived to high school, she wanted to be a part of a program that felt like a family and she found that in the jkl program. Aaliyah says, "Although we have a small group, we bond like family and feel like brothers and sisters." Aaliyah has a huge heart for helping others in need because she knows how it feels to have nothing and go through rough times. She highlighted that the Tennessee Titans Coat Drive was her favorite community service event so far this year and she is looking forward to an opportunity to work with a local women's shelter as well. The jkl program has helped Aaliyah stay positive through fun workout activities, great guest speakers and motivating instructors that encourage her to have a better outlook on life and to not give up. Aaliyah has even used quotes of the month in her personal life. For example, she used the November quote (focused on "finishing") to encourage her mother to stay committed to stop smoking cigarettes. Since joining the program Aaliyah has only missed one session, chooses to walk the hills in her neighborhood and limits her fried food. Aaliyah has become an ambassador for the jkl program and often uses the slogan "you can be the change, you can gain the confidence" to recruit her peers for just keep livin. After completing high school, Aaliyah wants to study sociology at Spelman College so she can contribute to helping communities as an adult.

Kamala Harris Women's Panel

On Tuesday, October 25th, 20 students from Animo Inglewood and Fairfax High School were invited to attend a panel discussion on women's empowerment in support of Kamala Harris for Senate at the WGA Screening Room. America Ferrera, Chelsea Handler, Holly Robinson Peete and California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris led an important discussion on women's issues. A few of the topics covered during the panel were the importance of treating women fairly in the workplace, the salary gap between genders, the importance of female mentorship, and the current election. Students were inspired by the positive message that we can work together to promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy! At the conclusion of the panel, America Ferrera spoke directly to the young women about why their voices matter. Our students really enjoyed learning from these accomplished females, and a few even scored selfies at the end!

Los Angeles Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

We had a wonderful turnout for this year's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Los Angeles! On Sunday, October 30th, we had 84 student runners and 46 student volunteers come out for this fun and festive annual event. We'd like to congratulate the runners on their hard work, determination, and success in finishing the 13.1 mile course! And we'd like to express a heartfelt thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers who spent their morning passing out water to all the thirsty runners! Last but certainly not least, we'd like to especially recognize one student - Julio from Hamilton High School - who completed the Half Marathon in a record 1:30.06, which put him in 11th place in his age division! We're so proud of you, Julio, and of all of our j.k. livin kids who participated!

Thank you SKECHERS!

We would like to extend a huge and sincere thank you to SKECHERS for donating 100 pairs of running shoes and 65 athletic T-shirts for our j.k. livin kids who participated in the LA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on October 30th! Our students were thrilled when they received their cool new shoes the week of the race so they would have some time to start breaking them in! They also loved the T-shirts, which were so light, comfortable and breathable – the perfect race attire! We love that our very own Camila Alves McConaughey was in turn able to come out to support the Annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk and express our Foundation's appreciation of their generous donation. Thank you so much, SKECHERS, for providing such quality gear to help our kids each put their best foot forward during the race!

Southern California Grantmakers Association Presentation

On Wednesday, November 16th, the just keep livin Foundation team was honored to present at the Southern California Grantmakers Association's Entertainment Philanthropy Group meeting. Periodically, SCG convenes this informal peer learning group for philanthropic professionals working with entertainers and celebrities to connect and share best practices. We were thrilled that the group decided to spotlight our Foundation and wanted us to take the group on a "deep dive" into our mission, strategies, partnerships, and successes. We were very appreciative of this unique opportunity to network with our peers in the entertainment philanthropy space, and we received a lot of helpful feedback as well as some very thoughtful encouragement after we presented. Thank you SCG for providing us with this productive forum and supporting our mission! We love being a part of this very worthwhile organization.

j.k. livin Staff Gives Back

On November 3rd, our just keep livin Foundation Staff volunteered at Safe Place For Youth, providing and serving lunch for 75 of their homeless youth. We had visited their organization in October and were so moved by the impactful work that they are doing that we scheduled a time for our team to go back and volunteer! Safe Place for Youth's mission is to inspire, nurture, and empower the resilient human spirit of homeless youth by providing immediate and lasting solutions, one young person at a time. S.P.Y. provides wrap-around services including medical consultations, employment programs, legal services and art lessons. It was quite eye opening to hear that their organization served 1,000 homeless youth last year and 30% of them came from the foster care system. If you are interested in volunteering with them or learning more about the work they do, you can visit their website.

Coaches Corner with Jenn Zerling

You've Gotta Get Your Sleep

I know I have written about this before. I meet so many people who aren't sleeping enough still. Realize this: when you don't sleep, it messes everything up-EVERYTHING! When you DO SLEEP, as I wrote in my book, Breaking the Chains of Obesity, in tool 29, you:

1) Are less irritable
2) Have less cravings
3) Have better blood sugar regulation
4) Have higher motivation
5) Have less anxiety
6) Are happier more
7) Have less oxidative stress to the cells.

There's no way around it. You have to sleep. Especially if you want to retard the progression of aging.