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After the tragedy in Uvalde at Robb Elementary School, our founders Matthew and Camila went to Washington to advocate for reforms to reduce gun violence and bolster school safety. This culminated into the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included billions in funding for school safety grants to help school districts hire mental health counselors, improve security, and more.

However, it’s been difficult for under-resourced school districts to apply for these grants as the federal grant complex is quite complex and time consuming. They are working to solve this problem.

On Thursday July 20, Matthew launched the Greenlights Grant Initiative aimed at helping school districts across the country, especially high-need, low-capacity school districts, apply for and secure federal school safety grants so their students can study in safe and healthy environments. For more information and how to apply visit www.greenlightsgrantinitiative.org

Alright Alright Alright! Year 11 of Mack, Jack & McConaughey in the books! Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) is the annual joint fundraising effort of Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, ACM Award-winning recording artist Jack Ingram, and ESPN analyst and Texas coaching legend Mack Brown.

What better way to kick off an epic few days than with a special performance by the legendary Garth Brooks! The LIVE auction was record-setting, raising over $7M! Then onto a fun day of golf, and a stunning fashion show from the fabulous Jonathan Simkhai presented by Neiman Marcus and hosted by supermodel Molly Sims. Simkhai’s designs were breathtaking, as was the setting, with lovely views of downtown Austin from the Long Center for the Performing Arts. We wrapped things up with an array of talented performances at our Jack & Friends Singer/Songwriter night! Artists like Butch Walker, Lee Ann Womack, Jessi Alexander & Jon Randall, William Beckmann, Blu Sanders, Rhett Akins, Hayes Carll and incredible newcomer Kameron Marlowe donated their time and talent to end this year’s event on a high note – so to speak!

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the event. It’s an honor to be a charitable beneficiary of the event, along with the incredible organizations Cure Duchenne, Dell Children’s, HeartGift Foundation, and The Rise School. Until next year, MJ&M!

A group of our JKL alumni enjoyed a weekend camping trip at Lake Perris Campground in Moreno Valley, CA. Students learned how to pop their own tent, build a fire and the weekend was full of reconnecting, forging new friendships, hiking, gratitude and lots of laughter. We love that the bonds of JKL continue even after our students have graduated from the program!

Our new partnership with Roam Wilde Adventures kicked off strong with our jkl program at Eastern Hills High School in Dallas, TX. On Saturday, October 22^nd, the group headed out for an all-day adventure that included an introduction to climbing- understanding the elements of rock climbing (fundamentals of climbing, safety, belaying, & knot-tying), followed by practice on routes. In the afternoon, team-building activities mixed with reflection activities throughout the day in a challenge-by-choice environment was definitely a highlight. The day trip ended with our Gratitude Circle and a family style dinner around a campfire. The jkl students did an amazing job and both staff and students learned so much about their journeys and life experiences throughout the day! It was a powerful experience for all!

The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation held a Summer College and Career Accelerator event with the USC College Advising Corps. Our Huntington Park just keep livin program brought some students out for a fun and informative day in the sun at Dodger Stadium.

The students heard from first-generation college students and learned about their diverse college experiences. The USC College Advising Corps team did a great job of answering questions, motivating students to get ready to apply for college, and provided fun breakout groups. The event ended with the students getting a chance to watch the afternoon Dodgers game against the Washington Nationals. Thank you, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, for an awesome event!

On Saturday, June 4th, we brought over sixty Los Angeles just keep livin students to enjoy a day of fun in the sun at the world-famous El Porto surfer beach in Manhattan Beach, CA. Students had a chance to receive surf lessons to conquer the waves, boogie board with big smiles, and relax with some beach yoga. We want to give a huge shout-out to the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation for being a great partner and for always getting volunteers for our event. Another shout-out to Rachel Miriam for creating and supplying custom beach towels and bags for all of the participants. Beach day is truly a magical experience, from seeing some students taking to the ocean for the first time and others with the biggest smiles and appreciation for the outdoors!

just keep livin Foundation Founders Matthew and Camila McConaughey have been on the ground in Matthew’s hometown of Uvalde since the devastating mass shooting took place. The loss is tragic. While the spirit of the community is in pain, the unanimous support of families to families and strangers to locals is beautiful. After the initial shock, the town has now begun the funerals and the grieving process, which will continue for the surviving children, families, and the entire community.

The community will need ongoing grief counseling and support on the long road ahead of them. Please just us to help the people of Uvalde, TX. 100% of your donations to the just keep livin Foundation’s Uvalde Relief Fund will support grief counseling, costs associated with burial services and other immediate and long-term needs of the community

Our team is still on a high from the BEST Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) yet with over $10 million raised!!

It was so much fun coming together with old and new friends to celebrate 10 years and to benefit our 5 wonderful MJM charities that empower kids: jklivin, Dell Children’s, Cure Duchenne, Heart Gift, and the Rise School of Austin. We kicked things off with the incredible Kenny Chesney headlining our Gala night (+ a WILD Live Auction!), then had a great Friday with a golf tournament and a beautiful Stella McCartney fashion show and luncheon presented by Neiman Marcus at the Q2 soccer stadium! Friday night we wrapped things up with our special “Jack & Friends” Singer-Songwriter Concert featuring the amazing talents of Jack Ingram, Morgan Wade, Rodney Crowell, Lori McKenna, Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall and the Warren Brothers!  What a way to close out MJ&M 2022! Until next year, Austin!

Students from our Huntington Park just keep livin program recently partnered with National League of Young Men to host a community service day benefitting Uplift Family Services at Hollygrove. Students helped clean out sheds, organize donations, clean the dining hall, pool area and much more so they can welcome their students and families back for summer camp. Uplift Family Services is one of the largest, most comprehensive behavioral health treatment providers in California. Each year, they do whatever it takes to help more than 35,000 children and family members manage and recover from challenges stemming from prior trauma—such as severe neglect and abuse—and learn the essential life skills they need to be successful at home, at school, and in their community.

Congress Women and John Adams alumni, Shontell Brown was a returning guest speaker for our jkl program at John Adams. She graduated from John Adams with our former instructor Ms. Rembert. While at John Adams, she received the Mayors support in her congressional re-election bid. JKL student Linell Mills read her bio for the event! They both talked about rebuilding the community and making it better for those after them. It is never too late to learn and we can help build a great community regardless of your age. 

Kat Frey, Founder and President of Oxygen Coaching Group was another wonderful guest speaker for our jkl program at John Adams High School! Kat spoke about “making the table bigger,” which she explained is about networking and bringing people into your life that can help you on many levels. She also encouraged the students to find three things to be grateful for everyday and not to let anyone take away from those things. Kat also shared eight things to focus on every day; family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, physical health, and mental health. At the conclusion, the students discussed from those eight themes, what meant the most to them and what makes each of them the happiest. 

We are beyond grateful to the amazing team at TikTok for hosting a career panel for our just keep livin student and teachers. This opportunity allowed for our students to interact with professionals in different areas from TikTok to learn about what it takes to prepare for the fundamentals of working at their organization as well as what it takes to be successful in the world of work in general. Some of the skills touched upon were “Good Partnership Tips,” resume building and an overview of the beyond the scenes at their organization! Our students thoroughly enjoyed this interactive and informative session!

We’d like to congratulate our just keep livin Foundation Founder Matthew McConaughey for being named Philanthropist of the Year by The Hollywood Reporter! It’s a privilege to help bring Matthew’s passion and vision to life through our afterschool fitness and wellness programs. Whether Matthew is hopping on a plane to come comfort our students as they grieve the loss of their beloved teacher, or jumping into action after a natural disaster to help your fellow Texans in their time of need, he’s an inspiration to us all.