December 2023 Newsletter
Matthew and Camila McConaughey Sending Warm Wishes
Happy Holidays! As another year comes to a close, we want to thank you for your continued support of our mission to empower high school students to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future. Thanks to generous partners like you, in 2023, we’ve been able to serve over 3,000 high school students at 46 schools in 16 cities!
As you know, JKL students experience a great many firsts through our program, from learning to fish or to ride a bike, to attending their first football game or even just eating a Thanksgiving meal. This year, we had the opportunity to give some of our JKL students a particularly special first. In March, we took around 30 of our students from eight different schools to Washington, D.C. for a day of lobbying that saw them advocate for more mental health services in schools and additional funding for afterschool programs like ours. The trip empowered our students to find ways to channel their fears and frustrations into meaningful action. Afterwards, 100% of them reported feeling confident in their ability to create real, tangible change in the world.
This year also saw us double down on our efforts to make America’s schools safer. Last year, in the wake of the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, we advocated for the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which set aside billions of dollars in grant money for improving school safety. To make sure that bill MATTERS, we knew we needed to help school districts navigate the complex and intimidating federal school safety grant process. In July, we launched an ambitious national project known as the Greenlights Grant Initiative (GGI) with the sole mission of helping connect school districts to the dollars that CAN make America’s schools and our children safer. Just three months in, the GGI is already having a tangible impact. Thus far, more than 3,000 school districts have signed up to receive grant writing support, in addition to 1,214 teachers and 1,529 parents. The reach extends to over 17,000 school administrators with whom we share grant resources!
The power of gratitude is something we put a lot of focus on in our program, and it’s important for you to know that we are grateful for YOU, and that the kids you’re impacting are grateful too! We’ve enclosed one of our exclusive Greenlights trucker hats as a token of our appreciation and a reminder to stay “lit”. Along with our Foundation team – Shannon, Shannon S., Jenny, Leon, Diana, and Danielle- we wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy new year!
Boxes of Blessings
Students and staff from our jkl program at Pinkston High school participated in a local community service opportunity called Boxes of Blessings.
Students and staff from our jkl program at Pinkston High school participated in a local community service opportunity called Boxes of Blessings.
Camila’s Tips: Deviled Egg Wreath
If you’re looking for an easy and festive appetizer for your holiday gathering, this is it!
Elevate your holiday gatherings with our Deviled Egg Wreath, a creative twist on the classic deviled eggs that are not only delicious but will look extra festive on the table.We are in full-on holiday mode here at Women of Today and will take any opportunity to get creative in the kitchen, especially if we can make it easy! This recipe is just about as easy as it gets, and who doesn’t love deviled eggs?!
Tip for peeling hard-boiled eggs: After boiling, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill for 14 minutes; this will help the shells come off easier.
Deviled Egg Wreath (Servings 16 Deviled Eggs)
• 8 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and halved
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp red onion, finely diced pinch of sea salt, or to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cornichons, very finely diced
Garnish
• 2 cups arugula
• Smoked paprika
• Fresh finely chopped parsley
• 32 thin and small pieces of red pepper
Optional
Fresh cranberries to fill the center of the wreath for decoration only.
Directions
After the eggs are hard-boiled and cooled, peel and slice them in half lengthwise, remove the yolks, and add them to a mixing bowl. Place 8 halves on one dish and the other 8 halves on another dish.
Mash yolks to a fine crumb with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dion, red onion, salt, black pepper, and cornichons to the mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon until well combined. The mixture will be creamy.
Spoon about a teaspoon of the egg mixture into each egg half on their separate plates. If you have a very small cookie scoop, this makes the job easier.
On one of the plates with the 8 egg halves, sprinkle with smoked paprika. On the other plate with the other 8 halves, sprinkle the fresh chopped parsley.
On a serving platter, arrange the arugula to resemble a wreath. Gently and alternating between the two different egg platters, arrange the deviled eggs. Place two thin, small pieces of red pepper on one of the ends to resemble horns.
– Enjoy! Beijos Camila
Full recipe by Women of Today »
Swag of The Month
Gratitude is Attitude!
Just in time for your holiday gift giving… our Gratitude is the Attitude, student designed ONE OF A KIND t-shirt is a sure thing to bring a smile to your loved ones faces!