May 2020 Newsletter
Student Spotlight
We had the pleasure of catching up with Duane, a sophomore from our New Visions JKL program in NYC.
Duane is an inspiring visual artist who loves to draw people. He also enjoys listening to heavy metal music and constantly challenging himself with different workouts. Duane was once the new kid on the block, but JKL has helped him to develop friendships in a safe and fun environment.
Last semester, Duane enjoyed learning how to ice skate, sharing in the gratitude circle, giving back to his community and learning the importance of incorporating fruits and veggies into his diet. Duane dreams of becoming a professional graphic designer and architect and we are certainly rooting for him to achieve his goals!
JKL Founders Give Back During COVID-19
As we work to navigate through these uncertain times, our just keep livin Founders Matthew and Camila McConaughey continuously inspire us with their widespread relief efforts.
Perhaps you’ve seen one of Matthew’s public service announcements urging Americans to stay home, sharing encouraging words about taking care of each other, or masquerading as “Bobby Bandito” in a tutorial for making a DIY face mask to stay safe because “we’ve got more livin to do”!.
Camila has combined staying fit with giving back through her frequent Instagram LIVE workouts alongside Margie Pope, Director at The Studio CROSSFIT Shoreditch, which are free but encourage donations to JKL’s fundraising campaign. A big thanks to Margie for sharing her time and talents! You can join the fun by visiting Camila’s Instagram page!
Additionally, Matthew and Camila have teamed up with Bethenny Frankel’s BStrong organization to provide 80,000 masks to first responders in Austin, Louisiana and across the country.
And we can’t forget Matthew’s surprise virtual visit to the residents of senior living home, The Enclave at Round Rock, during which he hosted a game of bingo and served up an abundance of smiles!
We’re so proud of our Founders for their big hearts and dedication to giving back during this challenging time!
View JKL’s Fundraising Campaign
Mack, Jack & McConaughey 2020 – The Show Must Go On
Although COVID-19 made it impossible for Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M), our largest annual fundraiser, to be an in-person event this year, we decided that the show must go on!
On April 23rd, along with event co-hosts, Mack & Sally Brown and Jack & Amy Ingram, Matthew and Camila hosted a small virtual event for our incredible sponsors. It was a special evening featuring an amazing lineup of music from Grammy Award-Winning Singer/Songwriters and a LIVE performance by this year’s headliner, multi-platinum, award-winning musician and CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Luke Combs.
The group enjoyed songs by artists who have supported MJ&M over the past eight years including Toby Keith, John Mellencamp, Butch Walker, Bobby Pinson, Wade Bowen, Jon Randall & Jessi Alexander, Lori McKenna and Eric Church. They also had the pleasure of welcoming new friends Ryan Bingham, Waylon Payne and Emerson Hart into the MJ&M circle. The evening was capped off with four songs performed LIVE by Luke Combs, and, as is tradition with MJ&M, our very own Jack Ingram playing his song, “Goodnight Moon.”
In Matthew’s words, “The caliber of talent at MJ&M each year continues to humble us.” We want to give a huge thank you to all of the artists who shared their talents, as well as our loyal donors and supporters who once again helped us raise much-needed funds for five worthy organizations empowering children: CureDuchenne, Dell Children’s Medical Center, HeartGift, just keep livin Foundation and The Rise School of Austin.
If you are interested in making a donation to help MJ&M’s beneficiary organizations, including the just keep livin Foundation, you can still get involved. Text “MJM” to 24375 to #EmpowerKids!
JKL Zoom Session with Kevin Love
As we all adjust to the new social distancing norms, we’ve been hosting regular Zoom calls to check-in on our students and faculty, and we’re excited to share that one of our most special calls included five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers!
During a Zoom session with our Cleveland just keep livin students and teachers, Love shared words of inspiration and encouragement. An especially touching moment came when he shared his list of “160 dreams”, telling our students that “dreams don’t have deadlines” and sharing with them the importance of “falling in love with the journey” of creating goals! Love’s words motivated our students on every level, inspiring them to “attack each day” while also focusing on maintaining balance.
We LOVE working with the Kevin Love Fund and are so grateful his foundation sponsors the JKL program at John Adams High School. Thank you again to Kevin Love for sharing his knowledge with our JKL kids, and for working so hard to empower our youth by removing the stigma from mental health issues, especially during these challenging and uncertain times!
Stay Connected
We will continue to share our just keep livin exercises, nutrition tips and more!
Make sure to follow our foundation’s Instagram page for the latest: @jklivinfoundation
What Are You Grateful For?
“I’m grateful for my JKL Instructors. They’ve really helped me, mentally and physically, to gain confidence, so that I wouldn’t be afraid of anything going into high school.”
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“I’m grateful that being a part of just keep livin has given me opportunity. There are so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to do without the program.”
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“I’m grateful that my little cousin is finally home from surgery. I am happy that he is getting through it, and that I can be there to support my aunt and uncle.”
Camila’s Tips: Cookie Dough Energy Bites
Say hello to our new favorite snack – Cookie Dough Energy Bites. Featuring just the right amount of healthy protein and sweetness (who else loves chia seeds and peanut butter as much as we do?), these crowd-pleasers will get you through long days when hunger strikes between meals!
Plus, they are packed full of organic, simple and filling ingredients. They are perfect to grab as a breakfast on-the-go, to keep in your bag as a snack, and will help satisfy those sweet tooth cravings without the guilt! Our recipe makes as many as 40 bites, so feel free to freeze them to make them last longer!
Ingredients:
• 2 cups organic rolled oats
• 2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter, or almond butter as a substitute
• 1/2 cup organic honey
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup organic chocolate chips
Enjoy! Beijos
– Camila
Full recipe on Women of Today »
Swag of the Month:
Bobby Bandito Bandana! 100% of the proceeds from our just keep livin Bandana will go towards providing meals and computers for our foundation students and their families in this time of need.