August 2019 Newsletter

Highlights

We want to take the time to thank everyone who made last month’s Big B.A.N.G. Weekend events a success – including the kids, parents, community members, and KYJO partners who helped us put on our MOST SUCCESSFUL Big B.A.N.G. yet!

If you’d like to see a whole bunch of photos from the weekend, be sure to click over to the KYJO Facebook page and check them out. As July has turned into August, we’ve been making the rounds to our community partners to tell them all THANK YOU in person. You can see some pictures from our appreciation tour just below this text!

We hope you’re all already fired up for next year’s Big B.A.N.G. Weekend, because we sure are (and we already have ideas on how to make next year’s pre-game celebration and football camp EVEN BETTER).

This Month’s Rock Star: Chandler Morrison

Chandler came to us with aspirations of becoming a Director of Operations and event planner for a sports team. To start getting him the experience he’ll need to achieve his dreams, we offered him a job as KYJO’s Executive Assistant – with the primary duty of making sure this year’s Big B.A.N.G. Weekend went off without a hitch.

We knew this was going to be a challenge for Chandler, but he took that challenge on headfirst. Of course, he encountered some roadblocks and obstacles along the way, but he never gave up! Even when he thought he couldn’t get anything right (an exaggeration for sure!), Chandler showed his resilience and determination. And he learned that it’s okay (and necessary) to ask a ton of questions to help get things done! That’s why Chandler is this month’s Rock Star Award Winner.

At the time of this writing, our 10th Annual Valley Teen Ranch/KYJO Summer Olympics have just started! This four day event allows our male residents to compete with Valley Teen Ranch’s boys in a number of sports and other events. The closing ceremonies will take place this Friday, and you can see some highlights from the Day 1 events by clicking here to visit our Facebook.

– Marilyn Cantu, Admissions Coordinator

In the run-up to the Fourth of July, KYJO staff and foster youth manned a Phantom Fireworks booth at the corner of Herndon and Marks. Despite the heat, we had a great time providing people with the best bang for their fireworks buck … with the proceeds going to support our FFA programs!

– Sienna Curtin, FFA Operations Manager

When You Work, Work. When You Play, Play.

With so many uncertainties surrounding our work, it can be tough to let things lay during our downtime. Waiting is never easy, whether it’s waiting on that dream job you applied for or just waiting for the mail to arrive. It can be tempting to ruminate on things that are beyond our control.

But we say, when you work, work – and when you play, play. Whatever it is you’re doing, exist in that moment wholeheartedly. Trust the processes around you, and don’t stress about things you can’t control! Remember, thinking about things other than what you’re doing NOW can create unneeded stress. So instead, trust in yourself and the process, and live in the moment.

Kevin Jordan

Executive Director