Monthly NewslettersBig Bang 2019 Prep Featured

Highlights

This month, we’ve been busily prepping for Big B.A.N.G. Weekend 2019, ensuring that everything’s set to run smoothly on the big days (July 12 and 13). That includes printing flyers, sharing videos, pitching to our partners, registering kids, connecting with NFL and college football players … it’s a LOT OF WORK, but we ARE BLESSED to do it!

We know the power of Big B.A.N.G. Weekend, which is why we’re happy to put in the work and make our pre-game party and free youth football clinic happen each year. We’ve seen the smiles on kids’ faces as they practice alongside real-life pro football players, and we’ve seen the community come together to support our youth at both the football clinic and our Friday night pre-game party. The work is WORTH IT, and we’re excited to see you all out at Dave & Buster’s and Bulldog Stadium next month!

Partner Spotlight

Big Bang 2019 Partners Logo Quilt

Big B.A.N.G. Weekend Partners

We’re pumped that Big B.A.N.G. 2019 is almost here – and we’re thrilled to have such fantastic partners helping us out with this year’s pre-game celebration and free football clinic!

At the time of this writing, we have nearly 20 community organizations signed on to support Big B.A.N.G. Weekend. By the time you’re reading this, there will probably be even more! If you’re interested in showing them your support (or signing on as a Big B.A.N.G. partner yourself) be sure to check out our Big B.A.N.G Partners page.

KYJO Rock Star Award

KYJO Rock Star Award June 2019

This Month’s Rock Stars: Marissa Gaines and Lamont Bush

Many times, people don’t see the value of work done behind the scenes. For us, it’s essential that we recognize the outstanding people who keep our facilities organized and maintained. Starting with Marissa Gaines!

Marissa came in with superb organizational skills and re-organized our 1600 square foot warehouse – and she made it seem like child’s play. We truly appreciate that she can organize all our incoming donations with little to no help. She is truly amazing!

The other person we would like to recognize is Lamont Bush. Lamont has gotten our facilities back to where they need to be, maintained them, and made himself available at a drop of a dime for any needed maintenance work. The KYJO family truly appreciates his consistency and sacrifice. Awesome job, sir!

That’s why these two are the Rock Star award winners for June! Without them, we wouldn’t be in the position we are in today. Keep up the outstanding work!

Residential Youth Homes - Highlights

Our foster youth celebrated Pride Month by teaming up with the Central California SPCA and marching in this year’s Fresno Pride Parade! We also celebrated a few recent high school graduations, including Alyse C.’s graduation from Clovis High School and Dezon C.’s graduation from Central East High School. Alyse is going on to attend Fresno City College this fall, while Dezon plans to enter the U.S. Army.

– Marilyn Cantu, Admissions Coordinator

Foster Family Agency - Highlights

Makalya KYJO High School Graduation

This month, we celebrated the graduation of one of our foster youth. Makayla graduated from Duncan Polytechnical High School with an overall GPA of 3.28, and she plans to attend San Francisco State in the fall as a pre-med major (hoping to be a doctor!).

We are so proud of Makayla and all her hard work these past four years, and we are excited to see her continue to grow and succeed as she starts her freshman year of college. We would also like to congratulate her resource parent, Denise, for helping Makayla on her journey. This is the second year in a row that Denise has celebrated the graduation of one of the foster youth placed in her home. Thank you, Denise, for all your awesome work in helping the young adults in your home transition from graduating high school to their next milestone in life.

– Sienna Curtin, FFA Operations Manager

Mental Health Care - Highlights

KYJO_MH_Logo_Vertical_B&W

When one is thinking about their future, they want calm, happiness, and stability. During everyday life obstacles, happiness does not seem to come easy. One might think of the bills they have to pay, mouths they have to feed, or the responsibilities of the job: the everyday stressors. At the same time, one of the subjects that most people overlook is the idea of experiencing triggers.

“Triggers” is a word that describes when an individual comes across a certain smell, word, location, or something else that makes them think of a past event. Following that, a certain emotion arises which can debilitate the individual. Some people might think they do not have triggers. In reality, everyone has triggers – yours might just not carry a negative connotation.

To experience triggers is a normal human trait. Unfortunately, triggers can negatively affect your daily life, and that’s when you should begin searching for positive coping mechanisms. Those could include biking, listening to music, drawing, or even just talking to someone. If you think you have a trigger that interferes with your daily life, do not be afraid to reach out to a professional and see how you can start coping with your triggers.

– Cristina Palacios-Gomez, Case Manager

Monthly Motivation

Fail Early, Fail Often, But Always Fail Forward

Many times in life, it can seem like you’re striving to do your best but getting nowhere. You just find yourself completely stuck! Nothing goes according to plan, and you fail, and fail, and fail again. You wonder, “Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Is there hope?”

Guess what? I have good news: There’s a PURPOSE in the PAUSE, and there’s OPPORTUNITY in FAILURE!

Opportunities come one moment at a time. Sometimes, they’re disguised as failures. We aren’t expected to know the future or what’s necessary for us, which can make it seem like red lights, obstacles, and setbacks are stopping us from moving forward.

But most times, those red lights aren’t there to hold you back permanently. They’re there to help you grow and challenge you to succeed. They’re there for a reason: To prepare you for the moment when that light turns green, so you can seize the opportunity!

 

Kevin Jordan

Executive Director

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment