PLAY JUST LIKE YOU launches USC Chapter

Due to the strong interest from USC students to participate in our program, we have decided to launch a USC chapter for PLAY JUST LIKE YOU.


We hope to have a stronger presence on campus this Fall and we are going to be working with a larger number of partner schools in the USC area. Having a student organization will give our volunteers and interns an easy way to coordinate PJLU efforts in the area.


Us at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development Public/Non-Profit Career Fair. We were a big hit! Looking forward to the semester!


A Big Thank You to Prof. Guillbert C. Hentschke (Cooper Chair of Educational Governance in the Rossier School of Education) for being our official USC advisor.

Fight On!

GLOBAL PLAYGROUND w/ Disney VoluntEARS & Dole - July 16, 2010

It was a fun-filled (very hot!) day with about 100+ kids aged 6-12 at the Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley.

Our "Global Playground" program uniquely combined education, nutrition and physical activity – the three components of a healthy, active lifestyle – brought together in a safe & positive place for kids.


Friendly game of "Dog and the Bone" from India.


Kids jumping during a Chinese stretching exercise.


Passports were given to all attendees, with proof that they had traveled to four continents in a single day.


The Walt Disney Company, the pioneer in entertainment for children and families, had employees participate in the fun and games as "VoluntEARS".


The Dole Food Company, the imminent proponent of health and nutrition and working in communities to promote proper eating and healthy living provided healthy snacks and refreshments for the event.

JUST LIKE YOU in the LA Times!!!!

JUST LIKE YOU was in the Saturday, May 8th edition of the Los Angeles Times, the 2nd largest metropolitan newspaper in the country! The article was on the front page of the LATExtra portion of the paper and featured Oscar Mejia, an 11 year old enrolled in the JUST LIKE YOU afterschool program at Camino Nuevo.


The article explores the impact the program has on Oscar. Read the full article here: http://tinyurl.com/jluLATimes

JUST LIKE YOU founders featured on Grassroots.org FACES OF CHANGE series

Grassroots.org provides a series called "Faces of Change" profiling individuals within the non-profit community, asking the very important question: How do you create change?



Grassroots.org picked JLU co-founders Marie Herwig and Jerry Darko to profile this week.




See the whole article here!


Other non-profit leaders profiled include:
Jordyn Wells of Dosomething.org
Mike Watson of the Institute of Cultural Affairs
Jill Gurr of Create Now
... and others!


We are honored to be profiles alongside such great organizations making an impact in their communities.

We love Grassroots.org and recommend their wide range of services to all non-profits. Check them out!

Pepperdine Magazine's "Higher Measure of Success" article features JLU co-founder

Linda Livingtone, Dean of the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University, writes an inspiring article about Pepperdine's commitment to an education that stands on the principles of it's founder, George Pepperdine.

The university is committed to a business education that focuses on values such as integrity, stewardship, courage, and compassion.

The article titled "Higher Measure of Success" mentions JUST LIKE YOU and it's co-founder, Jerry Darko, Pepperdine alumnus '09.

Read the full article here: http://magazine.pepperdine.edu/index.php/2010/04/a-higher-measure-of-success/

JUST LIKE YOU awarded grant from All Stars Helping Kids

All Stars Helping Kids (ASHK) is a robust philanthropic platform that enables all past and present professional athletes to fully leverage their brand to address issues that impact children.



The organization has distributed over $20 million to high-performing nonprofits since its founding in 1989.


We are honored to have been presented with a seed grant from ASHK and this will enable us to expand our programming in the San Fernando Valley / Pacoima area in the Fall.

Thank you ASHK!!!

Listen to JUST LIKE YOU on the Radio with Coach Mike

What: Kidz N Sports with Coach Mike
Where: Whittier-based 1680 KDSV AM Radio and online at KidzNSports.com




"Kidz N Sports" has been on the air since 2006 and since then, many guests have joined Coach Mike in telling their stories about the youth sports journey. Whether it's coaches, players, umpires, athletic directors, or vendors - each show is design to help others with information to make their child's journey through youth sports a more enjoyable and beneficial one.

Coach Mike's motto is: "Teach First, Win Later!"
In his own words: "Many kids drop out of youth sports by the time they are 14 years old. Why? Sports has so many beneficial life lessons to teach our kids."

Coach Mike brought JUST LIKE YOU onto his show to show just one of the powerful ways we could use sports to touch and change the lives of youth.

Click below to listen to Alison Tolladay and Damion Donaldson represent JUST LIKE YOU to the fullest!



First Half:


Second Half:


You can Tune in every Thursday, 6 - 8 PM PST, by visiting http://www.kidznsports.com/

JUST LIKE YOU teams up with the Los Angeles D-Fenders

200 kids from all over LA came to watch the Los Angeles D-Fenders play a basketball game against the Tulsa 66ers.

After the game, Los Angeles D-Fenders players came out for another round of games with the kids. They played games from the Czech Republic, India and Botswana as they learnt about each of these cultures.

Check out the pics taken by premiere sports and wedding photographer, Jonathan Moore (www.jjmoorephoto.com | www.jonathanmoorephoto.com)

Happy Hour Wine Tasting to support JLU, Feb 1 - Feb 15

You can now support JUST LIKE YOU by grabbing a casual after-work glass of wine at Pourtal in Santa Monica on any weekday (4pm-7pm Happy Hour only) from Feb 1 - Feb 15.



The concept of Pourtal allows you to taste over 40 ever-changing wines by the ounce. Load up a pre-paid Pourtal Tasting Card and take a trip to every wine region without the passport!

The owner of Pourtal has generously agreed to donate a percentage (15%) of all wine-tasting sales between 4pm and 7pm for the next two weeks to JUST LIKE YOU as part of his Angels Share program. "Angel's Share" refers to the portion of wine that evaporates from the barrel during fermentation.

DRINK FOR A GOOD CAUSE :-)

Thank you all in advance.

Grassroots.org thinks we rock!

Grassroots.org thinks we rock ... check out the blog. JUST LIKE YOU is featured as an exemplary organization.