Dodger Day with Kershaw's Challenge!

Hey batter, batter, batter… swing! This weekend, Sharefest took a trip to Dodger Stadium! Clayton and Ellen Kershaw with Kershaw’s Challenge graciously donated over 200 free tickets to Sharefest youth to watch the boys in blue play this Saturday. The students got an amazing opportunity to talk and take pictures with the team right before the game. When the referee shouted “Play ball!” the crowd went wild with excitement to see Kershaw play!

There was tons of peanuts and crackerjacks along with fanatic cheering as the Dodgers played their way towards victory. During the game, Ellen Kershaw stopped by to say “Hi!” and took a group picture with us to celebrate this momentous occasion. The Dodgers played a close game against the Rockies, but they won the game, 1 to 0! Goooo Dodgers!

Afterwards we settled down on the field, close up to the screen to watch “42” highlighting the life of the legendary Jackie Robinson and his journey playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. What a fantastic day, we never wanted it to end! Thank you Clayton and Ellen Kershaw, for giving us this amazing opportunity to spend a day with you on the baseball field!

Sharing the love of baseball with Kershaw’s Challenge!

A baseball hitting the glove, bats hitting the ball and the laughter of students filling the crisp morning air, those were just some of sounds heard on the Toro’s baseball field today. The day started with breakfast by the pitchers mound, anxiously anticipating the arrival of the LA Dodgers All Start Pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his wife Ellen. When the Kershaw’s arrived, they received a proper Sharefest welcome, with posters, cheers and the smiling faces of all our youth.

 After a warm welcome and a wonderful introduction by Executive Director Chad Mayer, Kershaw took his place on the mound to speak with our youth. Clayton shared his story and background, crediting all of his success and achievements, to God. Then his wife Ellen, who has an amazing passion for Africa and children living there, inspired us. Together, the Kershaw’s conveyed to our youth that it is so important to recognize and develop their passions and talents.  Then once these they are discovered, to use these gifts to help the world in any capacity they can. Their words were wise and promoted some intriguing questions from our youth, such as “How were they (the Kershaw’s) planning on continuing to help the children in Zambia?” It was wonderful to see the wheels turn in our youth’s heads as they soaked in the answers provided by Clayton and Ellen. With a quick wrap up it was time to “Play Ball!” The children broke off into their teams and were split into 4 different stations that highlighted the basics of baseball. These stations included catching, throwing, base running techniques, hitting and learning to pitch from the All Star himself.

 

It was amazing to see how quickly students picked up the basics of the sport, and the sense of accomplishment when learning to pitch on the mound. Thanks to the hard work of volunteers from the San Pedro baseball team the stations ran smoothly and were not only instructional but fun as well. Along with a quick pitching lesson each student received a picture with Clayton Kershaw. The photos turned out amazing thanks to photographer Marcus Hoffman (www.marcusroyhoffman.com), who donated his time to Sharefest today. Eventually it was time to say good-bye to the Kershaw’s but the students left knowing they would see them again very soon! A big Thank You to the Los Angeles Dodgers for tickets to the game this Saturday, at 4:15 pm vs. Rockies. As a result of their generosity, 200 of our youth and their families have the opportunity to enjoy the game. Go Big Blue! Thank you once again to Clayton and Ellen Kershaw for their hands on support and a wonderful day on the field with our students. 

Express Yourself ~ Sharefest style!

Sharefest wants to say THANK YOU to all our sponsors and instructors especially to Spoken Word artist Derrick for taking the time to inspire us to express our dreams center stage.

Today, middle school students learned how to put their dreams on paper and present them with confidence. Writing poetry is a creative outlet to release inner imaginings and future goals, which is particularly important to one’s development. Writing and presenting creative poetry in front of peers empowers youth to visualize and develop a passion for their goals.

High school students did a similar exercise that encouraged their creative and critical thinking skills. With the guidance of Pepperdine University Professor Dr. Collatos, the students dived eagerly into the assignment. Two groups split up, drawing “the shape of a river” that displayed images of personal barriers that need to be crossed in order to reach their final destination: College!

The students and counselors are passionate about what they do. In the morning, we all enthusiastically embraced a new exercise called “watermelon thai-chi” that taught the importance of a calm mind and a strong body. Near the end of the day, the younger students continued to sharpen their swimming techniques, while older youth practiced their diving skills.

Way to go, YDA! Now lets get ready for Clayton Kershaw! Tomorrow is gonna be amazing!

Day 2~ Power down to Power up!

At Summer YDA 2013 we power down the electronics to power up the body and mind! In order to power up the body our youth participated in several physical activities today. The kids got their groove on with dance lessons and received a sense of balance from calming yoga with Giselle the dance instructor.  After grooving it was time to get moving to the soccer field for team kick ball and other team building activities.The goal of these activities were to enhance the idea of working a with ones peers to accomplish a task that could at times seem too large to manage on one’s own. And it would not be a true day at summer YDA if there was not swimming involved! So it was time to cool off and hit the pool. All youth picked up from the day before, some challenging themselves with flip turns and others with learning how to float. To fuel our bodies for such a fitness packed day, Subway provided a healthy breakfast and lunch! With sponsors such as Kaiser Permanente and inAssist Health Management, making YDA an active place where students develop healthy lifestyles is possible. Thank you to all our sponsors for making days like today possible!

Summer YDA ’13 Has Begun and We Couldn’t Have Done it Without You!

Our inagural YDA Summer 2013 blog can not begin without a shout-out to our amazing sponsors. Without you we would not have the space and opportunity to help make students’ futures even brighter! You make the dream a reality! Continue reading about our first day at YDA 2013 and the awesome work that is already happening.

Today, Sharefest staff met middle school and high school youth bright and early on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. Each kid received a healthy breakfast to help jumpstart their day. 

Morning activities included silly icebreakers, team photos, and getting to know YDA counselors and staff. High school students mingled with the middle school students during team building sessions. As they started to play, you could see the bonds of friendship, love and unity beginning to grow.  

As the final kicker for the day, all the kids jumped in the campus’ swimming pool, splashing and laughing with friends. Head swim instructor Ignacio taught the beginners how to kick, float, hold their breath, and doggie paddle in the wading area. Meanwhile, those who were a little more advanced swam freestyle and butterfly strokes across the pool. The sunshine felt great and the water felt just right on our feet! 

Before we knew it, the time had come to have a healthy lunch from Subway and then start to make our way home. The day went by so quickly, thankfully we get do it all over again tomorrow! We are so appreciative.

This blog will continue to be updated with reflections from staff, counselors and students on Summer YDA and the amazing developments that are happening each day. So stay tuned! Continue to visit our blog and follow our journey! #YDA13 #CSUDH