Gasol Foundation USA Awarded the Clinical Translational Science Insititute CERP Community Grant

Gasol Foundation USA received our first grant of 2024. We were awarded the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute $10,000 grant. The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) includes team members at Cedars-Sinai, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Lundquist Institute, and UCLA. Within the CTSI, the Community Engagement Research Program (CERP) partners with community members, organizations, service providers, policymakers, academic researchers, government and local health systems to identify and research public health priorities towards the goal of improving health equity and reducing health disparities in Los Angeles County. The CTSI CERP Community Grant Awards are meant to support community organizations that are currently working to address health or social inequities. 

We are extremely grateful to The Lundquist Institutes’ Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Jennifer Yee, for helping us during this application process.  

Gasol Foundation USA has reached a partnership with Angel City Sports and their Adaptive Sports Equipment Loan Program. Angel City Sports is a Los Angeles-based non-profit that provides year-round adaptive sports opportunities for kids, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities and visual impairments. 

We are extremely grateful to ACS for allowing us to borrow a sports wheelchair for a 4th grader at John Muir K-8th Academy named Jersson. He participated in our first Galactic Sports session for the very first time on February 15th, and had an absolute blast playing basketball with the other children. We are thrilled we could provide this opportunity for him. 

This is significant as kids with disabilities are sometimes not included or encouraged to participate in sports or physical activity, despite sports and physical activity being just as important for children with special needs as it is for any child. As we all know, it can help boost self- confidence, independence, and an overall

better quality of life. Including children with disabilities in everyday activities and encouraging them to have roles similar to their peers is crucial for building the capacity of youth, especially youth with disabilities, and making society more inclusive for all individuals. We look forward to witnessing more about Jersson’s program experience and hearing more positive stories over the next few months. 

Our very own Pau Gasol will be honored by Angel City Sports at the Angel City Sports Annual Awards Gala in April. As the Community Impact Honoree, Pau will be recognized that evening for his work off the court in the community. Congratulations, Pau! 

Gasol Foundation is ready to make this holiday season legendary. That is the objective of their recently launched Pau Gasol Legendary Christmas Sweepstakes digital campaign in which one lucky winner will receive a commemorative Hall of Fame package of exclusive sports items from its President, Pau Gasol. 

“I am very excited that these three objects, so symbolic and with so much sentimental value, can contribute to raising funds for the mission of the Gasol Foundation,” Pau Gasol commented. “I’m sure that the winning person will enjoy them even more knowing the support we can give to families in a vulnerable situation that participate in our programs promoting healthy habits thanks to this action.”

For the winner, the prize will be threefold: they will receive one replica ring of the one Pau Gasol received as a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last August; a commemorative number 16 Los Angeles

Lakers hat -the most successful franchise in the NBA; and a Spanish team basketball postcard autographed by Pau Gasol.

Launched from the foundation in the United States, this global sweepstakes will run until Saturday, January 6th, 2024, 11:00 pm PST. The winner will be announced on Thursday, January 11th, 2024, 12:00 pm PST.

For just a $20 donation, anyone can enter to win. This sweepstakes will help the Gasol Foundation continue to provide life-changing healthy habits for children and their families in the United States and Europe. All funds raised will go directly towards Gasol Foundation programs, making an impact on more children around the world. This fundraising initiative is one of the many actions the Gasol Foundation promotes to raise funds for its mission of childhood obesity prevention. 

Pau Gasol and Gasol Foundation USA hosted an interactive demonstration of their Galactic Sports program with children at Hoover Elementary School in Los Angeles, California on Monday, December 11th, 2023.

Galactic Sports consists of basic sports skills and wellness lessons. The program takes children through 10 weekly one-hour trainings/lessons in a sport, while also teaching them the importance of healthy habits (physical activity, healthy eating, sleep, and emotional well-being). All of these sessions are free to participants and taught by trained health educators. 

Gasol Foundation also provides materials to the participants, including t-shirts, sports merchandise, and supporting content. 

The event began with brief one-on-one conference sessions with Pau and the media discussing his philanthropic initiatives with Gasol Foundation USA and efforts promoting children’s wellness in Southern California. The overall purpose of this event is to raise awareness about Gasol Foundation and the childhood obesity pandemic, increase visibility to Galactic Foundation USA programs and initiatives, and strengthen commitment with children and families. The event concluded with Pau and the children discussing the importance of healthy habits and participating in a Galactic Sports basketball demonstration consisting of fun basketball games and drills. 

We are thankful to our partners, YMCA Los Angeles, for collaborating with us for this event. It was a complete success, and the children had a blast. We look forward to our continued partnership as we work towards the health and well-being for all youth in Los Angeles. 

Gasol Foundation USA is excited to welcome Nehal Raj to our Board of Directors. The mission of Gasol Foundation is to promote children’s wellness through programming, research, awareness, and advocacy, with a focus on eliminating childhood obesity. Every effort by the Gasol Foundation incorporates physical activity, healthy, sleep, and emotional well-being to improve the health of our children and their overall development. As we continue to expand our impact on children’s wellness, we are very much looking forward to the knowledge, insights and new ideas Nehal will provide in his new role with Gasol Foundation USA. 

Nehal Raj is Co-Managing Partner of TPG Capital, TPG’s flagship private equity business, and Co-Managing Partner of TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD),

TPG’s fund focused on flexible capital solutions for the technology industry. He also co-leads the firm’s investment activities in software and enterprise technology across its private equity platforms.

Nehal serves on the board of the following TPG investments: Boomi, Digital.ai, Kaseya, Lyric, New Relic, Nintex, Planview, and WellSky. Nehal was previously a director of a number of TPG investments prior to their successful exits, including: C3 AI, CCC Information Services, IQVIA, Intergraph, Wind River, and Zscaler.

Prior to joining TPG in 2006, Nehal was an investor at Francisco Partners and worked in the Tech M&A group at Morgan Stanley. He received an AB with Distinction in Economics and MS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University (Phi Beta Kappa) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar).

Nehal is also active with several non-profits. He serves on Stanford University’s H&S Council and Undergraduate Cabinet, the HBS Fund Council, and the Board of Trustees of San Francisco University High School. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of San Francisco Day School and the Advisory Board of Breakthrough San Francisco.

Outside of work, Nehal is an avid sports fan and sports investor. He is an investor / co-owner of Leeds United Football Club and Alpine F1 Team. Nehal splits his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles with his wife and two high school aged kids.

Nehal joins Board President, Pau Gasol; Board Vice President, Marc Gasol; President of The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, Michele Chan Soon-Shiong; and President and CEO of The Molina Foundation, Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett.

Welcome on board, Nehal!

Gasol Foundation USA is currently featured in All Things Orange County Holiday Magazine Issue. The article highlights the ways in which we are serving Southern California children as we continue to expand our free health and wellness programming throughout Orange County.

To read the full article, click here:

As a partner in the Voices for Healthy Kids Coalition, Gasol Foundation USA has been a proud  supporter of California State Senator Nancy Skinner’s SB 348, Healthy Meals for Kids, and California State Senator Josh Newman’s SB 291, Daily Recess for All. 

We are excited to share that Governor Gavin Newsom signed both Senate bills into law, making California provide two free school meals a day to all public school students (SB 348), and making a half-hour of recess mandatory for all elementary school students from kindergarten through eighth grade in the state (SB 291). 

Gov. Newsom’s signing of SB 348 codifies President Biden’ standards so that California’s school meals will meet the nutrition guidelines for added sugar and salt recommended by America’s pediatricians, making California, once again, a national leader in the fight against diabetes and other health issues. SB 348 won unanimous approval in both the state Assembly and Senate. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2024.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also signed Senate Bill 291 into law, making a half-hour of recess mandatory for all elementary school students from kindergarten through eighth grade in the state. legislation puts a very needed spotlight on the importance of recess time. The law goes into effect next school year.

Gasol Foundation USA is very proud of our contribution to move forward both SB 348 and SB291. As Gasol Foundation USA continues to expand our impact on children’s wellness by teaching proven healthy habits, we will continue supporting measures that improve health outcomes in the fight against the obesity epidemic. 

Gasol Foundation USA is excited to share that we have been awarded a grant from the LA84 Foundation! 

The LA84 Foundation is a nationally recognized leader in support of youth sport programs and public education and advocates for the important role sports participation plays in positive youth development. Created with a share of the 1984 Olympic Games surplus, LA84 began operations in 1985 as a grant making and educational foundation. The foundation supports hundreds of non-profit youth sports organizations throughout Southern California annually, trains coaches, commissions research, convenes conferences and maintains the world’s premier Olympic and sports library collection. 

LA84 gives special consideration to organizations and efforts that can impact at scale children and youth. They focus their support on organizations that view sports as an integral way to develop children and youth to be healthy, happy, and engaged individuals. 

As part of the LA84 protocol, a site visit of our Galactic Sports program was conducted at Hoover Elementary School the following month after applying for the grant. One week after the visit, we learned that Gasol Foundation USA had been awarded the grant. 

Funds from this grant will help with Galactic Sports program costs, including staffing, and purchasing of sports equipment. 

We look forward to sharing with you all about the accomplishments that result from this LA84 grant! 

We are excited to share that the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) has named Gasol Foundation USA a National Youth Sports Strategy Champion! 

The National Youth Sports Strategy (NYSS) is an essential resource for policymakers and key decision-makers in youth sports. It aims to unite U.S. youth sports culture around a shared vision: that one day, all youth will have the opportunity, motivation, and access to play sports. NYSS Champions represent organizations that are working towards achieving this vision. Gasol Foundation USA is thrilled to further the mission of the NYSS and help foster a lifelong love of sports and physical activity for our youth. 

 

 

Research indicates children who obtain regular physical activity gain important physical and mental health benefits. It is crucial, now more than ever, to promote the benefits of and access to physical activity and sports opportunities to youth and their families- regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, ability, or zip code. 

Gasol Foundation, along with other NYSS Champions, are currently featured on the health.gov/ NYSS website as part of a growing network of organizations working to improve the youth sports landscape in the US.

We would like to thank the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition for recognizing our work in promoting physical activity and youth sports. 

On Wednesday, September 20th, Gasol Foundation USA attended (for the first time in-person in 3 years) the Nutrition Access LA General Meeting held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Public Health. Organized by the LA County Nutrition Program, this meeting brought together distinguished leaders in public health to discuss food and nutrition policy and insecurity, share solutions, and engage with the nutrition community. 

Nutrition Access LA is a multi-sector coalition made up of partners from government, community-based organizations, advocacy, health care, school districts and other sectors working collaboratively to ensure all people in Los Angeles County have access to sufficient, nutritious, and affordable food.

According to the Food Insecurity in Los Angeles County Research Brief, food insecurity in L.A. County surged during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 34% of households experiencing food insecurity in 2020. Rates returned to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2001. But food insecurity has increased throughout 2022 and 2023. About 1 million L.A. County households are now food insecure.

Additional topics discussed during the coalition were techniques to advance food and nutrition policy related to nutrition insecurity, and methods to increase coordination and collaboration among Nutrition Access LA member organizations. 

Participating in coalitions such as the Nutrition Access LA General meeting are crucial. Other than providing the opportunity to connect and network with prominent members of the nutrition community, they enable Gasol Foundation USA to utilize the knowledge gained in order to educate children and families in our programs and initiatives. Providing them with information on nutrition assistance programs and other nutrition and food resources is significant as they continue to navigate through policy changes and other disparities. They, along with all people in Los Angeles County, deserve to have access to sufficient, nutritious, and affordable food.

Gasol Foundation was honored to receive an invitation and attend the 2023 National Basketball Players Association Foundation (NBPAF) Business of Giving Conference held at UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center in Los Angeles on September 13-15th. 

The National Basketball Players Association Foundation (NBPAF) highlights and accelerates the real and collaborative work that players do worldwide to build their communities and create meaningful change. The NBPAF also provides strategic funding- grants Gasol Foundation has been the recipient of on several occasions, including this year. 

As we are very much aware due to Pau and Marc’s example, professional basketball players seek to build and inspire communities by dedicating their time, thought and resources. Today, much of their work is global and collectively spans a wide range. The NBPAF offers support by communicating all players’ endeavors to the world. The National Basketball Players Association Foundation Business of Giving Conference is yet another example of this.

Some of the topics offered in this participant based, intensive course included Foundation Fundamentals, International Impact, and Philanthropy and Systems Change. Event speakers included NBPA Foundation Executive Director, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; philanthropist and social impact entrepreneur, Miki Woodard; Executive Director for Social Change Fund United (SCFU), Aida Morrow; and Founder, RMG Global and Philanthropic Advisor, Regina Miller. 

We hope to utilize the knowledge gained, as well as the connections made with individuals and organizations who were in attendance, to accelerate and maximize the impact of our work and continue to navigate the business of philanthropy to contribute to making Gasol Foundation a long term and sustainable organization. 

The final session of Gasol Foundation USA’s Galactic Sports Girls Basketball Clinic at Salazar Park was one for the books! On Wednesday, August 2nd, our girls learned fundamentals, advanced drills, and honed their basketball skills through expert instruction provided by The Los Angeles Sparks and Jr. Sparks youth coaches! 

Through their youth clinics, The Los Angeles Sparks strive to have a positive impact on participants’ lives by exposing them to transferable life principles and values such as discipline and confidence. The clinic provided an opportunity for our girls to learn and gain insight from the Jr. Sparks team, all while making it healthy, making it fun. 

And of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without some Gasol and Sparks swag! All participants received a Gasol Foundation T-Shirt, a Gasol Foundation USA participation certificate, a Pau Gasol Lakers jersey, and a Sparks water bottle! 

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