The Gasol Foundation Launches Christmas Campaign Featuring Exclusive Pau Gasol Memorabilia

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!

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! 

Gasol Foundation is a proud partner in Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Walk & Play LA held on Saturday May 20th. The 7th annual event is a family-friendly community event on the Santa Monica Pier that celebrates and supports the health of children. Walk & Play LA brings together the sports and wellness community for a 3K fun walk, family festival for all ages, and sports clinics hosted by professional athletes, including adaptive sports activities. Co-hosted by boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and host of the Ellen K Morning Show on KOST 103.5, Ellen K, Walk & Play LA was complete with live music, special guests, food, family fun under the sun and an exciting All-Star line-up in the Play Zone!

Children and parents who visited our Gasol Foundation booth enjoyed healthy games, prizes, and raffle collectibles. Thank you CHLA for the incredible opportunity to participate in such a fantastic event.

There’s still time to give to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles! Help raise critical funds in support of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and its mission to create hope and build healthier futures.

It was another great weekend at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for Gasol Foundation USA! As expected, the nation’s largest literary event had a big turnout on both Saturday, April 22nd – Sunday, April 23rd. We were thrilled to participate at the Festival of Books for the second consecutive year and have the opportunity to engage with the community. It was a (healthy) party in booth #553 as both kids and many adults enjoyed doing exercises as we promoted healthy habits. We provided healthy games, prizes and raffle collectibles on the University of Southern California campus where the festival took place.

Thank you to AltaMed pediatrician and Gasol Foundation USA Advisory Board member, Dr. Iian Shapiro, for visiting our booth! And congratulations to our raffle winners, Aditya and Benjamin, who each won an autographed item from our President, Pau Gasol!

Overall, kids of ages and families enjoyed these free family-friendly days on the main USC campus. Thank you Los Angeles Times and USC for hosting such a fantastic event. We look forward to participating next year and impacting even more families through heathy habits! 

March 6th, 2023 is a day The Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) school children will always remember! Gasol Foundation President and NBA legend Pau Gasol visited Lafayette Recreation Center in Los Angeles, CA to provide a Galactic Sports clinic with children and a Q&A session with the press. This special event was held the day before Pau’s historic Lakers jersey retirement ceremony at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles. 

The impact of Pau’s visit was imminent as the 7’1’’ former power forward / center entered the gym. Many of the children in attendance grew up watching him play for the Lakers and were thrilled to meet him in person. As with all Gasol Foundation evidence-based programs, the Galactic Sports demo incorporated the key healthy habits of physical activity, diet, sleep, and emotional well-being.

LOS ANGELES, CA- MARCH 6: Gasol Foundation Galactic Sports Program at Lafayette Park Recreation Center in Los Anegeles NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The demonstration also provided an opportunity for the children to ask Pau questions and engage with him. The children gained knowledge on healthy habits applicable to their daily lives, which made the experience even more valuable.

Additionally, Pau shared personal anecdotes regarding his personal journey, discussed adversity he’s faced to get where he is today, and the hard work he put in to achieve his goals- both on and off the court. He emphasized the importance of perseverance, resilience, and a positive attitude with the children – all crucial skills for success. 

We are honored to share this moment with The Heart of Los Angeles, Rise Kohyang Elementary School, and Bright Stars Schools as we celebrate our co-founder, Pau Gasol. Thank you to all who made this event possible! 

Gasol Foundation USA is celebrating the Los Angeles Lakers’ retirement of number 16 to honor Lakers legend and Gasol Foundation USA Co-Founder, Pau Gasol, on March 7, 2023. As part of the celebration, Gasol Foundation USA is hosting a drawing for two game tickets and a meet-and-greet with Pau Gasol. One lucky winner will receive two tickets to Laker game/ceremony

and a meet-and-greet with Laker great Pau Gasol.

The retirement of Pau Gasol’s jersey by the Los Angeles Lakers will take place as the Lakers face the Memphis Grizzlies (Gasol’s first NBA team) at Crypto.com Arena.

The prize drawing for the two game tickets and meet-and-greet with Pau has begun, with entries at $25 each (multiple entries are allowed). The deadline to enter is noon PST on March 1, 2023, and the winner will be drawn at 4pm PST on March 1st. 

Pau played for the Lakers during seven seasons with three All Star selections–and helped lead Los Angeles to back-to-back championships. He is “humbled and excited” about this great recognition by such a great franchise. He is delighted to share this moment with his family and friends, and supporters of the Gasol Foundation. 

Gasol Foundation USA’s Galactic Sports winter programming, in collaboration with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, will begin in January 2023 at the following locations: El Cariso Community Regional Park (Sylmar, CA), Del Aire Park (Hawthorne, CA), Pamela Park (Duarte, CA), Amelia Mayberry Park (Whittier, CA), Ruben F Salazar Park (East Los Angeles, CA), and Lennox Park (Lennox, CA). Register today – and we’ll see you there! 

Galactic Sports is a community-based program promoting sports and healthy habits. The goal of the program is to reduce risk of childhood obesity among children by engaging them in sports and promoting these healthy habits: diet, physical activity, sleep, and emotional well-being. Galactic Sports is for children ages 6-13. The activities are designed for beginners to gain confidence in the sport.

On Thursday, October 27th, Gasol Foundation USA hosted our first in-person event since 2016! ‘A Night with the Gasol Foundation’ took place at Tatel Restaurant in Beverly Hills. The patio at Tatel provided a collegial setting to showcase our work and mingle with current and new collaborators. We were excited to see friends, partners, and donors who showed their support for our #ZeroChildhoodObesity mission. This friend and fundraiser built momentum for us to continue empowering children to develop healthy habits. We are thrilled to report a generous $50,000 contribution from the Los Angeles Lakers was made at the event. As always, all funds go directly toward our free children’s wellness programs.

 

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