Gasol Foundation Joins Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Walk & Play LA in Santa Monica

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. 

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.

 

Gasol Foundation US has convened a new Advisory Board of health and education experts to better empower children (and their parents) in their health and wellness—especially in preventing and overcoming childhood obesity. 

The six-member board is composed of recognized leaders in their fields (three M.D.’s and three Ed.D.’s) who bring a depth of experience and insights about child wellness and development to the national nonprofit organization:

Dr Ilan Shapiro is a pediatrician and is Chief Health Correspondent and Medical Affairs Officer at AltaMed Health Services; Dr Elisa Nicholas is a pediatrician and CEO at TCC Family Health; Dr David Skaggs is an orthopedic surgeon and Director of Pediatric Orthopedics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Roger Brossmer, Ed.D., is Assistant Superintendent at Downey, CA Unified School District; Georgia Lazo, Ed.D., is Principal at UCLA Lab School; and Tonikiaa Orange, Ed.D., is Director of Culture and Equity Project at UCLA Center X.

As Gasol Foundation US continues to expand its impact on children’s wellness by teaching proven healthy habits, This Advisory Board will be instrumental to the quality and effectiveness of our evidence-based children’s programming. 

Pau is accepting personalized video requests on Cameo! If you, your family members or friends would like a video from Pau, click here to book your Cameo today! All of the proceeds will be donated to Gasol Foundation programs focused on eradicating childhood obesity and empowering children and families through healthy habits.

We are extremely proud to have our Co-Founders, Pau and Marc Gasol, and the Gasol Foundation featured as the cover of this year’s Los Angeles Times Giving Back Philanthropy Issue. Thank you to the LA Times for recognizing Pau and Marc as leaders who give, advocate and volunteer for positive change. Under their leadership, the Gasol Foundation will continue our philanthropic efforts for all children and families in Los Angeles and around the world.

To read the full article, click here.

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