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Empower Party 4/28/2026
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Just in Time Wins Prestigious Kaleidoscope Award!
by Virgo Villajin
During the 18th Annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium at the University of San Diego, it was announced that Just in Time for Foster Youth was selected as the 2022 winner of the prestigious Kaleidoscope Award for Good Governance presented by The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego. JIT won in the mid-size category for organizations that have an operating budget between $500,000 and $10 million. For the past 15 years, this award has recognized, celebrated and promoted effective, engaged board leadership in the San Diego region’s nonprofit sector.
As a community, we proudly embrace constructive conflict as an opportunity to elevate our work and excel our mission. JIT’s board and executive leadership consistently navigate external challenges and difficult internal decisions from a foundation of a mutually developed shared Purpose, well-articulated and aligned Values, a conscious commitment to build and preserve Trust, and a Growth Mindset that honors feedback and encourages confident vulnerability.
These elements have been essential in producing some of our critical impacts over the last year such as adapting our Walk the Talk Empower Parties, serving over 1,500 youth and enhancing our strategies to meet the increasing needs of our community.
We’re thrilled to celebrate this amazing victory as a community and eager keep building on this momentum into 2022.
Rise to Resilience’s Annual celebration
by brandy harvey
Rise to Resilience recently honored the memories, milestones, and momentum participants made towards their health, wellness, and healing journey over the past year.
At our annual Rise to Resilience Celebration, participants celebrated their growth through reflective questions, shared their personal growth journeys, as well as the creative album covers they created during the final series to symbolize their progress. Participants were also asked to reflect on what they learned about themselves as well as what they are committed to strengthening in 2022.
Anri, one of our participants said “the thing I’m most proud of is learning how to actually relax and not feel guilty about it. We get so used to survival mode that we don’t know how to be out of it. I’d say, definitely, the knowledge that helped me the most was the breathing and sleep workshops. I sleep so much better now and I’m more present in the moment. I want to continue healing and to continue to explore the things I like and who I am.”
Throughout 2021, the Rise to Resilience coordinators helped participants by focusing on the Seven Healing Practices in separate workshops series: Self-Exploration, Mindfulness, Rest & Sleep, Body Movement & Physical Fitness, Nourishment, Healthy Relationships, and Play. They also offered individual coaching, a network of healthy connections, additional therapy services, and more.
The service was created by JIT Alumni and staff member, Vanessa Davis, in order to help Foster Youth recognize and mitigate the effects of Adverse childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. It is one of the only JIT services available year round and the first to focus on participants’ health and wellness.
“We feel very blessed to be associated with such an organization and are proud to provide our support to your mission.”
-Winkelman Family
Long time JIT supporters Vicki and Jeff Winkelman, along with their daughter Alyssa, hosted a lunch party for our staff where we were able to catch up and share stories of our youth. They also invested a generous $20,000 towards our mission.
The 2022 Kaleidoscope Award
We do this work at Just in Time from a place of passion and purpose. And, ever so often, that commitment is recognized in a way that validates and energizes us to innovate and achieve at even higher levels.
This recognition came in the form of the Kaleidoscope Award for Good Governance. While this award validates the mission driven partnership our board and executive leadership share, we know that these values radiate throughout our entire community.
In fact, it describes relationships throughout our JIT community – participants, volunteers, staff, partners and investors – who create a true kaleidoscope of caring, compassionate and creative solutions to make our world a better place. Congratulations to us. All of us.
-Don Wells, Chief Empowerment Officer
