Summer 2023

NDHS/TJNFF

Baseball Extravaganza

This year's event fundraiser raised $12,606 to support the expansion of Thrive in Joy's C11 strength of character program. The weekend included a youth skills clinic for ages 6-12 and a competitive six-team 14U Invitational Travel Team Tournament.

We're incredibly grateful to Notre Dame High School Knights Baseball program for use of their beautiful stadium and their partnership along with the awesome coaches, parents, and student volunteers who made the day such a success.

C11 Leadership Summit

We had our first three-day C11 leadership training for ten student leaders and our newly-hired advisors who will each be placed in a high school to support the student leaders.

On the final day, students received certificates of completion for their training and were invited to speak at the Beach Day.

Celebration of Life, Love, and Nick's Legacy

Over 111 friends and family, along with our student leaders and advisors, gathered to reflect on the ripple effects of Nick's life and the gratitude we have for this inspiring community comprised of many who never knew Nick.

If you were unable to attend the July 31st 9th Annual Celebration of Life Beach Day, a recording of the program's livestream is available on our Facebook page.

For a full gallery of the photos from the day, you can click HERE.

Thrive in Joy's Director of Programs and Development, Elizabeth Rojas, and Executive Director, Mary Fagnano, celebrated with Quintin McDonald on the last day of his summer internship.

Quintin, a USC Dornsife student majoring in Political Economy, spoke at the 9th Annual Celebration of Life, Love, and Nick's Legacy where he reflected on his internship experience saying, "The whole Thrive in Joy team have created such a supportive community that extends so much further than I could have imagined. This group’s ability to foster personal growth in everyone they work with is unlike anything I have seen before."

We're so grateful for Quintin's invaluable contributions to Thrive in Joy this summer and we look forward to his continued involvement!

C11 Will be Active in Four Los Angeles High Schools this Fall

Thanks to the support we've received for expansion of the C11 program, we've onboarded three USC students who will be serving as advisors and supporting the high school students leading Club Thrive in Joy on their respective campuses:

USC Hybrid High College Prep in South LA, Esperanza College Prep in East LA, as well as two new schools-- Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School and SEED LA, both located in the vicinity of downtown LA.

The student-led C11 program incorporates discussions and activities based on 11 of Nick’s character strengths and inspires students to discover their own individual character strengths which they will engage for positive community impact--especially through the entrepreneurial social impact projects (ESIPs) they will implement in spring 2024.

These students know how to promote!

Watch a 10-second video of USC Hybrid High's 8/24 Club Rush:

A year ago we never imagined C11 would be introduced to students in South Africa! But thanks to the incredible support from Retail ROI and two members of the Retail ROI volunteer executive team- Mark MacLaren and Dan Grady- students at the Global Leadership Academy in Jeffreys Bay South Africa had the opportunity to participate in a C11 workshop that will evolve into a full program when the new academic year begins in January.

We're also thrilled to announce that Crisbel Jimenez, one of the student leaders in Casa Misionera's program in the Dominican Republic, will be a C11 advisor at Liceo Angel Maria Hernandez High School in her community of Nagua this fall.

These international programs are possible through the generosity of Retail ROI and we look forward to sharing the impact of this valued partnership in the months to come.

Members of Thrive in Joy's Board of Directors offer their diverse skills to provide guidance and support for the organization's mission. With our continued growth, we are seeking to add new expertise and diversity to our 2024 Board. To learn more about this opportunity to serve on Thrive in Joy's Board, please complete this brief survey:

Our Upcoming October 18-24 Mission Trip

We can't wait to celebrate with the community of Nagua at the ribbon cutting for this life-giving new water purification system that is currently under construction! This project has been made possible by the generosity of the LB Charitable Foundation who has partnered with Thrive in Joy for the past four years to make significant quality of life improvements in underserved communities in the Dominican Republic. In addition to providing support for physical well-being, LB Charitable recognizes the importance of spiritual well-being in vulnerable communities such as Nagua. For this reason, we are so very grateful to Nelson Paulino of Casa Misionera and to Pastors Elisandro and Gretty, the husband and wife team, whose church provides a center of joy and hope, and will now be a source of clean drinking water, for Nagua's families in need.

Clean drinking water coming soon for hundreds of families!

This inspiring video shows how lives are being impacted by Nick's legacy in the DR!

If you've been following me on Facebook or Instagram or if we've had a conversation somewhere along the way, you know my connection to rainbows. Every one I see, every rainbow photo someone sends me, is a reminder of Nick's presence. Like the rainbow that only appears when the light is refracted a certain way which also requires us to be present to it at just the right moment...so I feel is the beauty, reality, and fragility of that love that exists without a hug, a smile, or a conversation.

I did a double-take as I walked by these fountains at the Miraval Spa in Tucson this July. Did I really see that?! And so I walked around them until the light was just right to capture the vibrancies of the colors and the dancing droplets on my phone's camera.

As you enjoy these last few weeks of summer, may you find a surprise in nature, in a conversation with a loved one, in something unexpected that someone does for you, or in a discovery of being in just the right place at the right time to be delighted. We have no shortage of challenges in the world today but, maybe, like the church in Lahaina that was unscathed by the flames, we can be a source of hope for others looking for a rainbow.

We are excited about the expansion of C11 into more high schools.

If you would like to know more about how you could sponsor a school, click HERE.

Or click below to donate: