ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS ENTREPRENEUR OF THE SEASON
I love reading stories of socially and environmentally conscious entrepreneurs, but when they are only 12 years old I really get excited about such responsible and caring people…especially when I know them personally!
Some of you may recognize this name and face: Shawniece Walker, our SOSF poster girl from 8 years ago. She is also my granddaughter, the daughter of my daughter, Mercedes O’Shea, and niece of our namesake, my son, Sean O’Shea.
A couple of years ago Shawniece and her parents decided to transition her to homeschooling, and with that came lots of project-based learning. Shawniece asked me to teach her to sew, cook, knit and more, and so I did.
Over the winter she made heart-shaped flannel warming sacks - rice-filled and microwaveable -
This year she decided she wanted to take off on her own and created Shawnieces’ Shop, selling handcrafted items “Made with Love” online. Over the winter she made special shaped microwavable warmers to keep the bed warm during cold weather and great for those muscle aches. They were very popular! This spring she made fun, machine washable pouches that could be used for make-up, pencils, and so much more, and she created reusable sandwich and snack bags for lunches (machine washable). In May she offered Cinco de Mayo tortilla warmers using 100% cotton fabrics. For summer she made a large variety of scrunchies, yes, scrunchies…did you know they are in again? Wow, I can’t wait to see what she makes for fall!
But that’s not all. Shawniece donates a portion of her profits to the Sean O’Shea Foundation. She also sewed flaxseed-filled eye pillows, made of soft flannel, for the Kids with Cancer program at Rady Childrens Hospital and packaged them in cellophane with a ribbon and a sweet card. Now, when our SOSF Dream Team volunteers work with pediatric cancer patients they can offer them a kid-sized eye pillow to darken the room and help them relax and sleep.
Shawniece, we are so grateful for your dedication to helping the environment and for all your support to the Sean O’Shea Foundation. Good luck with your business, and one day soon we hope to create a Youth Board of Directors for the Sean O’Shea Foundation. We already know who will make a great candidate! ~Gloria O’Shea
THE SEAN O’SHEA FOUNDATION DREAM TEAM OF YOGA TEACHERS…
We are always looking for certified yoga teachers who would love to share their expertise and time with our "Yoga 4 Kids with Cancer" program at Rady Children's Hospital. If you know this is something you are interested in and can volunteer twice a month for an hour or two, contact me today: Gloria O'Shea at namaste@seanosheafoundation.org
WELCOME TO OUR NEW SOSF BOARD MEMBER…
Jamie Schiffer
Jamie is a scientist and yoga teacher who has called San Diego her home for almost eight years. As a passionate educator, she has participated in many youth outreach programs in both science and yoga. She earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from UC San Diego in 2016 and currently works as a scientist and education specialist at Schrödinger. She teaches at Beyond Pilates, and specializes in teaching yin classes. She loves finding ways to combine her two worlds, and is excited to be part of the SOSF board, where she supports grant-writing efforts and develops science-based curriculum for nutrition education.
YOGA TEACHER OF THE MONTH – KRISTA VALDEZ
Krista Valdez
Krista is one of our new yoga teachers who joined back in April. Since April Krista has been active in our Yoga 4 Kids with Cancer program at Rady Children’s Hospital and our Medical Behavior Unit for teens with eating disorders and is a regular yoga teacher at the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Justice Center. Congratulations Krista!
Here is a recent letter written to me from one of our yoga classes at the San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community School Systems:
July 3, 2019
Dear Mrs. O’Shea,
I can’t thank you enough for extending your wonderful Yoga program to our boys in Unit 1000 this year. The successes we have witnessed in the Trauma Informed Care Unit (100), and with the girls in Unit 70 (also for long-term, deeply needy girls) have worked their magic again!
At first, the Probation unit supervisor was reluctant to try yoga with the Unit 1000 population because the kids are very young middle schoolers, who tend to be very squirrely and more oppositionally defiant than other units. I am thrilled to report that the program was a success from the very first class, due to the exceptional skill of Teacher Krista Valdez. The boys adore her, most likely because she is much closer to them in age than their regular staff and her astounding personal fitness level is a wonder to behold! She has excellent classroom control and is able to redirect counterproductive behaviors like talking and giggling quickly and firmly while keeping the class moving and the boys engaged.
She covers all the spiritual and conceptual aspects of yoga in a compelling way and has shown them that yoga is a lifetime tool they can use wherever they go. This is a hard concept for teenagers to fathom but they really “get it’ from teacher Krista and since we made the class voluntary, we have a consistent 98 per cent participation rate!
Yoga is one of the highest leverage activities we can offer the kids in custody because it integrates mind and body, teaches coping skills, self compassion, control and inner focus. All in all, I truly believe yoga is one of the most effective programs for our kids in custody that I’ve seen in my 23 years with the Court Schools.
You can be proud of what The Sean O’Shea Foundation has done to improve the outcomes for the most highly at-risk kids in San Diego County and the countless lives you have touched with your loving generosity.
San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community School System.
MEET SOME OF OUR NEW DREAM TEAM YOGA TEACHERS
Our Dream Team of Yoga teachers serve pediatric cancer patients, their caregivers and the teens in the Medical Behavior Unit at Rady Children’s Hospital. They volunteer twice a month, bringing mindfulness practices and gentle yoga to patients and families going through some of the most challenging times. Thank you Dream Team, you do some of the most important work imaginable. The kids, their families, and RCH are most grateful for your dedicated time and skill.
Top (L-R): Heather Otto, Samantha Torres
Bottom: Krista Valdez, Tricia Wells (Not Pictured)
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The Sean O’Shea Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 organization working to serve and empower at-risk youth in Southern California.
Tax # 26-0355109 www.seanosheafoundation.org
The Sean O’Shea Foundation
3397 Hollowtree Drive
Oceanside, CA 92058
