LOS ANGELES - California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom today joined students, mental health professionals, and athletes at two schools in Pasadena and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s East Palo Alto Clubhouse to celebrate Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day. The events were hosted by the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being, which the First Partner co-chairs alongside NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, and provided families with interactive ways to explore the connection between movement, mindfulness, and overall health.

Concurrent Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day events were hosted by community organizations in Sacramento County, Stanislaus County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Fresno County.

“Our mental health is as essential to our overall well-being as our physical health, and the two are deeply connected. Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day is a reminder to all Californians that even the simplest of daily movement and mindfulness practices will make a meaningful difference in one’s long- term health, guiding kids towards establishing healthy habits at the earliest of ages.” - First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco: “We are grateful for the support for the well-being of our students, which is especially important as they recover from the Eaton Fire. When students feel healthy, supported, and valued, they can learn and succeed.” 

Jennifer Hall Lee, PUSD Board of Education President: “We’ve created caring, inclusive spaces where students can feel safe again and heal after the Eaton Fire. Supporting the whole child is how we can help them move forward with hope.”

Jenny Obiaya, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula: “At Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, our wraparound services for youth include many opportunities for free sports and physical fitness activities, as well as free mental health services. That’s why we are so proud to host this important event as part of Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day. Our students had so much fun celebrating alongside and learning from leaders like First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Brandi Chastain, an iconic World Cup and Olympic soccer star.” 

The First Partner kicked off the day at Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, which suffered significant damage in the Eaton Fire and is co-locating at McKinley School in Pasadena. More than 600 students from both schools gathered in the auditorium for a fun-filled morning of yoga, meditation, dancing, and drumboxing. 

Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day continued in East Palo Alto where the First Partner teamed up with Olympic and World Cup Champion Brandi Chastain at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula. More than 250 kids Zumba danced and played pickleball and soccer, and participated in mindfulness activities such as crafts, cooking, and yoga.

Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind was launched in 2023 by the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being, the California Department of Health Care Services, and the California Department of Public Health. Learn more at www.moveyourbodycalmyourmind.org.

Photos of the Pasadena event available here. Additional photos available upon request.