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Who We Are

History and Background

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Jillian Dillard

Founder and Director

Summer 2018 Became certified to teach children's yoga through internationally-acclaimed Kidding Around Yoga

Fall 2018 Applied for incorporation in Georgia and received 501(c)3 designation from the IRS, for FreedOM Youth Yoga, Inc. to be a recognized nonprofit entity


Winter 2019 Taught preschool yoga at Smyrna Community Center

Spring 2019 Offered Local After School Program Yoga Clubs

Summer 2019  Summer Camp Coordinator and Kids' Yoga Teacher at Windy Hill Athletic Club

Fall 2019 Taught Yoga Club at two local schools' after school programs

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Winter 2020  Became a Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher with 200YTT at Marianne Wells Yoga School in Malaga, Spain

Spring 2020 Taught kids' yoga classes virtually

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Summer 2021 Marietta Police Athletic League Summer Camp Yoga Instructor for kids aged 5 to 13

Fall 2021  Taught virtual and in-person classes at local preschools,  continued instruction at the after school program at the Marietta Police Athletic League

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Winter 2022 Researching grant possibilities and local partnerships for bringing yoga to Smyrna youth, while continuing to lead local and virtual classes.

Spring 2022 Preparing to teach at local summer camps, while continuing instruction at MPAL and Smyrna Montessori School. Formed partnership  and class opportunities with The Healing Environment in Smyrna.

Summer 2022 Summer Camps at Marietta Police Athletic League, KOS Smyrna.

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How We Came To Be

After teaching high school English for 18 years, our founder came to the realization that our youth needed a stronger foundation in the parts of life that matter most: being true to oneself, having compassion and patience, making a difference, connecting with that small-still-voice-inside-us-all, courage for being authentic, kindness toward themselves and others, acceptance of current situations while setting intentions for the future, stress reduction, focus, and self-regulation.  It is our fervent hope that the study and practice of yoga will indeed foster "creating world peace, one youth at a time." Our special focus is to outreach to groups who have been historically underserved in the Smyrna, Marietta, and Atlanta area.

Our Funding

Finance Foundations

Yoga Class
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Collaborating

Classes

Most funding for FreedOM Youth Yoga comes through payment for classes offered at various locations

Donations

We are so grateful to a few benevolent donors whose contributions totaled 5% of our past total annual funding

Grants and Sponsorships

One of our greatest goals is to be awarded grants and to attract sponsorships so that we may have an even greater impact on the communities we serve, especially for children with struggling family budgets.

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