The #LoveUp Foundation

Mission and Programs

Who is the #LoveUp Foundation?

Our Mission: The #LoveUp Foundation will be a force for positive change and impact the lives of children and adults in our community.

Our Vision: All people in our community will be inspired by the #LoveUp Foundation to spread kindness and positively impact children facing life in our foster care system.

Our Story

#LoveUp is an accidental movement started by Johnjay Van Es when autocorrect changed his friend, Hall of Fame NFL Super Bowl Quarterback, Kurt Warner’s text from ‘Love It’ to ‘Love Up’…a phenomenon was born! Check out the video to hear how the story unfolded!

Johnjay and Rich discussed the text on air and thought #LoveUp would be a great way to remind people to pay it forward and spread the love.

Originally founded as the Johnjay and Rich Care for Kids Foundation, the charitable organization changed its name to the Johnjay and Rich #LoveUp Foundation in 2017.

Proceeds from the sales of #LoveUp Shirts, as well as private and corporate donations support the #LoveUp Foundation programs:

#LoveUp Moments
Foster Care Events
Children’s Heart Gallery
Laptops for Foster Children
Christmas Wish

Our Programs

#LoveUp Moments

Motivated by #LoveUp’s mission of spreading love and kindness in our community while inspiring others to do the same, Johnjay and Rich’s #LoveUp Foundation grants #LoveUp Moments to unsuspecting members of our community.

Whether it be helping a sick child experience the dream of becoming a zookeeper for a day, granting new uniforms for an underprivileged high school cheer team or sending a hard working family out of state to visit a loved one, #LoveUp Moments surprise and awe in ways that encourage others to extend kindness and generosity in their own lives.

Foster Care Events

The #LoveUp Foundation believes every child should know what it is like to go to a ballgame, visit a working farm, attend the State Fair or go to a movie on opening night.

Each year the #LoveUp Foundation spreads hope by creating special, memorable experiences for children living in the foster care system. #LoveUp also works closely with the Arizona Department of Child Safety to support their special events for foster children, with a special focus on helping children nearing age 18 who will soon be aging out of the foster care system.

In 2019, over 3,143 children in foster care were positively affected by the #LoveUp Foundation.

Laptops for Foster Children

In 2018, the #LoveUp Foundation teamed with the Arizona Department of Child Safety for the first ever pilot program of F.A.C.T.- Fostering Achievement Through Computer Technology. The #LoveUp Foundation purchased 100 Chromebook laptop computers for foster children graduating from the 8th grade. The program was designed to get technology into the hands of foster children.

Nationwide, fewer than 50 percent of foster youth graduate from high school. Our goal is to shrink the achievement gap for children in foster care, and pave the way for their education and their future.

Children’s Heart Gallery

The #LoveUp Foundation was chosen by the Arizona Department of Child Safety in 2014 to help maintain the Children’s Heart Gallery. The Children’s Heart Gallery is an online photographic portal that showcases children in the foster care system who are available for adoption and in need of a forever home.

The #LoveUp Foundation created a large mobile photographic exhibit for the Children’s Heart Gallery that is displayed around the State. #LoveUp provides six days each year for foster children to attend a Heart Gallery event where they receive haircuts, new clothes and a professional photography session for their inclusion in the Heart Gallery. Click here to view our Amazon Wish List to donate and help us gift these children with new personal self-care and hygiene products.

Christmas Wish

For more than 16 years, Johnjay and Rich have been granting Christmas wishes to children and their families in need. Nominated by friends and family, recipients are surprised by an outpouring of gifts and support by the #LoveUp Foundation over the holidays, a time when financial burdens can seem insurmountable. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of hope and assistance to make the holidays a bit brighter and to help a family to get back on their feet.

Christmas Wish 2019 Nominations are now closed. All Christmas Wish recipients have been selected for December 2019. We will open nominations for Christmas Wish 2020 in November of 2020.