BY: Cheryl Scott
In the absence of regular correspondent, Frank Wooldridge, I shall do my best to summarize this week’s shenanigans of Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club!
Stephanie Baker, (darling of the Greeters’ Station) once again welcomed members, due to the absence of the assigned greeter. Poor Denise Haynes…she may have missed her greeting duty, but she DID fill in for invocation. Alas, President Ron still saw it appropriate to fine Denise and somehow (lost on this scribe) Jeff Haynes offered to cover half of Denise’s fine.
Two guests joined us for the meeting, including Jerald Wyatt (he’s starting to feel like a “regular”!) and Michelle Ricker, a water engineer with GEI Consultants. Mindy Wilmot turned in her roster of signatures and received her Blue Badge—she’s official, folks!
Program of the Day: Kern Community Foundation
Kristen Beall from the Kern Community Foundation (KCF) was our esteemed speaker, providing loads of interesting information about “Kern County’s best kept secret.” We learned that the KCF is one of about 800 community foundations in the US, and our local Foundation manages 157 different charitable funds with $22 million in assets! Since its formation in 1999, KCF has awarded $20 million in grants to (mostly) local efforts that improve our community. When a donor establishes a fund with the KCF, the donation is tax deductible, and the donor can direct the funds to another 501c3 organization. Kristen also explained the difference between “charity” and “philanthropy.” Philanthropy is more than donating to a food drive, for example, and it leads to systemic change in a community.
In addition to managing philanthropy, KCF works to strengthen local non-profits and to improve educational access for our community members. Be sure to watch for more information about Give Big Kern on May 7th, a great time to make contributions to your favorite local non-profit, through the Kern Community Foundation.
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