Kay – $50 and brought sea salt taffy plus a chocolate‑bacon‑potato‑chip concoction
Mindy – $5 with Olallieberry Jam from Cambria
Sally – $40 for her 40th anniversary, bringing chocolates and a Kakuei nut necklace from Hawaii
Willie – $100 celebrating closing on their new home in Grand Island
Carol – $100 grateful to have survived her escalator battle at LAX and the ambulance adventure that followed
Temo – $50 thankful for a great San Francisco weekend, complete with a hand‑delivered postcard and a “solar cat”
Speaker: Michelle Roy – Kern County Superintendent of Schools (Science Coordinator)
Michelle Roy delivered an energetic and insightful presentation on STEM & STEAM in Kern County, highlighting her work with the Kern County Science Foundation (KCSF).
Key points:
Kern County ranks #4 in the nation for STEM jobs and opportunities.
KCSF advocates for STEM/STEAM education and helps students build skills for future careers.
Major annual events include:
IgniteHer (November): Empowering girls to explore STEM
Kern County Science Fair (March): Serving 700+ students, grades 4–12
Skoolcade (April): Video game design competition for grades 4–8
STEAM Olympiad (May): Team‑based competition across science, tech, engineering, arts, and math
These programs have led to national‑level sponsorships and even full‑ride college scholarships.
None of this is possible without hundreds of volunteers and strong financial support.
Funding has tightened recently, so KCSF is actively seeking volunteers and donors.
