UP FRONT Short Takes
Read for Life Gala to support literacy efforts
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It’s that time again for the annual Read for Life Gala Reception and Auction, which raises funds to benefit the Kern Adult Literacy Council. Executive Director Donna Hylton and the Read for Life Gala committee are busy preparing for another successful event. The gala, which draws plenty of community leaders and supporters, will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28 at The Bell Tower Club. At the gala, Bright House Networks will be honored as the Literacy for Life Award recipient. The council annually honors a business or professional who has contributed in many ways to local literacy efforts and literacy council programs. Past honorees include Kern Community College District Chancellor Sandra Serrano and The Bakersfield Californian. Aside from the award, the gala will feature more than 500 auction items up for grabs. Some of the hot items include 50yard line tickets to a San Francisco 49ers game; an eight-day, seven-night condo dream vacation to Australia, Mexico, Europe, Canada or Hawaii; a birthday party at the downtown fire station; Dodgers tickets behind home plate; four one-day park hopper
tickets for Disneyland; and a weekend stay at a condo on the coast. The gala is a signature event for the council as it raises funds to support its programs. Among the council programs is the Family Literacy Program, which offers literacy instruction to county families at no charge. In addition, the council offers general educational development tutoring for students preparing for the GED exam and runs the adult basic education program that offers tutoring in basic skills, such as reading, writing, arithmetic and other skills necessary in today’s workplace or home life, Hylton said. “It is because of community support, the council keeps our four literacy programs going with over 3,000 students at over 50 sites in Kern County,” Hylton said, noting that the gala has raised more than $1 million in the last 10 years for the council. The gala event allows the council to serve more students and continue in its efforts to improve literacy in the county and the lives of local families. Sponsorships and individual tickets are still available. For more information, contact Donna Hylton at 324-3213.
Letter to the Editor Dear Editor,
I suppose I could just not say anything about the cover picture of the March 2011 issue of Bakersfield Life Magazine and quietly seethe in disgust and disappointment. As you can see, I have chosen not to sit quietly, but rather to share my disappointment in your choice to depict men in this way. “The Man Issue” — really? Bakersfield’s manliest men surround themselves with “models” that seem to be posing as hookers for this “manly” man, Mr. Gary Branker, who brags about punching, as was printed, a “midget”? Ms. Garcia, in your editor’s note, you said that your female readers would find this male-centric issue enjoyable. Well, I’m obviously not amused. I am a mother of three sons, ages 21, 16 and 6. I don’t find the man on your cover or how he is presenting himself representative of the men in my life. Why not show this man with his beloved car on the cover? Why you have chosen to represent men in your “Man Issue” in this way is in12
Bakersfield Life
April 2011
compressible and archaic. Perhaps choosing a man such as Bradley Vaughn, who’s not only an amazing athlete but a man who serves his country with vigor, has great mental capacity, and loves and cherishes his wife would have been a better choice. Or perhaps George Sturges Jr., whose father taught him at an early age valuable life lessons that would carry through to manhood. He supports his family every day in ways both measurable and immeasurable. I’m doubly disappointed that as a female editor you have chosen to perpetuate this outdated image of men that continues to flood the media in all of its forms. I expect more from a magazine that represents a city that claims to be family-oriented and progressive. Furthermore, as a local business owner who frequently advertises in Bakersfield Life magazine, I will be reconsidering where to place my advertising dollars. Sincerely, — Josie Kouyomjian
The Bakersfield Californian publishes Bakersfield Life magazine monthly. If you have any questions or comments regarding our magazine, write to us at Bakersfield Life, P.O. Bin 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302, or e-mail us at bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com. We’d love to hear from you.
To submit material
Letters to the editor: We publish all letters that are signed and deemed appropriate for our readership. Letters must be signed to be considered for a publication. Please type or print your name, as well as an address and a daytime phone number. E-mail should include the writer’s full name and city. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space. Please submit letters to Olivia Garcia, Editor, Bakersfield Life, P.O. Bin 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302. For e-mail, send letters to the editor to bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com. Calendar events: Please submit information in writing to Marisol Sorto, no later than the first of the month, two months prior to the month in which the event will take place. Contact her at bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com.
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