Winter 2019: Volume 10, Issue 1 GREAT FUTURES START HERE!
BGCBRIEF 661-325-3730
www.bgclubsofkerncounty.org
Aera Energy Announces New Roof and Rooftop Solar Installation benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County. (Story on pages 6-7)
Our Board’s Perspective Board of Directors Matt Damian: President of the Board Mission Bank Vanessa Emo, Past President of the Board Community Volunteer Gloria Williams, Secretary California Resources Corporation Kristin Monsibais, Vice President/Treasurer Williams Adams & Company Adam Alvidrez Chevron Alex Balfour Cushman and Wakefield/Pacific Commercial Realty Advisors
Theresa Bush, Aera Energy LLC When I joined the board of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County in early 2018, I was honored to be part of this immensely important organization. But I also had a personal reason for wanting to serve here. My husband Charlie was a Club kid in Corpus Christi, Texas. Being able to go to that Club every summer kept him off the streets and out of trouble. He had a lot of fun at the Club but he also learned many values such as resiliency that he has carried with him through life. One of his favorite things from the Club was learning how to box. He made good use of his Club experience when, at age 18, he joined the U.S. Army and became a paratrooper and earned his Ranger tab. He even used his boxing skills while on the brigade boxing team. What I’ve learned about the Club is that it provides a world of opportunity to children who might not have seen those possibilities before. That’s an amazing thing to give a child. That’s what makes the Boys & Girls Clubs special. They give kids a safe place to go to when school is out. They feed them meals when they don’t have anything else to eat during the summer months. They organize sports and performing arts programs. These are things many kids are not able to participate due to high cost. What the Boys & Girls Clubs also offer are life skills and career exploration. That’s important to me as a Human Resources professional. The Clubs introduce kids to the kinds of
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Shane Bryan Trovato Wealth Management Theresa Bush Aera Energy LLC Jason Cohen UBS Financial Services, Inc. Rob Duchow Southern California Gas Company
careers that are out there. They give young people the thought that they can go to college. Maybe nobody in their family has ever gone to college. That is an amazing possibility for a young person to strive for. I’m blessed to work for Aera Energy, a company that believes in being a valued community partner. We are proud to call California home. And not just California but Kern County, where Aera’s headquarter office is located. We feel a responsibility to the communities where we live and work. In fact, a key component of Aera’s vision is “creating success for those we touch.” Supporting young people’s success is one of the best investments we can make in our community. I’m proud to be part of Aera and of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County—two organizations that share a youth-supporting commitment. Theresa Bush Board Member
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Michael George Kern Schools Federal Credit Union Rasmus Jensen Bank of the Sierra Larry Koman Koman Homes Allan Krauter Community Volunteer Jonathan Mueller ServiceMaster at Bakersfield Mikin Plummer Kern County Builders’ Exchange Emily Salters California State University, Bakersfield Zane Smith Executive Director
NEW COMMERCIAL KITCHEN TO FEED THOUSANDS IN KERN The ribbon cutting for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County’s new Commercial Kitchen at the Armstrong Youth Center (801 Niles Street) on December 20, 2018 was so exciting. The project, which was predominantly funded by the County of Kern Planning and Natural Resources Department through a Community Development Block Grant, converted a storage room into to a commercial kitchen that is allowing the Club’s Nutrition Program to serve more meals to more children. In addition, the project returned the much-missed Teaching Kitchen to the Club members at the Armstrong Youth Center for healthy cooking and nutrition classes.The Boys &
Girls Clubs of Kern County’s Nutrition Program started in January 2015 in response to the high percentage of Club members receiving free or reduced priced meals at school and who did not have access to a healthy meal after school. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County then moved from a donated snack (often cookies or chips) after school to an FDA approved “supper.” Because food insecurity occurs at higher levels during the summer months (children and youth not eating at school), the Club’s Nutrition Program soon began to serve healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks during the summer. The BGCKC Nutrition Program has grown from serving 140,000 meals in 2015 to over 300,000 meals in 2018 to children in Arvin, Bakersfield and Lamont. The commercial kitchen will allow the Nutrition Program’s growth to continue to address food insecurity for the communities served by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County.
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COMMUNITY
GRANTS
November 1, 2018 January 31, 2019
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)-- $45,000 to underwrite the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Mentoring Program at the Armstrong Youth Center and Jefferson Elementary School site.
Sea Research Foundation-- $38,850 to provide small group STEM Mentoring in weekly, structured, hands-on, multimedia STEM activities at three local Boys & Girls Clubs. The overall goal of STEM Mentoring is to positively impact the social development and academic achievement of at-risk and high-risk youth ages 6–10.
Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation-- $15,000 to implement Badges for Baseball, I’M GREAT, STEM & Ripken Instructional Leagues along with sending a members to the 2019 Ripken Overnight Summer Camp.
Rite Aid Foundation-- $5,000 “KidCents” grant to improve the lives of kids in the community through their participation in the Boys & Girls Club.
Health Net-- $25,000 to support the “Cooking with Kids” Nutrition Program at the Armstrong Youth Center with the goal for the Club members to have the skills and opportunity to make healthy lifestyle choices and improve their physical fitness. The program will include monthly sessions for the Club members to learn about and prepare healthy meals and snacks we well as take recipes and information home to their families.
AEG Community Foundation-- $5,000 to allow at-risk and disadvantaged children the opportunity to participate in the After School Education and Enrichment programming at the Armstrong Youth Center.
Bridgestone-- $7,500 “Driving Great Futures Transportation Grant” to support the After School Education and Enrichment programming at the Armstrong Youth Center.
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Helping an important mission with a rooftop and solar donation By Christina Sistrunk, President and CEO, Aera Energy The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County has been a community partner of Aera Energy’s for years – and with good reason. As members and neighbors in this community, we share the BGCKC’s values and want to see every young person graduate from high school with a plan for their future, to be able to demonstrate good character and citizenship, and to live a healthy lifestyle. We believe we have a responsibility to helping them achieve their mission. We also know Kern County has the largest and one of the most successful Boys & Girls Clubs in the nation.
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That’s why Aera continues to invest in and grow our partnership. One of our senior leaders, Theresa Bush, serves on the Club’s board of directors. Aera has sponsored many fundraising events, and our employees volunteer in the Club’s pre-engineering and science programs. In 2007, we helped underwrite $60,000 in facility upgrades at the Armstrong Youth Center. In 2006, we provided $30,000 to purchase a 13-passenger van for the BGCKC. Last year, I toured the incredible, edible garden at the Club’s Niles Street headquarters, and saw firsthand how the Club is making a difference in the lives of young people. What impressed me most was the care and commitment of Zane and the staff. The passion they demonstrate every day is truly inspiring.
I also learned something else last year. The Armstrong Youth Center, the hub of the Club’s activities, needed a new roof. Staff members had tried for years to work around roof leaks when it rained. For good reasons, they didn’t want to divert funds needed to serve the kids to fix the roof. The Club also dealt with the high costs of keeping children cool during Bakersfield’s hot summers. Those efforts had stretched the Club’s resources, reducing funds that could have been better spent on funding more programs and helping more kids. We believed we could do something to help. On January 9, I announced that Aera would donate $280,000 to install a new roof and 74.4-kilowatt solar-panel system at the Armstrong Youth Center. It was a meaningful day for all of us because we know how important the new roof and solar system are for this organization.
At Aera, we understand how critically important it is to provide energy in the safest, most responsible way. We found a way for solar power to help us do that, and now, solar will also have a place at the BGCKC, making its work of building a better future for our community’s youth a little easier. We are proud to partner with an organization that nurtures the next generation and prepares them for success. Thank you, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County, for all you do to create success for our young people.
The new solar system will help save the Club over $60,000 a year in energy costs. For every dollar that Zane Smith and his team don’t have to spend on energy bills, there’s a dollar available to help our kids and our community thrive. Helping the Club adopt solar energy reflects a path Aera itself is taking. We are installing a major solar project at our Belridge oil field. Solar power will generate electricity and reduce our carbon footprint.
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It Takes A Caring Community
Donations: November 2018 through January 2019
CORPORATE/ORGANIZATION/ FOUNDATION GIFTS Active 20-30 Club of Bakersfield AEG Community Foundation Aera Energy LLC Bakersfield North Rotary Foundation Ben H. & Gladys Arkelian Foundation The Bidart Family Foundation Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County Foundation Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Inc. California Resources Corporation Calpine Pastoria Energy Cantelmi Engineering Castle & Cooke California, Inc. Chevron USA Claim Distribution Costco Wholesale Corporation David R. Doig Insurance Agency Inc DriveTime Car Sales and Finance Company The Freedman Trust Harry and Ethel West Foundation Health Net of California Jim Burke Ford Lincoln Kern Community Foundation Kern County Builders’ Exchange Kern Schools Federal Credit Union Lazzerini Family Foundation Minyard Trust Moneywise Wealth Management Nestle Northern Trust Parsons Farms Pepsi Beverages Company Precision Filter Products LLC R and M Fuel Transport Inc. Rabobank NA Reiter Scientific Consulting LLC Russo McGarty & Associates Sea Research Foundation Sempra Energy Foundation Sheldon Family Trust Sieg & Doris Fischer Foundation Spectrum
Stockdale Moose Lodge Sullivan Petroleum Company Taft College Foundation Union Pacific Foundation United Way, Inc. Vaquero Energy Inc. Varner Bros., Inc. Walter Mortensen Insurance Williams Adams & Company CPAs Wonderful Giving Wonderful Orchards
INDIVIDUAL GIFTS
Chad and Melissa Abby Justin and April Ahart Jimmie Ahl G.D Alexander William and Suzanne Alexander Kiefer Amos-Strickland AJ and Suzie Antongiovanni Olga A. Aragon-Ganjolla Robert and Nancy Arias Timothy Ashlock Darrell and Susan Atkinson Ariel and Abby Auffant Laura Avila Jack and Sharon Balfanz Alex M. Balfour Jeremy and Christy Banducci Louis and Sheryl Barbich Larry and Kay Bardin William and Sarah Bartling Adam Belter Catherine Bennett Bruce Beretta and Melissa Fortune Robbie Bishop Aimee Blaine C. James Blom Sara Booker Mark and Andrea Boren Robin Brassfield-Cooper Jeffrey Brown Michael Brown Jean Browning Shane and Alyssa Bryan Michael and Yvonne Bush Theresa Bush
Greg and Mary Bynum Rudy and Anne Carvajal Jennifer Castro Luis Castro Tim and Carrie Champness Henry Chatman Mike and Dona Chertok Chuck Church Johnnie and Geraldine Clanton Leslie Clark Doug and Janet Clary Margaret Clay Ira and Carole Cohen Epifania Contreras Meredith Cooke Nancy C. Cosyns Mike and Maggie Cushine Matt Damian Taisiri Damico Paula Dawson Veronica DeLeon Carla Derespiris William and Sandra Descary Michael and Regina Doiron Steve Eckerson William R. Edmonds Mohammad and Sadie Farzan Armand and Joanie Fitzgerald Darrell Fitzhugh Annie Foster Gregory & Heather Frank Steven and Diane Fritz Ronald Froehlich Colby Fry Anthony Galagaza Cathleen Gandara Phil and Sue Gaskill Rene Goodwin Janice Graves Gloria Griego John and Mary Grier Katherine Grishaber Deryk Gross Angelo and Nancy Haddad Bob Hampton Robert and Jerry Haner Aaron Harmon
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It Takes A Caring Community
Donations: November 2018 through January 2019
Continued from Page 8
Charles and Valerie Hashim Peter Hazlet Matthew Hewett Mark Holtzclaw Chelsea Hopkins Susan Jennings Rasmus Jensen Marshall Johnson Felicia Kent Jim and Dianna Knapp Larry Koman Allan Krauter and Anna Agenjo James and Barbara Kurfess Christopher Kutensky Diane S. Lake Douglas and Angela Landon Bernie and Lynn Lebeau Robert and Donna Ledet Peter and Michelle Leveroni Jeff and Connie Lewis Robert G. Lewis Amanda Lindsay Lisa Longs Andrew Lopez-Landeros Chris Lowe Matthew and Judith Malerich Laine Martin Erlinda Martinez Gary and Jan Maxwell Brian and Valerie Mendiburu Anish P. Michael Danhira Barajas Millan Darlene Mohlke Chris and Jovan Molina Alex and Kristin Monsibais John and Christine Moore Stefany Moreno Jonathan and Mary Anne Mueller Kurt Neher David and Alison Norris Shannan Ogilvie Dale Oprandy Albert and Gina Pacini Brent Peterson Lanette Phillips-Watson John and Heidi Piper
Lloyd E. Plank Richard Rhodes Heather H. Ringelman Jose Romo Vanessa Ruiz Robert and Alyssa Salters William Sandrini David and Julia Santarcangelo Jim and Robin Scott Gary Scroggs Keith and Noel Shotts Sam Siador Harry and Stephanie Simpson Paul Skarphol Justin Smith Zane and Amy Smith Wesley and Kristen Sodergren Cecilia Solis Katarina Stancil Carla Stanley Thomas and Maria Steele Gary and Evelyn Stevens Diane Sullivan Janette L. Titus Kimberly Valentino Bharath and Sharanya Vignesh Alan and Cindy Wade Josh and Susan Wall Alanna Watts Patricia White Gloria Williams Caroline Wood Debbie Wood James Yako
CORPORATE/ORGANIZATION/ FOUNDATION IN-KIND GIFTS
AMC Bakersfield 6 Children’s Advocates Resource Endowment Fantasy Frocks Harding School J & E Restaurant Supply Kern Community Tennis Association KGET-TV 17 Kwik Signs, Inc. La Costa Mariscos
Old Navy T-Mobile Valley Bible Fellowship Westchester Kiwanis
INDIVIDUAL IN-KIND GIFTS Doris Aparicio Lisa Borda Gregory and Heather Frank Sheila Fry Ryan and Alison Hickman Allan Krauter and Anna Agenjo Erin Laughlin The Luna Family Paul Pavletich Peggy Richardson Steve Sanders Paul Skarphol Silvia Yanet-Corrales
TRIBUTE
In Honor of Dr. William Baker, Jr. and Sharon Baker By: Patrick Daley In Honor of Pat and Robin Paggi By: Justin and April Ahart In Honor of Paul Skarphol By: Cathie Joughlin In Memory of Bonnie Fitzgerald By: Donald Fitzgerald In Memory of Milton Huggs By: Laurie Baker In Memory of My Five Siblings By: Joseph Kennedy In Memory of Don Robinson By: The Haupt Family Trust
DID YOU KNOW? 7,200 Youth Are Served Daily in Kern County
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Return Service Requested OF KERN COUNTY
NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID BAKERSFIELD, CA PERMIT #40
801 Niles Street PO BIN 5J Bakersfield, CA 93385
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