Bakersfield Californian Foundation grants announced

In its fall grant cycle, The Bakersfield Californian Foundation has awarded $144,954.45 to Kern County nonprofits focused on improving mental health and environmental education, as well as several involved in improving animal welfare and educational opportunities.

These organizations submitted proposals that "had a narrow focus and clear budget so the money could really make a difference," said Tracey Cowenhoven, foundation vice president.

  "I'm very excited to hear that!" Independent Living Center of Kern County's resource development manager Christine Lollar said upon hearing Tuesday that the nonprofit had received grant money.

Lollar said one of the missions of the Independent Living Center is to provide cultural activities and awareness for people with disabilities. The grant funding will allow them to create a tactile art exhibit and hold art workshops for clients.

Lollar said people with disabilities sometimes tend to isolate themselves, but the workshops will allow them to express themselves and think about their creativity.

"Experiencing the freedom of choice can be given back through the experience of art," Lollar said.

Kim Albers, executive director of Flood Bakersfield Ministries, said the money the organization received will go toward funding incentive items for street outreach efforts. Basically, the incentive items -- snack bags, blankets, water bottles -- are used to get local homeless people into a conversation about getting long-term help and getting off the streets.

Albers said she was thrilled about receiving the grant.

Linda Hartman, executive director of the BARC Foundation, noted that many groups ask for money and said hers is privileged to have been selected. The money will support BARC programs, which have about 500 clients with various levels of disabilities.

BARC clients learn everything from how to run a cash register to working with tools and putting brochures together, Hartman said.

BY JASON KOTOWSKI Californian staff writer

Donation helps 'Art, Science and Technology' meet local school needs

AST — Arts, Science and Technology — board members used a donation from The Bakersfield Californian Foundation to help buy art supplies for Tehachapi schools. Pictured are, from left, Joel Beckmann, AST Board Member; Jackie Estes, THS Art Teacher; Carol Horst, THS Art Teacher; and Beverly Thompson, THS Principal.
The AST is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in Tehachapi in 2009 to support local educators in the areas of Arts, Science and Technology. Its mission is to enable educators to enhance the classroom experience, supplement the core curriculum, and foster a creative atmosphere during the teaching/learning process.

In May 2011, the AST received a $2,300 grant from the Bakersfield Californian Foundation. The grant was made to AST so that they could buy supplies for art and music classes for Tehachapi schools.

The AST bought supplies for the THS art department over the summer and when those supplies arrived, the AST delivered them to art teachers Carol Horst and Jackie Estes at THS.

The Bakersfield Californian Foundation grant was especially timely because cutbacks in funding to education have resulted in virtually no budgets for art and music supplies for Tehachapi schools. Thanks to the grant, the AST was able to at least partially alleviate the lack of art supplies for our schools. Previous grants from the Mark and Jessie Milano Foundation, Union Bank, and individual donors have helped with similar situations at Monroe High School and Tompkins School, respectively.

The AST is continuing with other fund-raising initiatives to raise money to help provide art and music supplies and equipment for Tehachapi schools. If foundations, businesses, or individuals would like to help, you can donate directly by sending your check to “AST,” 23001 San Juan Drive, Tehachapi CA 93561. AST is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so your gifts will be tax-deductible.

Community members interested in becoming a volunteer for the AST’s many activities should contact AST by writing to the address above, e-mailing them at ast@hdwireless.net or calling 477-1071 or 823-0976.

Tehachapi Community Orchestra receives new bass

Tehachapi Community Orchestra Concertmaster Gayel Pitchford demonstrates the new Kay bass — acquired with a grant from the Bakersfield Californian Foundation — to one of her aspiring bass students, Manuel Quintanilla, age 9. Quintanilla is a musically gifted student who has already become a member of the Tehachapi Strings Orchestra (the Community Orchestra's intermediate level teaching orchestra) and also plays old time fiddle tunes on his bass in fiddle contests!

 

The Tehachapi Community Orchestra is training a stable of aspiring young bass players and hope to become a Center for Excellence in Bass Playing. Each young bass player will get to use the new Kay bass when they are in high school and have auditioned for and been accepted into the Tehachapi Community Orchestra.

 

For more info on Orchestra events, see the Orchestra's website, www.tehachapiorchestra.com.

Friends receives $5,000 Grant

Friends of the Kern County Animal Shelters Foundation has received a $5,000 grant from The Bakersfield Californian Foundation to host a low-cost spay/neuter event in Kern County.

“To say that we’re thrilled is an understatement,” stated Judi Daunell, President of the Foundation. “This is the largest grant our group has received, and to have it come from a local organization only reinforces our belief that the community is invested in reducing the number of homeless pets in Kern County.”

The grant will be used to reduce the cost of having a pet spayed or neutered, allowing pet owners who might not otherwise be able to pay for the procedure to have their pet altered.

Plans have not yet been finalized for the date or location of the event, which will be held in conjunction with AngelDogs Foundation, a non-profit organization providing mobile spay/neuter services for Los Angeles and Kern County.

According to Daunell, “Once the date and location are set, the appointments will be filled almost immediately. That’s how great the need is in this area for low-cost services, which is why community support is so important. The pets we spay and neuter today prevent the litters that would fill our shelters tomorrow.”

Bakersfield Californian Foundation grants help Tehachapi

By: Piper Hatfield, Contributing Writer

Published June 7, 2011, in The Tehachapi News

For more than 25 years, the Bakersfield Californian Foundation has awarded grants to various non-profit groups that enhance the community. This year Tehachapi non-profit groups received a total of $61,693.02 in grants.

Foundation President Ginger Moorhouse, who also serves as the publisher and chairman of The Californian and is also the principal owner of Valley Direct, Inc., which publishes the Tehachapi News, said the privately funded nonprofit entity was established to build on the legacy of her great-grandfather, Alfred Harrell, who championed community philanthropy during his tenure as owner of the newspaper in the early 1900s.

Harrell was a teacher in Tehachapi before he moved to Bakersfield in the late 1800s.

The most recent cycle of giving focused on Tehachapii non-profits working in the area of arts, historic preservation and the environment.

Moorhouse, who lives part-time in Bear Valley Springs, said she was glad to see so many great applications.

The winners

The Arts, Science & Technology Education Corporation received $2,300 from the Bakersfield Californian Foundation. Grant writer Joel Beckmann said that the corporation was contacted by a teacher at Tehachapi High School (THS) who was concerned about the lack of funding for art and music programs. 

“Many teachers were buying art supplies out of their own pocket,” Beckmann said. 

This grant has contributed to buying musical instruments and various arts and crafts supplies for THS and Monroe High School.

The Tehachapi Community Orchestra was awarded $5,000 to buy a string bass. 

“We have been looking for a string bass to rent, but they are not easy to find,” said Gayel Pitchford, board president. 

The instrument will be owned by the orchestra and rented out to music students in the Tehachapi area.

The organization also helps to fill the gap left from the lack of school funding for music programs by offering a wide range of music lessons and providing free performances, like their upcoming Fourth of July concert.

The Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum offers a historic perspective on the railroads. The Friends of the Tehachapi Depot president Tim Trujillo said that they plan to use their $5,000 grant to install new display cabinets. 

“We need safe and secure shelving to hold a variety of fragile artifacts,” Trujillo said. 

They plan to have these built within the next two to three months.

The Tehachapi Community Theater (TCT) received the largest grant awarded.

According to Jonathan Hall, TCT president, this grant will fund a portion of the planned remodel of the Beekay Theater. The remodel will add wings on both sides of the stage and a multipurpose room for rehearsals and dressing rooms. 

TCT is looking for corporate sponsors and continuing fundraising efforts to help pay for the $88,000 remodel.

Hall believes this will be “a great expansion to the community’s assets.”

Tehachapi Wind Museum, a virtual museum, was awarded a grant to complete its six-mile interpretive trail, which will run along the Cameron Ridge section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Eight different plaques will be installed at particular points of interest, providing hikers with details on the history of the wind turbines along with various facts on the industries, land and wildlife of the area. According to treasurer and grant writer Sandy Murray, they “plan to have the project completed by the end of summer.”

The Tehachapi Heritage League completed the addition to the Tehachapi Museum but lacked the funding for a new computer, which they now plan on purchasing with their grant money. This computer and the software Past Perfect is essential in effectively preserving the history of Tehachapi by digitally cataloging artifacts. The Tehachapi Heritage League not only catalogs items from the Tehachapi Museum, but from the Errea House Museum and the Tehachapi Depot, as well as various items from the City of Tehachapi and the Kawaiisu Tribe. 

Charles White, president of the Tehachapi Heritage League Board, said “As a non-profit, we rely heavily on grants, especially during these times.”

Other winners were:
• American Lung Association in California: $1,500
• Have a Heart Humane Society: $3,000
• National Chavez Center/Stonybrook Corp.: $3,000
• Rotary Club of Tehachapi: $2,300
• Tehachapi Community Orchestra: $5,000
• Tehachapi Mountain Foundation: $10,000
• Tehachapi Mountain Rodeo Foundation: $5,000
• Tehachapi Pops (T-POPS) Orchestra: $3,500
• Tehachapi Wind Museum: $5,596