Adventist Health Bakersfield Officially Reopens Revitalized Emergency Department Front Entrance

Adventist Health Bakersfield’s Emergency Department Entrance has officially returned to its original location at the front of the hospital, adjacent to the main entrance off Chester Avenue. After months of revitalization, the newly modernized entrance and waiting area are now open to better serve the community, offering an enhanced experience for patients and their families. All walk-in emergency patients should now use the entrance off Chester Avenue.

For more information, call 661-395-3000 or visit www.adventisthealth.org.

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Kern County Gives Big - Give Big Kern raises over $1.75 million.

Every year, Kern Community Foundation hosts Give Big Kern to help local nonprofit organizations raise money and volunteer hours. This year’s event helped 138 organizations cumulatively raise $1.75 million and almost 8,000 pledged volunteer hours. The funds raised during the campaign will go directly into the operational budgets of participating nonprofits contributing to causes ranging from animal welfare and education to supporting veterans and mental health.

For more information, please visit www.givebigkern.org.

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Mira Monte High School FFA Agriculture Learning Center

Mira Monte High School recently celebrated its new FFA Agriculture Learning Center with a ribbon cutting. The facility will house three classroom spaces for students learning about agriculture.

As part of the FFA chapter’s efforts, the new agriculture learning center will help with local food insecurity with its new program “Farm to Fork.” This will include opportunities to provide for the school by working with the nutrition services team in the district, as well as opening a farmer’s market where people in the community can get access to locally grown produce.

FFA is the top school-based youth leadership development organization in the country with more than one million members in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Formerly known as Future Farmers of America, the organization was rebranded to FFA because it now teaches students skills for more than 350 careers in business, science, engineering, education, communications, policy, and more.

For more information, please visit www.ffa.org.

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CSUB Raises $168,000 on Giving Day

California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) breaks donor participation record when virtual fundraising marathon raises $168,000 on Raising for Runners Giving Day to support students. The university received over 1,100 gifts as part of the event, which brought the community together to make a lasting impact on students’ lives. Donations came in from across the nation as well as a few from other countries, including Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to our Roadrunner community for supporting Kern County’s university in a meaningful way,” says Eric Weis, Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship. “Even in times when finances are tight, the outpouring of generosity and commitment prevails. I look forward to continuing to build partnerships with our amazing donors who deeply care about CSUB.

For more information, please visit www.news.csub.edu.

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Susan Holloway Clothing Bank Opens at Greenfield Family Resource Center

The Greenfield Union School District (GFUSD) recently opened its Susan Holloway Clothing Bank at the Greenfield Family Resource Center as part of Greenfield’s outreach efforts and community contributions to offer vital resources to the families it serves. This clothing bank has been the passion project of retired sixth-grade teacher, Susan Holloway, who began collecting various clothing and hygiene items for more than two decades in her classroom to give to her students and their families in need.

“It’s so special to turn around and see your name on something that is for the children of Greenfield School District, and it’s going to continue even when I’m gone,” says Holloway.

The clothing bank was previously located at McKee Middle School, where Holloway taught. Since her retirement from teaching last year, the district moved the items to the Family Resource Center, so that families could find clothing, food, job information, support, and other resources all in one place.

For more information, please visit https://news.kern.org/2025/04/susan-holloway-clothing-bank-opens-at-greenfield-family-resource-center.

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Congressman Fong Announces Congressional Art Competition Winners

Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) recently held a special ceremony to announce the winners of the 2025 “An Artistic Discovery” Congressional Art Competition for high school students in our community. Students from across the district had the opportunity to submit a personal piece of art for consideration earlier this year.

“This year’s submissions are a powerful reminder of the remarkable creativity thriving within our community,” says Congressman Fong. “The Congressional Art Competition is a meaningful way to honor the talent of our local high school students. Congratulations to all the finalists, and especially to our winner, Allison, for her outstanding piece, ‘Ong Ngoai.’ I’m excited to see her artwork proudly displayed in the U.S. Capitol.”

Overall Winner:  Allison Chung, 9th Grade, Buchanan High School, Watercolor- “Ong ngoai”; Art Teacher: Jeff Nichols;

All Other Medium Category:  1st Place- Rachel Kong, Independence High School, Charcoal- “Perfecting”; 2nd Place- Madison Chaney, Buchanan High School, Oil- “Simon Peter”; and 3rd Place- Adalynn Givan, Buchanan High School, Watercolor- “Self-Portrait”.

Photography Category:  1st Place- Ethan Cardenas, Tehachapi High School, Photo- “Motorcycle”; 2nd Place- Mason Booker, Valley Oaks Charter School, Photo- “Late Night”; and 3rd Place- Matthew Jiglea, Buchanan High School, Photo- “The Backbone”.

 Computer-Generated Art Category:  1st Place- Norah Callister, Buchanan High School, Computer- “Once Upon a Time”; 2nd Place- Emma Gonzales, Tehachapi High School, Computer- “Jane”; and 3rd Place- Madison Blanthorne, Tehachapi High School, Computer- “Orange”.

You can learn more about the Congressional Art Competition at https://fong.house.gov/services/art-competition. 

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California Dairies Hosts Ribbon-Cutting for New Local Bottling Plant

California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), the largest dairy farmer-owned cooperative in the state, recently celebrated the grand opening of its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, Valley Natural Beverages (VNB) in Bakersfield. The 200,000 square-foot vertically integrated facility represents a farmer-owned vision for the future of dairy. It will begin processing an estimated 116,000 gallons of local dairy milk, showcasing the local nature of California’s dairy industry.

“We are thrilled to officially open this cutting-edge facility,” says Brad Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of CDI. “This investment underscores our commitment to innovation and sustainability. The new plant will allow us to increase production capacity, expand our product offerings, improve efficiency, and create next-generation jobs for the local community.”

The state-of-the-art shelf-stable milk manufacturing facility features advanced robotics, energy-efficient technologies, and a commitment to environmental sustainability, incorporating renewable energy sources and waste conservation. The plant will open with three processing lines to produce conventional extended shelf life (ESL) and ultra-high temperature (UHT) dairy beverages and products. VNB’s strategic growth plan includes multiple phases to expand to 10-12 processing and filling production lines in the future, tripling the facility’s current capacity. When all phases are completed, the facility will be 400,000 square feet, processing up to 600,000 gallons per day of fresh local milk.

For more information, please visit www.californiadairies.com.