By Alfredo Camacho for South Kern Sol

This past Thursday, community members and local leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Rexland Acres Park in Southeast Bakersfield, to celebrate improvements that intend to make the park a friendlier place for families. In recent years families had abandoned the park, which had become a popular hangout for gang members. Drinking and drug use at the park was not uncommon.

The improvements include a pedestrian path that allows easy access through the park, fresh lines and markings on the basketball courts, a repaved parking lot with parking space striping, along with a new bench and permanent trash-can. While seemingly modest, residents say the improvements will go a long way toward making the park a safe and welcoming environment for the community.

“The kids need something to do besides TV and [they need] a place to go to play that’s also nearby,” said Yolanda Martinez, mother of two. “So people keep coming here to get together and get to know one another, we need more improvements to our parks.”

Community leaders spoke about the obstacles they and the community overcame together to make what began as just a hope into reality.

“This wasn’t just the accomplishment of [Kern] County Roads,” said Craig Pope, the director of Kern County Roads. “We had to bring together parks and recreation, Building Healthy Communities, and local businesses like Griffith [Company] to make this happen.”

And though the changes are small, the effort and time that went to implementing these changes was arduous.

“About three years ago the community and an organization [Greenfield Walking Group] came to us and told us, ‘we want this park improved,’” explained Bob Lerude, Director for Kern County Parks and Recreation. “We held a community meeting to develop a master plan for the park, and one of the things that was mentioned was a walking path through the park, huge potholes in the parking lot, connecting the park to the sewer, and smaller things like additional benches.”

No matter how many amenities a park might have, they would be useless if residents didn’t feel safe to use them, said Lerude. Community leaders said they believe that by drawing more families and children to use the park, the park will become less of a magnet for crime.

“Restricting tobacco and alcohol use is important,” continued Lerude. “We bring out increased enforcement and patrolling to make sure that people aren’t drinking and smoking so the park isn’t littered with cigarette butts or broken bottles.”

Manny Ruiz, father of three, says that while the park is safer, not enough has been done to keep the peace in the surrounding neighborhood.

“I’ve been a resident here for 13 years and this used to be the park you avoided,” Ruiz explained. “But aside from the park improvements, one thing that needs to be done is greater presence of law enforcement for the whole area. We’ve even had street racing at five in the afternoon, but with increased enforcement, the streets around the park would be much safer.”

In addition to increased safety, other improvements to the park are in the works.

“The master plan also includes a soccer field, picnic shelter, a water park, and now the task is to get the funding,” Lereude explained.

Ruiz, Martinez and even the young Diego Cuevas, 10, said what they wanted was a water park.

“I think the park needs a better stuff, like a water park,” Cuevas said.

Cuevas was one of many school children attending Fairview Elementary School, which is adjacent to the park. On the day of the opening, the children were led to a fence separating the park from the school to watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony. When the scissors snapped shut and the ribbon fell, the children applauded in celebration of their newly improved park.

“Right now, my favorite park is starting to be Fairview [Rexland Acres], because of the sidewalk,” Cuevas said.

If Cuevas speaks for the mood of the rest of the children, then the renovations, while modest, have been a huge success.

http://www.southkernsol.org/2013/11/20/this-used-to-be-the-park-you-avoided/

RCAC seeks nominations for the Yoneo Ono Rural Volunteer Award. The award honors rural people who have made significant lifelong contributions to their community in volunteer capacities. RCAC hopes to encourage further rural volunteer activities by acknowledging the accomplishments of a select few. We need your help to identify an outstanding rural volunteer to receive this distinguished award.

If you know individuals who have these special qualities, and would like to see their hard work recognized in 2014, please complete and sumbit the Yoneo Ono Award Nomination form by April 13, 2014.

The RCAC board of directors uses six criteria to determine each year’s award winner. The first two criteria are minimum requirements.

• The service must have occurred within rural communities of RCAC’s region, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the western Pacific.
• The service was volunteered and not a function of the nominee’s job. The next four criteria are listed in order of importance to rank and compare the nominees.
• The degree to which the volunteer service made a difference in the quality of life for the rural community.
• The type and needs of the communities of people served based on rural status, income, ethnicity, population and similar criteria.
• The length and variety of the nominee’s volunteer activities.
• The relationship of the nominee, project and communities to RCAC.

Please note that RCAC affiliation is NOT an application or award requirement. RCAC staff members review nominations and submit them to the board of directors for final selection.

The award is presented every two years so nominate your outstanding volunteer now!

http://www.rcac.org/yoneo-ono-call-for-nominations

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Alcohol and tobacco use has been an ongoing problem at parks around Kern County, but a group of local youth is trying to curb the problem.

Naomi Mercado and Ann Williams use team work to clean up Rexland Acres Park.

“I like a pretty park, not one that looks nasty,” said Williams.

The girls are youth volunteers with the Building Healthy Communities AmeriCorps Program. They are joined by dozens of others for the community cleanup day.

“I think it’s really important for the youth to get involved at a young age and see the importance and value and the richness in serving their communities and promoting healthy lifestyles,” said Bryant Macias, an AmeriCorps youth mentor.

It was a similar park cleanup last year at four South Kern parks that the youth found some things that disturbed them.

“There were broken glass and a lot of trash,” said Ana Karen Yanez, a youth leader of Building Healthy Communities.

That wasn’t it; the group also found cigarette butts. Their findings encouraged the group to make a change and launch the “Beautiful Parks, Healthy Communities Campaign.”

“The campaign is mainly to reduce the alcohol and tobacco use in four different parks,” said Yanez.

Those parks include Weedpatch, Lamont, Rexland Acres and Digorgio Parks.

“Our goal is to have safe, clean parks for the kids and for families not to worry about glass in the sand where the kids play,” said youth leader Jose Pinto.

The youth are currently working with the county to draft an alcohol and tobacco ordinance.

It would require somebody who wants to drink in the park to get a permit, according to Bob Lerude, Director of Kern County Parks and Recreation.

Lerude said it would also enforce the rules at Weedpatch and Lamont Parks where the ordinance is already in effect. Smoking would also be limited to the parking lots.

“Here we have a lot of teenagers in the local communities of Rexland Acres, Greenfield, Lamont and Arvin stepping up to the plate and wanting to improve their local parks and communities,” said Lerude. “I think that’s a positive and bodes well for our future.”

The youth are also working with the county to come up with a master plan at the parks which includes making improvements like putting in walking path and picnic benches.

“This is our home, this is where we live and if no one else is making change then who else would,” said Yanez.

The youth will be presenting their plan to the Kern County Board of Supervisors sometime in November.

Erin Briscoe

All BHC partners are invited to come and participate in our Family Festival Celebration on November 16th from 10am – 2pm at Sunset School in Weedpatch. In keeping with our carnival theme, we are asking that anyone participating with a booth bring some type “Edutainment” a fun family game or activity for our families to participate in, where they can also learn.

If you would like to have a booth at our event please complete the booth request form and return it to Angelica Munoz at amunoz@lesd.us or at 7839 Burgundy Ave, Lamont CA 93241.

For questions please feel free to contact Diana Mireles at (661) 845-2724 or dmireles@lesd.us.

We are also looking for participants in our talent show contest we will be hosting that day. So if you have a talent or know someone who would like to share their talent complete the contest participant form and return it to Angelica Munoz at amunoz@lesd.us or at 7839 Burgundy Ave. Lamont, CA 93241.  See flyer for more information.

English Annual Celbration flyer 11-16

Spanish Annual Celbration 11-16-SP (1)

Booth Request Form

Contest Participant

Bakersfield College, CA December 4 – December 20, 2013

A flagship for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation (USA) and in partnership with The California Endowment, the “Big Rig Teaching Kitchen” brings food education, nutritious cooking skills, and “real food” dishes to local communities across California.

During its 40 week tour, the Big Rig will work to inspire local cooks of all ages to eat well through FREE teacher training, FREE basic home cooking classes, and FREE take-home recipes.

For class schedule click here Fresno_Big_Rig_Guide_one pager REVISED100913

So book in for a class and come cook with usCome on the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation’s Big Rig Teaching Kitchen!  For classes at Bakersfield College, 12/4-12/20 Sign-up here: #BigRigTour

Family Fun Festival

All BHC partners are invited to come and participate in our Family Festival Celebration November 16 from 10am-2pm at Sunset School in Weedpatch.  In keeping with our carnival theme, we are asking that anyone participating bring some type “Edu-Tainment” a fun family game or activity for our families to participate in, where they can also learn.  If you would like to have a booth at our event please complete this form and return it to Angelica Munoz at amunoz@lesd.us or at 7839 Burgundy Ave. Lamont CA 93241.  For questions please feel free to contact Diana Mireles at 661-845-2724 or dmireles@lesd.us

Family Fun Day-Partner Booth Request

We will also be looking for volunteers and talent show participants.

Volunteer Form

Contest Participant

Dear South Kern Leadership,

If you are ready to take the first step to developing your dream parks make sure you attend Saturday, November 9th to make a plan for DiGiorgio and Weedpatch Parks! Location to follow soon.

When:

Saturday, November 9th

DiGiorgio Park Workshop – 8:30 am – noon

Weedpatch Park Workshop – 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm

(Venues to be determined.)

Each interactive workshop will provide an opportunity to learn more about community and park design, and work with neighbors to make a plan for future park improvements. Each workshop will include a group “walking and talking” tour of the park, an educational presentation on design issues, and opportunities for residents to share their ideas for future improvements. After the workshops, the Local Government Commission and landscape architects from Sierra Designs will produce documents for each park that summarize community priorities and vision.

Organized by the Local Government Commission in partnership with Building Healthy Communities South Kern with support from The California Endowment.

For more information, contact:

Amerika Niño-Rodriquez, (661) 205-3866, amerika@healthysouthkern.org 

Aatisha Singh, (916) 448-1198 x304, asingh@lgc.org 

Are you interested in making your community garden profitable? Do you have produce from your garden that you would like to donate? Would you like to network and share resources with other gardeners? If yes, then this workshop is for you!

 ¿Está interesado en hacer que su jardín comunitario sea lucrativo? ¿Tiene productos en su jardín que le gustaría donar? ¿Le gustaría conocer a otros jardineros y compartir recursos? ¡Si es así, entonces este taller es para usted!

For more information Announcement – Community Garden Retreat

Para obtener más información Spanish Announcement – Community Garden Retreat

Send Us Your Innovative Idea to Improve Rural Health

The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, a private foundation focused on health care and quality of life issues in North Carolina, is now accepting submissions for the 2014 Innovations in Rural Health Award. For the second year in a row, we are looking for original, innovative solutions to drive health improvement in rural communities. Submissions will be accepted until October 31, 2013.  One winner will receive a $25,000 New Rural Award for their creative and inspiring ideas. Up to three finalists will receive $7,500 each.

In addition to the $25,000 prize, the winner might see their project implemented in North Carolina by the Trust and will gain exposure to a number of other North Carolina funders and health care leaders. Read about the 2013 New Rural Award winner and finalists.

Any individual or organization across the U.S. is invited to participate. We encourage you to think big and help us identify exciting approaches that will work to address health challenges in rural areas.

Download the Call for Submissions to find out how to enter.

Please share this opportunity with partner organizations and others in your community who might be interested in participating. Visit the Trust’s website to find more information and a sample blurb about the award that you can use to help us spread the word.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, Allen Smart

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The state is turning to parents and teachers in several communities to plan for the future.  It’s all part of a new law to improve education. Check out video clip http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/state-looking-for-parent-teacher-input-on-new-funding-093013