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

Californian Foundation awards $81,400 in grants

By: Jeff Goodman, Californian staff writer

Published June 12, 2010

The Bakersfield Californian Foundation recently distributed grants totaling more than $81,400 to local nonprofit organizations in support of its mission to promote arts and educational programs throughout the city.

The family foundation, which operates independently of the newspaper, received about 40 grant applications throughout March and notified the recipients after a May 25 meeting of its board members, foundation administrator Kaarin Simpson said.

Foundation President Ginger Moorhouse, who also serves as the publisher and chairman of The Californian, 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.

The foundation has supported local groups for more than 25 years.

"It strengthens our community and promotes our quality of life," Moorhouse said."The goal is to make our corner of the world a better place for everyone."

According to the foundation's website, applicants should submit project proposals for which "a moderate amount of grant money can effect a significant result in the county." The foundation rarely provides money for operating expenses or start-up agencies, Simpson said.

Kern Assistive Technology Center, which was awarded more than $5,600, plans to install computers designed for students with disabilities at several Bakersfield City School District campuses. A similar program was in place two years ago, director Aaron Markovits said, but financial support for it ran dry.

"It was successful in the past, and it seems like it was a good fit for what the foundation wanted to fund because it promotes literacy," he said. "This (grant) allows us to bring the program back."

Simpson said the foundation hopes to accept another round of applications in September.

Award Recipients

• AFFORD Foundation $2,875
• Bakersfield Museum of Art
• Bakersfield Art Foundation $1,000
• Bakersfield Music Theatre $5,000
• Bakersfield Police Activities League $4,000
• Bakersfield SPCA $3,500
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County $5,000
• Buena Vista Museum of Natural History $2,650
• CASA of Kern County $2,000
• Community Action Partnership of Kern $4,850
• Covenant Community Services, Inc. $4,834.85
• Golden Empire Gleaners $3,000
• Kern Adult Literacy Council $1,000
• Kern Assistive Technology Center $5,628.97
• Kern Bridges Youth Homes, Inc. $347.72
• L.O.V. Sunshine Band $2,000
• League of Dreams $5,000
• MARE & Henrietta Weill Memorial
• Child Guidance Clinic $4,202
• National Alliance on Mental Illness $5,630
• New Life Recovery and Training Center $5,000
• North of the River Recreation $2,932
• Panorama Vista Preserve $6,000
• Paramount Bard Academy $5,000