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Mark your calendars for Building Healthy Communities South Kern's Annual Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sunset School in Weedpatch.
You don't want to miss this fun family celebration! We'll be celebrating six years of Building Healthy Communities in South Kern with a day filled with physical activities that the whole family can enjoy. There will be bubbles, sports, bounce houses, and many other fun activities for residents and partners of all ages. We will also be presenting the 2016 promises to the community and community awards to those who have been committed to the BHC work and Action Planning process.
Please share with anyone who lives, works or plays in South Kern and encourage them to join us on this important day!
For more information call: (661) 845-2724 or visit our website.
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Residents Partner with Kern County Roads Dept. and Bring Nearly $2 Million to Lamont
Leading a diverse coalition that features Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, California Walks, Center on Race Poverty and the Environment, and Lamont Parent Partners, Building Healthy Communities South Kern helped the Kern County Roads Department successfully compete for nearly $2 million to improve pedestrian access in Lamont.
The money comes from the State's 2015 Active Transportation Program, which after final approval this month, will bring $1.43 million in much needed sidewalks, crosswalks, curbs and gutters to the east side of Highway 184 in Lamont.
"Now the people of Lamont will have a safe place to walk, residents will have their space to walk without risking themselves to be hit by a car," says Jose Mireles, a member of Lamont Parent Partners, who helped mobilize community members for safety and walkability in Lamont. "After a year of working hard, the community of Lamont is reaching their goal in bringing more sidewalks so that people can get out and walk."
See more here.
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Arvin City Council Approves $400K For Action Park
South Kern Sol, Randy Villegas
There's soon to be a new half-pipe in town.
Early this month, the Arvin City Council voted to use funds to support the construction of a new skate park in Arvin, after over 40 youth advocated for something they believe will benefit the entire community.
Carlos Ramirez, a youth skater, explained that the action park would bring "safety and security" to the local skating community and provide a place to skate where they wouldn't "have to worry about security guards tackling us, or a car running us over."
The city will cover $401,000 of the $550,000 to construct the park, and the Tony Hawk Foundation and The California Endowment will pick up the rest of the tab.
The skatepark, which will be sited at DiGiorgio Park was born thanks to a partnership between Bike Bakersfield, Tony Hawk Foundation, The California Endowment, and Building Healthy Communities South Kern.
"It was clear what the youth desperately wanted and needed," says Jason Cater, whose organization works to
promote bicycling as a safe, fun and environmenta
lly friendly means of everyday transportation. "The youth
have spent months advocating for the park, from gathering petition signatures and presenting the project plans to the City of Arvin."
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Vallejo Schools Restorative Justice Practices Impress Kern Delegation
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| Photo by Carla Bruno/South Kern Sol |
Early this month, Building Healthy Communities South Kern's Kern Education Justice Collaborative (KEJC), visited three schools in Vallejo, California to learn about best practices for PBIS and Restorative Justice
The highlight of the trip was a visit to Jesse Bethel High School (JBHS)
where their restorative justice program is integrated with their law academy and operates in a very impressive way.
At JBHS, when there is a discipline issue, it is sent to administrators who decide whether to refer it to a student committee -- the Youth Court Initiative, who then decides whether to send the student to court or to a Restorative Justice Circle. T
he court is comprised of a judge, bailiff, and jury -- all made up of students.
If the student is sent to a Restorative Justice C
ircle, then the involved student and other affected parties are brought into the circle to resolve the issue. If trauma is an issue, the student is sent to the school's onsite clinic where mental health clinicians treat for trauma.
Graduation rates surged at Vallejo Unified School, another school the delegation visited -- after the implementation of PBIS & Restorative Justice to 80 percent from 50 percent, and the school saw a drop in suspensions and expulsions.
The Kern Education Justice Collaborative was founded in 2013 to address the disparity in suspension rates between minority and non-minority students in KHSD. KEJC is comprised of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Faith in Action Kern County, California Rural Legal Assistance, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Children First, the National Brotherhood Alliance and Building Healthy Communities South Kern. |
EPA Orders Arvin CSD to Reduce Arsenic in Drinking Water
A settlement has been reached between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Arvin Community Services District (ACSD) for arsenic violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The settlement ordered ACSD to provide residents with alternative water until the district meets federal limits of arsenic levels.
The problem dates back seven years, when the EPA issued an order in October of 2008 requiring the district to meet the arsenic maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion by December of 2010. The ACSD failed to bring arsenic levels down by then and was granted another extension to December 31, 2014.
Read more
here.
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Please join the Central Valley Community Foundation on Monday, October 26 for a community conversation about a first-of-its-kind study which measured how hard the drought has hit the San Joaquin Valley's community organizations.
The report was produced by the Central Valley Community Foundation and underwritten by The California Endowment and prepared in collaboration with the Kern Community Foundation.
Visalia
10 a.m.
210 Cafe
210 W. Center Ave.
Visalia, CA 93291
Bakersfield
2 p.m.
Host: Kristen A. Barnes, President and CEO of Kern Community Foundation Education Center
Larry E. Reider Building, Room 204
2000 K Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
For additional information or to RSVP for the event, please visit
here.
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About Us
Building Healthy Communities is a comprehensive community initiative that is creating a revolution in how Californians think about and support health in their communities.
More than 2,500 residents, youth, businesses and organizations are leading the BHC-SK effort to improve the health of our communities through a shared vision, goals and action plan. Residents in Arvin, Lamont, Weedpatch, and the unincorporated areas of Greenfield are proving that we have the power to make health happen in our communities.
BHC-SK is promoting healthy change in the areas of:
- Education: Improving education from pre-K through adult education
- Environment: Creating a healthy environment with clean air and water
- Health Access: Increasing access to a better health care system
- Recreation: Improving recreational activities, facilities and parks
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We have the power to build healthy communities for the next generation.
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