Building Healthy Communities 
Newsletter 
April, 2015  

Live The Challenge 5K/10K Color Walk/Run, April 25 

 

Building Healthy Communities, South Kern (BHC-SK)  will be ending it's 5th annual "Live the Challenge" campaign with a 5K/10K color walk/run on the streets of Lamont. Over 1,000 pledges were received from South Kern residents who committed to make healthy lifestyle changes which include giving up soda, quitting smoking, drinking more water, eating less carbohydrates, and others pledged to keep their community clean by picking up trash.  

 

Registration starts at 7:00 a.m. in Lamont Park at the corner of Segrue Road and Myrtle Avenue in Lamont. The run or walk begins at 7:45 a.m.

 

If you don't feel like running but still want to be part of the fun, BHC-SK is looking for volunteers. Please contact Diana Mireles at 661-845-2724.    
BHC-SK Action Teams Identify Community Changes 

On Tuesday April 14, BHC-SK Action Teams met at the David Head Center in Lamont to review community input and decisions collected in the past six months.

Each team identified three to four changes they will focus on for the next five years. Partners then began identifying strategies to implement and make these changes happen.
Photo Essay: Building Healthy Communities Resident and Youth Summits   
Photo : Building Healthy Communities South Kern youth

By Luis Alvarado and Sabrina Garcia

 

In late March, Building Healthy Communities South Kern (BHC-SK) held their first-ever Resident and Youth Summits at Arvin High School. Community leaders presented on issues including water quality, keeping local parks safe and clean, and bringing jobs and public transportation to the South Kern region.

 

"We want to see residents be part of the conversation and discussion about strategies, and lead the way in selecting the ones that we will pursue," said Jennifer Wood-Slayton, BHC-SK's Project Manager. "We had fantastic questions and input for how we can make our community healthier throughout the event."

 

"There were a lot of folks who were surprised by some of the issues in our water system and how much progress has been made to give everyone clean water, and to bring jobs to the area through better transportation and planning policies," Wood said.

 

South Kern Sol's youth reporters talked to a few of the attendees.

 

Read more here. 

 How Do Arvin Youth Use the Library?

South Kern Sol, Staff

Photo above: Adriana Garcia, youth reporter for South Kern Sol

The fall in oil prices is hitting Kern County's General Fund and the Kern County Board of Supervisors is considering privatizing services to make up for the lost revenues. The public library system, which is paid for entirely from the General Fund, is being considered for privatization in order to cut costs.

 

South Kern Sol uses the Arvin branch library as a central meeting place for youth reporters to meet one to two days per week. We asked our youth reporters how the library impacts their lives.

 

Read what they told us here.

About Us

 

Building Healthy Communities is a comprehensive community initiative that is creating a revolution in the way Californians think about and support health in their communities.  Residents are proving that they can make health happen in their neighborhoods, schools and with prevention-and in doing so, they are creating a brighter future for their children.

 

Over 2,000 residents, youth, businesses and organizations are leading the BHC-SK effort to positively change 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

 

We have the power to build healthy communities for the next generation.

 
In This Issue
Live the Challenge
Action Team Meeting
Resident and Youth Summits
How Do Arvin Youth Use the Library?
Community Clean-Up
Quick Links
Our Website Has Been Updated!

We are happy to announce that our website can now be translated into Spanish. Take a look around and make sure to check out our updated calendar .


 

 

 

Health Happens Here
  In partnership with
The California Endowment