BEAUTIFUL BAKERSFIELD

from April 2021 Metro

SAVE THE DATE

Congratulations to the 2020 Youth -Individual/Group Winner!

“You’re never too young to make a difference.” That is something I always tell others. I am Autumn Moreno, a 4.0 student at Valley Oaks High School. I have been blessed to be surrounded by positive role models and mentors that encourage me to go out into the community and make a difference. I love working with many different organizations, such as Children’s Miracle Network, Children First Campaign, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Links for Life and The Mission at Kern County. When I found out I had been nominated for a Beautiful Bakersfield Award, I was speechless. It was an honor just to be nominated. Once I realized I was the 2020 Beautiful Bakersfield Award Youth recipient, I was beyond grateful. It gives me such joy to know that I made an impact in our community and it keeps me very humble. With this award, I hope I can be a reminder to other youth – that no matter your age – you too can leave a mark on our community. The smallest notion does not go unnoticed. This past year has been challenging but it did not stop me from serving our community. With my new title as Teen Miss Kern County 2021, I continue to share my passion for underprivileged children. I have continued to stay involved with Children’s Miracle Network and Children First Campaign by advocating, helping with fundraisers and volunteering at food drives. I have volunteered with the first graders at Beardsley Elementary School through Zoom. I have done art lessons, read to them and donated books. I hope to get more involved with children in foster care and in the homeless shelters. I was able to get my nonprofit, Kern County Cares and Keep Kern County Warm, up and running again. I was able to make more than 50 scarves that have yet to be donated to The Mission at Kern County. My biggest accomplishment is maintaining a 4.0 in school my freshman year, during a pandemic and taking on academically challenging courses. I have been nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Student of the Year. My goal is to raise $50,000 for research, aiding families affected by cancer and to find a cure. As Louis J. DeGennaro PhD would say, “When you give your time and talent to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, incredible things happen. Cancer patients and their families are supported, breakthroughs are accelerated and lives are saved.” I fully believe that and that is why I have made this my best community service project. My father, who we lost to cancer, is also my driving force. It is a sevenweek-long campaign. With the love from my family and our community, I know anything is possible. If you would like to know more about my campaign, visit www. soyautumn.org. You can also follow my community service projects on Facebook at Teen Miss Kern County 2021. To the 2021 nominees, congratulations on your accomplishment. You are all winners and have taken the steps needed for a better community. You should be proud of yourselves. To our Kern County community, we are strong when united. When we come together, we will overcome anything. Let’s support one another and keep moving forward. Stay strong, stay healthy. It has been an honor to be your 2020 Beautiful Bakersfield Youth Award recipient.

– Autumn Moreno

Congratulations to the 2020 Young Professional Winner!

An honor I never thought would be bestowed upon me was winning the Beautiful Bakersfield Award in 2020 for Young Professional of the Year. I am so humbled and honored to have been chosen for this award, as there are many amazing professionals in our community that are equally deserving. Receiving this award was even more meaningful to me, as I believe it shows how committed our community is to solving homelessness. I am very pleased to have a spotlight on homelessness, as every human being has a basic right to have a safe and stable place to live. Through my work with individuals experiencing homelessness in Kern County, I have come to admire the many service providers in our community committed to ending homelessness. As a social worker at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance Inc. (GBLA), I have been so impressed by the attorneys and legal advocates I work with who make it their mission to try to prevent evictions to prevent more people from becoming homeless. I am also impressed by the legal advocates I work with that ensure homeless individuals in our community get connected to SSI/SSDI or other public benefits to have access to income to help them out of homelessness. I continue to work with individuals experiencing homelessness at GBLA, providing them with social service support. I also continue to supervise colleagues at GBLA, who work with homeless individuals, ensuring that the clients’ holistic needs are met. I truly believe in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a motivational psychological theory, which argues that people cannot achieve their full potential until they have their basic needs (such as having shelter) met. It is our job as a community to look out for our homeless brothers and sisters and ensure they have access to shelter to help them achieve their highest potential. I also continue to Chair the Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative’s (BKRHC) Homeless Youth Committee, which focuses on issues surrounding youth homelessness in Kern County. As of February 2021, there were 226 unaccompanied homeless youth (aged 18-24 years) in Kern County. There are many phenomenal service providers working to house these youth daily; however, it is also crucial to have community support in this area. It is important we work together to get our homeless sons and daughters off the streets. Alongside Jayme Stuart (Kern County Network for Children), I co-advise BKRHC’s Youth Action Board (YAB). The YAB is comprised of current/ former homeless youth. These youth provide feedback to service providers on their own lived experiences. I can honestly say I am humbled to even be in the presence of the YAB youth, as they are so brilliant and strong. It is important to remember that when plans are being made to help young people, those young people’s ideas and feedback are taken into account, as they are the experts of their own stories. My goal for our community is to eventually end all youth homelessness in Kern. It is difficult enough being a teenager; I could not imagine being a teenager who has to worry about where they will find a place to sleep at night that is safe and warm. My professional goal is to continue to work toward ending homelessness in Kern, alongside all of the other homeless service provider heroes in Kern County. I am honored to be able to know and work with so many caring and creative people through the BKRHC. It warms my heart to know there are many truly good-hearted people in Kern County that want all individuals experiencing homelessness to have a safe and secure home to go to every night. In addition to the wonderful people I have had the privilege of working with through GBLA & BKRHC, I am honored to also be a member of Junior League of Bakersfield (JLB). JLB is composed of volunteers who work toward improving the lives of women and children in the community. Being a member of JLB has brought me such pride, as I have not only been able to help other vulnerable populations in the community, but I have also been able to make lasting friendships with the other women in JLB. I want to thank everyone at GBLA, BKRHC and JLB for having such a lasting impact on my life. I also want to thank my family, friends, God and my fur babies for always having my back through the good and bad times. As this last year has been rough for so many, I want to leave you all with this quote/piece of advice for 2021: “Once you choose hope, anything's possible." – Christopher Reeve

– Allyson Baptiste, MSW Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance Inc.

Get the Equipment You Need to Grow Your Business.

Equipment and Machinery Financing

Valley Strong is here to help you secure equipment financing for your unique business needs. We look to understand your business and how you are moving forward, so we can structure a loan to meet your cash flow demands.