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Adoption events held at local bank branches

Submitted by Lisa Krch on Wednesday, May 16th, 4:13 pm

Chase employee volunteers will be hosting pet adoption fairs at several local branches on Sunday, May 20th. The Bakersfield Community is urged to come together in support of local pet adoption and work together to solve Kern County's homeless animal crisis.

According to information provided by Chase, our area ranks third in the nation for killing shelter animals and many are euthanized within a 96-hour time limit. The organizers of this event also say Bakersfield euthanizes around 30,000 animals every year, compared to coastal communities where around 1,200 are euthanized annually.

Adoption events will run from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at the following branches:

3901 Ming Avenue, 833-5577.

13107 Rosedale Highway, 588-6100.

4040 California Avenue, 322-4053 

Chase is partnering with rescue groups from all over Kern County to bring pets and people together.

 

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Saluting local high schools for campus blood donations

Submitted by Lisa Krch on Wednesday, May 16th, 3:59 pm

Houchin Community Blood Bank is honoring twenty six Kern County High Schools for giving the gift of life. Because of these schools, more than 7,630 units of blood were donated during the 2011-2012 school year. 

The High School "Gift It Up" Appreciation Luncheon will be held at the Petroleum Club on Friday, May 18th at 11:30.  Congratulations!

If you would like to make an appointment to donate blood, call Houchin Community Blood Bank at 323-4222.

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Sex trafficking: Group aims to help women in Kern County

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Wednesday, May 16th, 11:47 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) --- Before they head into the streets to meet with prostitutes, a group of men and women first gather in prayer and ask for divine guidance.

"Our ultimate goal is to get them off the street," said Pastor Doug Bennett, founder of Magdalene Hope.

According to the state Attorney General Office, California continues to be a magnet for all forms of human trafficking. The sex trade is a major player. And women who get ensnared can be working in Bakersfield one day and be sent elsewhere the next day by their handlers, said Bennett.

Magdalene Hope is a faith based group that reaches out to those who work in the sex trade. For the past three years, members hit the streets twice a month and try to befriend prostitutes no matter where they may come from.

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YMCA struggling to stay alive by June 1

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Wednesday, May 16th, 11:46 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--YMCA of Kern County is facing closing its doors for good.  The iconic center has been around since 1927, but has fallen on difficult financial times.

"I think that's sad," said Bryan Gridiron, a father of two.  He has to two children currently enrolled in sports programs at the center.

"It's meant a lot for my kids, it's not just a baby-sitting thing," said Gridiron.

YMCA of Kern County is deeply in debt and has not been able to generate enough revenue to keep operating.

"Donations are down and we're responsible for raising 100 percent of our financing locally," said YMCA Chief Executive Officer Clete Harper.

YMCA needs around $200,000 to keep operating and it needs to raise that amount by June 1 said Harper.  More than half that amount would service old debt, with the remainder to be used as operating capital.

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Fewer California high school grads going to state universities

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Monday, May 14th, 1:35 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK - KBFX) -- Fewer California high school graduates are heading off to college at CSU and UC campuses, and critics blame state budget cuts. That’s the finding in a new study, and local students and educators say it’s just what they’re seeing.

“It’s just so expensive to go to California Sate or other colleges or universities,”  Scottie Gee told Eyewitness News. He is now a senior at California State University Bakersfield, but the high cost of tuition forced him to start first his first two years at a community college.

Soaring tuition and fees are one reason given by the Public Policy Institute of California for a steep drop in California high school graduates enrolling at CSU and University of California campuses.

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Tour of California starts Sunday, arrives in Bakersfield Thursday

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Saturday, May 12th, 8:49 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The starting gun fires Sunday morning just before 11 a.m. in Santa Rosa, setting the riders of the Tour of California peloton on a collision course with the "race of truth" Thursday in Bakersfield: the individual time trial.

The 18.4-mile race in Bakersfield could decide the overall winner of the race, the permiere stage race in North America.

Racers consider the time trial the "race of truth" because it pits lone riders against the clock.

The riders work as teams and ride in groups during the other, longer stages.

Before the showdown with the clock in Bakersfield, however, the riders in the 2012 Tour of California must first cover four stages, all over 100 miles long.

Stage 1 on Sunday in Santa Rosa covers almost 116 miles. The next day in San Francisco, racers face a 117 mile course; followed by 115 miles in San Jose on Tuesday.

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CSUB to host conference on community service May 11

Submitted by CSUB on Tuesday, May 8th, 2:40 pm

The public is invited to join CSUB students, staff and faculty along with representatives from several community organizations for the inaugural CSUB Community Engagement Conference from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, May 11, in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. The event is free, as is parking in Lot L.

The conference is presented by CSUB’s Center for Community Engagement and Career Education (CECE) and will feature students, faculty and community leaders who will speak about service, the positive impact CSUB students have on our community, and the role of service in youth literacy development.

“Community service makes the academic content of students' courses come to life, as they apply what they've learned to real-world situations,” said Tanya Boone, faculty coordinator for CECE.

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