BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — If you're looking to help out local non-profits across our community, one great way to do so is through Give Big Kern, which is coming up next month.
This comes as several people are reminding the community why it's important to donate.
This year, there are more than 130 local non-profit organizations that are registered for Give Big Kern.
One of the most important aspects of this “giving day” is allowing them to gain visibility as they engage and grow with help from the entire community.
“Give Big Kern helped us see that our small, rural, mostly low-income community could find desperately needed support even from outside our local area,” said Lindsey Call, Mountain Community Family Resource Center.
It is one day a year, on the first Tuesday in May, where community members come together and show their support, which Call said helps many non-profits.
“We’ve had a lot of staple events and especially during COVID, a lot of it was shut down. The online philanthropy approach this year has really impacted us in order for our programs to work and survive. We were able to receive funds from donors and unrestricted funds,” said NaTesha Johnson, Founder of Upside Academy Inc.
Johnson said that the funds have allowed her and her team to proceed with sustaining the growth of their programs.
While there isn’t a specific goal amount as far as funds to be raised, Cristina Camacho, Community Network Coordinator for Kern Community Foundation, said that every dollar does count.
“As long as we are able to raise enough dollars to assist our nonprofits so they can support the work that they do, that’s enough for us. We’re just excited to help them and to assist them in those efforts.”
Mayor Karen Goh said that nonprofits are the intermediaries of generosity and change and that is why it is crucial for everyone to help when and where they can.
People can help not only financially but to also volunteer their time to help our local non-profits grow and stay in business.
“Collectively we get to celebrate that in Kern County. It is the one day to celebrate the giving generosity of our community. I want to encourage Kern County, let us be radical in our generosity, let us be radical givers. It’s going to start with each one of us,” said Mayor Karen Goh.
Since Give Big Kern launched back in 2016, they have raised more than $2.5 million from thousands of community members to benefit hundreds of hard-working local non-profits.
