This week, c
oming off a DARK week, a Breakfast Rotary meeting seems both good and bad. Bad only in the sense that most of us had to get up an hour earlier, but mostly good because we again came together as Rotarians and friends to enjoy each other’s company - making Bakersfield living all the better. It is said that if it were not for our Wednesday morning meetings our week would not be the same. It was perfectly stated by Dr. Bani Singh (who received her “Blue Badge” during the meeting), that during her membership she has seen that our members’ early morning enthusiasm “set the tone” for her whole day. Let’s embrace the privilege of our membership and consider that even in challenging times actively participating in Breakfast Rotary may be that one thing that brings us all together to set the tone for all concerned. Consider inviting a friend to our next meeting!
oming off a DARK week, a Breakfast Rotary meeting seems both good and bad. Bad only in the sense that most of us had to get up an hour earlier, but mostly good because we again came together as Rotarians and friends to enjoy each other’s company - making Bakersfield living all the better. It is said that if it were not for our Wednesday morning meetings our week would not be the same. It was perfectly stated by Dr. Bani Singh (who received her “Blue Badge” during the meeting), that during her membership she has seen that our members’ early morning enthusiasm “set the tone” for her whole day. Let’s embrace the privilege of our membership and consider that even in challenging times actively participating in Breakfast Rotary may be that one thing that brings us all together to set the tone for all concerned. Consider inviting a friend to our next meeting!Through the convenience of ZOOM, Michelle McClure lead us in our morning Invocation followed by a perky Athena Collup who lead us in America’s Pledge of Allegiance. Our Songstress Chelsea Ashcraft provided the “pipes” in a rendition of “God Bless America”. Good to have you back Chelsea! Of course, I need to include the fourth member of this meeting’s opening acts of Breakfast Rotarians as Sally Selby greeted all attendees with her trademark smile, and “Good Morning” alongside greeter recruit Temo Lopez!
President Dave Spalinger, after bringing us to attention called upon crowd pleaser, Ken Quarnberg, to report the number of Visiting Rotarians. Ken had none to declare. President Dave then reported pre-meeting comments by a very cool operator, Harry Bryant, that the Prez’s favorite Clemson University orange polo shirt made him look like the poster boy for CalTrans. The Prez who wore the polo shirt to celebrate the opening game and win of his beloved college football team spared Harry from “fine-age”, probably out of sympathy.
A proud Prez Dave had a special glea
m of pride when he to
uted that, according to the president of Bakersfield West Andy Stanley, that of all the clubs that are meeting weekly in Bakersfield, Breakfast Rotary 
has the most attendees regularly at weekly meetings. Certainly, that statistic could be seen by all that were present as we had nearly all the tables and chairs had BBRC’ers at The Broken Yolk. A round of applause by the membership followed.
m of pride when he touted that, according to the president of Bakersfield West Andy Stanley, that of all the clubs that are meeting weekly in Bakersfield, Breakfast Rotary has the most attendees regularly at weekly meetings. Certainly, that statistic could be seen by all that were present as we had nearly all the tables and chairs had BBRC’ers at The Broken Yolk. A round of applause by the membership followed.** Featured Program**
I believe Pete Leveroni thinks that everyone comes to the meeting to see him. Maybe he is right, but I think it is to hear the great speakers he continues to line up week after week. This week Pete introduced Dr. Anna Laven, Executive Director of the Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative. With extensive experience in developing partnerships between public and private entities, Dr. Levan has enjoyed recent stints as a program manager at Bakersfield College where she ushered in one of the largest dual high school/college enrollment programs. She h
olds her doctorate in educational leadership from UCLA.
olds her doctorate in educational leadership from UCLA.I like slogans; Dr. Levan told us she has one for her work –Where everyone has a place to call come. Okay you say, if they come, just build it, and that solves the homeless condition. Not that easy. Dr. Levan said that before COVID hit this year, homelessness was the major focus of our community’s revitalization efforts. Unfortunately, COVID has changed the way the collaborative’s members provide services to persons willing to transition to a home from homelessness. The challenge is even more difficult because it is her organization’s vision to place the homeless in homes. Dr. Levan said that takes time and preparation if a homeless person or family is to succeed. What Dr. Levan does not want is to have her clients fail and become homeless again after having acquired a home. She said the collaborative’s three goals are: 1) That homelessness is as Brief as it can be, 2) That homelessness is Rare, and 3) That homelessness is Non-reoccurring.
Many Breakfast Rotarians were surprised to learn that on average it takes 17 positive interactions by homeless network organizations before the homeless may be willing to transition from life on the streets to a safe place to call home. Before people in transition are ready for a permanent home that bears an address and zip code, Dr. Levan and the collaborative’s work includes pairing homeless people with services help clients become “document ready”. I never heard that term before, but where I come from it means, “looking good on paper”. Dr. Levan is proud of the work of the collaborative because they have raised the bar for their clients from just looking good to being good - good for themselves, their family, and the community. You must agree it does no good to place all that work and effort into a person or family only to see it disintegrate into another date with homelessness. The collaborative is doing is preparing people to live productive lives…and contribute! Less than 5% of persons and families that make the transition from homelessness to permanent residency become evicted. That statistic is much better people who have never experienced homelessness.
Finding a home for the homeless is a many faceted project – first the collaborative must find them a home for which they are qualified. Next, they need to prepare the client, so they present themselves as a low risk tenant. Another chief concern is available housing. It is simple to fix this right? We just need to build more homes. Voila! Not so easy, because of the cost of construction and asking contractors to minimize their profit margins, there is not much appeal for contractors to build for the $145,000 price range. What can you buy for that price even in Bakersfield where an average startup home costs over $275,000? Therein lays a problem, a lack of affordable housing. We have a long way to go - we need 28,000 affordable homes right now!
For those that are into numbers, Dr. Levan reports that only half of the homeless are men. One in five homeless are children under the age of 18 years who we hope are only temporary residents at The Bakersfield Homeless Center. Men seek shelter at The Bakersfield Rescue Mission. I concur that she is right on with that estimate. I remember being a young street cop in the 80’s into the early 90’s and never seeing a homeless woman. Now, I see them all the time. As far as homeless children, I remember the first time I ever witnessed that and I will never forget that image etched in my mind. It’s very real…just thankfully we have the Homeless Center.
We want to acknowledge Dr. Levan for teaching us. An educator by training, she certainly displays a passion for her work at The Kern Homeless Collaborative and it is our hope that her goals become reality. It is that effort that can redirect the life of a man, woman, or child into a story of success. If you would like to learn more, visit the collaborative’s website or contact them to see where you can help. https://endkernhomeless.org/
**Club Achievements, Business and Happy Spots**
Happy Rotary Anniversary to Ken Quarnberg celebrating 21 years as a dedicated Breakfast Rotarian, and yours truly chalking up 12 years. I am glad that I have risen to the call of my membership over these years and pray for many more to come.
Past President Ch
eryl Scott and Darren are marking their 31st wedding anniversary. Congrats kids!
eryl Scott and Darren are marking their 31st wedding anniversary. Congrats kids!
And then comes President Dave dancing into his next club fund-generating scheme like a thief in the night. The Prez smoothy gives me an acknowledgment for producing The Beacon each week, then goes right to the prize. He announces if anyone knew this week's Beacon Quiz. After a DARK week I knew this was going to be a DARK experience for members who missed reading The Beacon. So, first victim to see if she knew the answer to the quiz was Chelsea Ashcraft, welcome back Chelsea t
hat will be $10. Dr. Bani received a pass and dodged a bullet, then David “I have my wallet out” Lari, had no response to The Prez’s quiz question. Another $10. Then Karen Bonanno was chosen and without hesitation she slam-dunked the question. The answer to the Beacon quiz was that a 50-50 fundraiser will be held at the estate of Past President Queen Jackie Maxwell to support The Bakersfield Angels.
hat will be $10. Dr. Bani received a pass and dodged a bullet, then David “I have my wallet out” Lari, had no response to The Prez’s quiz question. Another $10. Then Karen Bonanno was chosen and without hesitation she slam-dunked the question. The answer to the Beacon quiz was that a 50-50 fundraiser will be held at the estate of Past President Queen Jackie Maxwell to support The Bakersfield Angels.Happy Spots include Greg Desme recently back from Kansas City where he was visiting his grandchildren…and maybe his daughter. He brought back some nice BBQ gear for The Prez and was $20 happy. Past President Ron “Buford” Nelms visited Death Valley with his girlfriend who wisely resides in Ventura. Big Ron “weathered” 120-degree temps just to purchase The Prez wooden thermometer earrings…huh? He also brought The Prez socks with a picture of a rattlesnake on them and a Death Valley map. If I didn’t know what a great guy Ron is, I would have thought he is trying to provide The Prez with some kind of weird dese
rt survival kit. That’s $24 Ron. Finally, giftless Dan Johnson announced that Char’s son is engaged. For this bit of pre-nuptial bless, Dan is donating $20 to BBRC and will be seen soon taking Char’s son to the jewelry mart in LA to purchase an engagement ring. What a guy!
rt survival kit. That’s $24 Ron. Finally, giftless Dan Johnson announced that Char’s son is engaged. For this bit of pre-nuptial bless, Dan is donating $20 to BBRC and will be seen soon taking Char’s son to the jewelry mart in LA to purchase an engagement ring. What a guy! 
**Announcements Announcements**President Dave tells us that our 5240 District Governor, Deborah Linden, will hold a ZOOM meeting September 30th. The meeting will be coordinated by our very own ZOOM conference in-house resident expert Mindy Wilmot. The meeting will include a BBRC Board meeting. Stay tuned for further details.
As many of you likely know, The Petroleum Club formerly located on the 12th floor of Stockdale Towers has relocated to the Sundale Country Club. Hence, we will not be returning to our former BBRC meeting place. A member committee chaired by Michele McClure with Mike O’Doherty, Pat Thompson and others are discussing options where we can establish a future home for our Wednesday morning meetings – both now and when it is healthy to meet inside again. If you are interested in participating to add your 2 cents, let Michele know. By the way, are any of our members we haven’t seen lately been showing up at the Petro Club to find us?
Kathy Berry, whose husband Don visited with us this morning, is reminding all BBRC’ers that the next Pancake Breakfast is quickly approaching. The event will be held Saturday, September 26th at 7am at the Dignity Health Center on E. California and Baker Street. I usually attend these because they are so fun and demonstrate the spirit of why we are members of Rotary. I will not be able to attend this event, but Mike O’D will most likely attend. Mike will be on hand to demonstrate my patented technique on how I flip and “calm” each pancake before serving. Ask Mike about that…
Kathy also shared that there will be a Houchin Blood Bank drive October 3rd from 9am to 1pm. The Houchin trailer will be parked in the parking lot of The Broken Yolk Cafe. Yet, another way to demonstrate giving as a Rotarian.
Sandra Parnell gleefully tells us that after a lengthy hiatus from operation of her brewery Dionysus due to COVID governmental restrictions, she anticipates a re-opening soon with their new outdoor dining area. To mark the re-opening, she brought President Dave’s, one of his favorite beers to the meeting. The beer is an IPA called Milkshake Mango. I see a BBRC social event…Michele are you listening?
Saturday October 24th from 5pm to 9pm all are encouraged to attend a gathering, AKA Breakfast Rotary Party, at Queen Jackie’s home off of El Tejon Highway near Arvin. As we know, or at least Karen Bonanno knows, there will be a 50-50 Drawing to benefit The Bakersfield Angels non-profit. They were to be our Fund-a-Need beneficiary at the canceled Wine, Place, and Show. Mark your calendar to come out to help the Bakersfield Angels. Who knows, there may Milkshake Mangos to be had! Dan Johnson and the Blonde Faith trio will be on hand to entertain. $25 per person includes two drink tickets. (The price and location of this event will be the Beacon quiz for the next meeting).
As the mask of the week contest continues, Cheryl Scott came away with the wine prize for having the funniest mask. I could have won if I just would have thought to have a transparent mask. Darn it! Next week’s meeting the member with the most creative Halloween pumpkin mask will be judged.
Build Goodwill and Better Friendships this week,
By: Frank Wooldridge