Welcome to another issue of The Beacon! First, a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to our greeters, Erick Bautista and Jeff Bell. These two know exactly how things are done. With a big smile and waiving red 50/50 tickets as you walk through the door…. The only thing for you to do is get out your wallet.
Stephanie Baker opened the meeting with a lovely invocation, followed by the salute to our flag which was led by Bill Black. BBRC is a “singing club” and Robert Provencio never disappoints. Today he led us to a rousing rendition of America the Beautiful. Fun Fact – America the Beautiful was first published as a poem in 1895, written by Katharine Lee Bates. It didn’t become a song until 15 years later when Samuel A Ward put music to those beautiful words. Thanks Sammy!!
TODAY'S SPEAKER:
Our speaker today is Dr. Steven Bloomberg, Chancellor of the Kern Community College District. Dr. Bloomberg is the 7th chancellor of Kern Community College District, serving a large area and focusing on student-centered leadership. He has 30+ years in higher education and workforce development, emphasizing servant leadership and strategic planning.
KCCD will be launching a pilot program for grades 3-8 called College Discovery Academy, focused on early exposure to college and career pathways. The program begins at Bakersfield College, expanding districtwide by 2027, targeting 500 initial students. The district aims to develop a highly qualified local workforce by aligning programs with business needs.
BC currently offers baccalaureate degrees in areas like industrial automation, lab technician, and soon police science. They are also collaborating with industry (e.g., Hard Rock International, Pacific Steel) to provide job-ready graduates. The new Arvin Center opened in January providing accessible courses and specialized programs (e.g., hospitality management).
Dr. Bloomberg shared ways the district is already using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce staff workloads, allowing them more time to work directly with students. There will be jobs in the future for those who want to learn cybersecurity and AI. Dr. Bloomberg said “We were a knowledge-driven economy. Now we're going to be an artificial intelligence-driven economy”.
WE HAVE GUESTS:
We were honored to have guests with us today.
Robert Provencio brought his lovely wife Linda and Kay brought Denise for a second visit.
RECOGNITION:
It’s party time people!! And we’ve got some celebrating to do today! Art Esparza celebrated 2 years in rotary. Jeff Bell and Myrna Arias celebrate birthdays this week. Robert and Linda Provencio are celebrating 41 years of marriage, which could only be topped by Dennis and Frances Scott who are celebrating 51 years. (show off).
And if this isn’t the happiest club in town…. I don’t know which is.
Denise Haynes was $15 happy because
Marti completed a ½ Iron Man (
Okay, if I’m being honest – I’d be happy someone else did that too – sheesh!! Swimming, biking, then running for 70 miles. I’m exhausted just hearing them talk about it).
Neil Walker missed his duty last week and
President Kay was happy to fine him for having too much fun fishing off Coronado.
President Kay tried to fine Kristine Hertin $25 for depriving her dog of his favorite toy. Kristine, being a shrewd negotiator, got it down to $5. (Impressive! – note to self….take Kristine with you next time you buy a new car).
Cameron Cerda was happy to take a month-long vacation in Santa Barbara with his four young children. Ummm, no, wait… , wait…. Maybe he was happy because he came home to work during the week to a quiet house… now I can’t recall what he said… but he was smiling a lot and suggested EVERYONE do it.
CLUB SOCIAL REMINDER:
Jennifer Henry reminded us to RSVP for the Club Social on August 14th. It will be held at The Vault at 5:30PM. Jennifer also reminded us with a 5AM email this morning (yep, no need for an alarm clock when you forget to turn the sound off on your phone the night before, because Jennifer is up early and thinking about us. Thanks a lot Jenn).
