2021-2022
Elevate.
www.bakersfieldivylegacy.org
Table of Contents
1
Our Mission
2
Goals and Strategy
3
Giving Tuesday
4
Give Big Kern
5
African American Graduation Awards
6
Miss Fashionetta
7
Legacy Awards: Don Hicks
Elevate.
Our Mission. The Mission of the Bakersfield Ivy Legacy Foundation is to collaborate with educational agencies, local businesses, nonprofits, and individuals to secure and manage resources for the educational, leadership, and philanthropic programs of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Kappa Omega Omega Chapter.
2021-2022 Officers
2021-2022 Board of Directors
Raquell Jones, President Traci Powell, Treasurer Shimeaka Hodges, Vice President Christi Cramer, Financial Secretary Cathy Powell, Secretary
Raquell Jones, Chairman of the Board Vivian Gayles Shirley Gordon Odella Johnson Janet Ford Shell Pam Smith Linda McKnight, AKA Chapter President Jeanie Hill, AKA Chapter Program Chair Kimberly Fleming, AKA Chapter Treasurer
President’s Message We are grateful to have completed our 7th year of working to elevate our community. We see such rich potential all around us. The opportunities given us this year to further engage with the community have served to broaden our ability to give financial support. 2021-2022 saw a whopping 155% increase in the number of qualified applicants for our 43rd Annual African American Graduation Awards. We reached out to donors and they generously responded! In turn, we were able to increase the number of scholarships awarded. That is so satisfying! Miss Fashionetta was another great event for this season. Another collaboration with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority did not fail in that over $14,000 was raised!!
Participating in Give Big Kern always gives us a boost in donations as well as visibility. Media coverage and peer-to-peer fundraising continued to be key factors in this campaign. We enjoyed a boost by participating in #GivingTuesday raising over $1,800 this season. We get it – you appreciate the work we do – we will continue!! Further expanding the community’s ability to connect with us and learn more about our key programs we have increased the content on our YouTube channel. We look to share more over the year while increasing subscribers. The Board is excited for future and is confident in the Foundation’s ability to provide solutions for the community. We also look forward to continuing working with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority to increase educational and leadership development in Kern County next year and beyond! Raquell Jones, President
2021-2022 Goals Solutions to problems in the community are found by working together. In 2014, Bakersfield Ivy Legacy Foundation (BILF) was birthed from the need to work together. We work closely with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Omega Omega Chapter (AKA) to increase funding for programs that focus on education, health awareness, financial literacy, fine arts, and global impact.
1 Increase the number of African American students attending higher education. BILF gave over $18,000. This is all because of increased giving from the community!
2
3
Foster greater community awareness and support of BILF programs and initiatives.
Nurture self-confidence, esteem, and cultural awareness among African American girls.
We enjoyed several opportunities of increased visibility in the community as we participated for the forth year in Give Big Kern! We also participated in #GivingTuesday for the second time.
Miss Fashionetta was another great event for this season. As our main fundraiser, this collaboration with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority did not fail in that over $60,000 was raised!!
Our Strategy We are excited and continue working together with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the community to increase educational and leadership development in Kern County next year and beyond!
PROJECTS
DETAILS
OUTCOME
Communitywide effort 2nd Tuesday in November
16 donations $1,854 raised
Give Big Kern
5th Year Participating BILF received news coverage
19 Donors $1,995 raised
African America Graduation Awards
$21,090 awarded in scholarships Operating expenses $2,211
15 Seniors 313 8th Graders
Miss Fashionetta
$14,607 raised $9,606 operating expenses $4, 500 awarded in scholarships
Giving Tuesday
Don Hicks Legacy Award
$1,189
3 High School Students
No qualified applicants
DECEMBER 7, 2021
GIVING TUESDAY #givingtuesday
3 Ways to Give: 1. Visit www.bakersfieldivy legacy.org/donate 2. Text PEARLS to 44321 3. Purchase an item on the Foundation’s Amazon Charity List bit_ly/items4legacy
“Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.” More information at www.givingtuesday.org
$1,854 Raised! Types of donations: general donations (6), memorial scholarship donations (1), and scholarship fund donations (9). The funds received include one memorial scholarship and general NOMADIC | 24 scholarship donation, together totaling $600.
2022 CAMPAIGN
GIVE BIG KERN Since 2016, Give Big Kern has raised millions of dollars, with thousands of donors, and for hundreds of local nonprofit organizations. It is a one-month period of community engagement in giving and volunteering that culminates in a 24hour giving frenzy the first Tuesday in May. Give Big Kern is designed to bring all of Kern County together as one community, raising dollars and volunteering hours for local charitable organizations. The efforta shine a light on hardworking local nonprofits, empowering them to advance their marketing and development capabilities, and volunteer engagement while encouraging networking and collaboration among agencies across the sector. Observed on the first Tuesday in May, Give Big Kern is a dynamic and fun day of giving hosted by Kern Community Foundation to foster local philanthropy in support of 501(c)(3) charitable organizations in Kern County. The effort allows participating agencies to gain visibility as they engage the entire community in “One day to celebrate the giving spirit of Kern County!” The Give Big Kern kickoff started with the ringing of the Liberty Bell and then concluded with a watch party at the Padre Hotel. Several sorority members participated in the ringing of the Liberty Bell and our very own NaTesha Kindred Johnson, CEO of Upside Academy, Inc, was highlighted to speak about the impact of the Kern Community Foundation. In order to participate in the Give Big Kern, nonprofit organizations must be registered before February 25. Donors can start contributing to the Give Big Kern as early as the beginning of April. The first Tuesday in May is the official Give Big Kern Day. The contributions from these events are invaluable to the foundation as it strives to fulfill their mission to improve & expand programs focused on education, women's health, financial literacy, environmental sustainability and others.
43RD ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN
GRADUATION AWARDS In 1980, Kappa Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc stood in the gap to fill a void that was lacking at the time in the Bakersfield community, which was the recognition and the provision of academic scholarships to African American students. The first cement included students from the six high schools in existence at that time. To date over $400,000 in scholarships have been awarded to hard working and deserving students. To receive their scholarships, the award recipient must complete the following: Submission of receipt for registration in 12 or more college units. Registration must be completed within the first semester after high school graduation. High School students nominated for a scholarship must meet all the above criteria. In the event a student fails to meet the criteria the award, the award remains in the scholarship fund to be awarded in a subsequent year. The program recognizes 8th grade honor students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 8th grade students were honored virtually by showing their names and sending their certificates to their home school.
The theme for the 43rd Graduation Awards was “Celebrating Educational Excellence: Achieving from a Distance”. The awards and scholarships to high school graduates are based on the following criteria: Timely submission of a complete scholarship application packet. The packet must include a completed application, personal essay, sealed letters (2) of recommendation, and an official transcript. Successful review of the application packet for significant achievement in one or more areas including grade point average, school leadership activities, community service participation, or athletic competition. There is also consideration of financial need. The 43rd Annual African American Graduation Award was held on May 14, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 4p.m at St. Peter Restoration Community Church.
AWARDEES The following is a list of awards presented at the ceremony: Norma Boyd Memorial Award $1,500 Janae Hutson of Ridgeview High School 4.500 GPA, Major: Engineering Noma Irene of Independence High School 4.500 GPA, Major: Biochemistry Scholastic Achievement Award $1,000 Sidney Brown of Stockdale High School 4.481 GPA, Major: Undecided Dr. Caren Floyd Memoria Scholarship $1,000 Camerin Oliver of Liberty High School 4.413 GPA, Major: Computer Science Rochelle Butler Memoria Award $1,000 Zuri Stanley of Frontier High School 4.263 GPA, Major: Nursing Velaska Hunt Carter Memorial Award $500 Kamelah Graim of West High School 4.123 GPA, Major: Business Administration Alpha Kappa Alpha Education Excellence Award $1,000 Lanaya Proctor of South High School 4.179 GPA, Major: Nutritional Science Shaelyn Turner of Stockdale High School 4.123 GPA, Major: Human Biology/ Biology Alpha Kappa Alpha Education Excellence Award $500 Lillmary Cobbins of South High School 3.882 GPA, Major: Business Kayla Allen of East High School 3.763 GPA, Major: Pre-Nursing Devaughn Bell of Bakersfield High School 3.538 GPA, Major: Kinesiology
AWARDEES Continued from previous page.
Child of Member Scholarships $100 Kamelah Graim- daughter of Member Kimberly Graim Javon Hudgins - son of Member Kalisha Hudgins Zuri Stanley - daughter of Member Addonica Stanley Miss Fashionetta Participants Scholarships $300 Miss Kamelah Graim, West High Miss Fashionetta 2020 Program Participant Miss Ashley Lopes, Highland High Miss Fashionetta 2020 Program Participant Miss Cameron Oliver, Liberty High Miss Fashionetta 2020 Program Participant Miss Jasmine Roberts, Stockdale High Miss Fashionetta 2020 Program Participant The program also presented Memorial Scholarships and Community Awards as follows: Brent and Diane McClanahan Scholarship Award: $250 Lilmary Cobbins of South High School Lueether & Arthur Ward Community Service & Ethics Achievement Award $300 Sidney Brown of Stockdale High School Parks-Anderson Charitable Fund Award $500 Jada Lauderdale of Ridgeview High School TJ Jones Memorial Award $250 Devaughn Bell of Bakersfield High School Robert & Russell Reader Scholastic Award $100 Shari Grimes of Stockdale High School Shaelyn Turner of Stockdale High School
Miss Fashionetta Miss Fashionetta® 2022, in its 24th edition as a signature program, gives hard working young women the opportunity to grow personally, socially, and academically through mentorship and scholarship awards. Young ladies grades 912th are mentored by local community members, participate in a community service project, and earn academic scholarships. This year’s mentees created a vision board, participated in a collegiate workshop, attended Dress for Success, visited a local church, and received information on positive mental health practices.
A new edition to this year’s programming was the Emerging Entrepreneurs Challenge. The mentees were given presentation topics in partnership with Grow with Google™. This activity exposed the mentees to personal brand building and tools to creating a business plan pitch. The culminating pageant provides an opportunity for the young ladies to practice public speaking, build self confidence, and improve both family and community connection.
$14,607 Raised!
The Miss Fashionetta® 2022 program is a collaborative effort that is fueled by the generous support of community members, corporate sponsors, Kappa Omega Omega members, and the mentees and their families. In light of the COVID-19 restrictions and ambiguity that followed the timing of this pageant year, there were an astounding 43 applications received from interested young high school girls by the December 17th deadline. An orientation tea welcoming 11 families into the program was held via zoom on January 8th. Following nearly six months of mentorship and community service, the Miss Fashionetta finale showcased three budding young ladies classed as “Perfected Pearls of Elegance.” The grand finale, held on Saturday, June 5, 2022, saw participation from 19 individuals in person (proper COVID19 protocols were in place) and reached over 499 impressions/views of the event. Miss Fashionetta® 2022 was held primarily in a virtual environment. There were three events that were held in-person. These included participation in the Annual Black History Parade, a church visit, and a workshop at the local Dress for Success. All other activities were hosted in a virtual environment. The grand finale scholarship pageant was held as a hybrid of pre-recordings and a live finale which was broadcasted from the East Lobby of the Fox Theatre via www.missfashionetta.com.
MISS FASHIONETTA
The program is a six month long experience. The young ladies were accepted into the Miss Fashionetta Program in January 2022 and the culminating pageant was held on Saturday, June 5, 2022. Planning for the program began in August 2021. The application deadline was December 17, 2021. and was broadcast from the East Lobby of the Fox Theatre via www.missfashionetta.com at 3pm on Sunday, June 5, 2022.
The Miss Fashionetta® program continues to make a lasting impact on the local community. Now in its 36th year, the program operates under the mission to inspire and mentor African American girls throughout the Bakersfield community as they advance from high school to college. It is a coming of age celebration of young ladies discovering who they are and who they can become. The positive mentoring of the program encourages mentees to dream, plan, and take steps to ensure a positive future. Through the program, mentees have developed into stronger leaders on their high school campuses and have found success through rewarding careers in the fields of medicine, law, academia, and business.
Don W. Hicks Memorial Scholarship
Legacy Award: Don Hicks Don Hicks was an influential force within the community. He inspired many to get closer to God, learn and share their musical talent, and just be the best they could be. Donations to this scholarship were awarded to a graduating high school senior that submitted an application for the Annual African American Graduation Awards Program and indicates an interest to study arts or music. The legacy award is a way for families , groups, and organizations to keep a longlasting memory of a loved one with a gesture in the form of a scholarship. While a Memorial Scholarship can be given in honor or memory of a loved one, they differ
Don Hicks Day is annually on August 3rd. However, the Don Hicks Legacy Award was first dispersed at the Class of 2023 44th Annual African American Grad Awards Program.
from Legacy Awards. The Legacy is a donation that can be awarded to an extended amount of students, over an extended amount of years. For Memorial Scholarships, the total amount donated is awarded at the very next Annual African American Graduation Awards Program. It is only carried over to the next year if there is not a student matching the criteria. In contrast, a Legacy Award continues yearly based on funding. 2 Ways to give: 1. https://www.bakersfieldivylegacy.org/hicks-scholarship 2. You can also text the code "HICKS" to 44-321 to donate
Bakersfield Ivy Legacy Foundation, Inc. PO Box 12556 Bakersfield, CA 93389 www.bakersfieldivylegacy.org info@bakersfieldivylegacy.org
WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF
OUR PROGRAMS