It's a Good Feeling...

Written by Bakersfield Magazine

Long ago...well, maybe not that long ago, but when I was younger, and a merit badge-earning Cub Scout, I had the opportunity to volunteer during a live TV broadcast of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. I basically handed out prizes at the carnival games they had going on, and it was fun to be working in a TV studio.

At one point, I was asked to present a $100 donation on air. I got my picture in the paper and a little write-up about my “15 minutes.” I felt like a hero of sorts; really proud of the fact that, in some small way, I had actually helped out. Although it wasn’t my money, I was involved in doing something good.

Fast-forward a few years.

One of the greatest ideas we’ve had at the magazine is our Community Partners section, allowing us to support many of the fantastic nonprofits we have in Bakersfield by promoting various charitable events and causes. To date, we’ve given more than $690,000 in promotional coverage since the section’s beginning in mid-2008. It’s our way of helping out and being involved. And, just as I experienced earlier in life, it’s a “good” feeling.

When we first heard of Global Family, a Bakersfield-based nonprofit with a goal of putting an end to child trafficking around the world (specifically young girls trafficked between Nepal and India), we didn’t hesitate to get involved.

A few months ago, when a Global Family Board Member suggested we auction off the cover of our June issue to support their upcoming Best of Bakersfield event, we knew we had to give it a try. It’s something that’s never been done in the history of the magazine. The cover is just not for sale, but knowing the good that Global Family does worldwide, there was no denying that this was a special event and worthy of such an item.

We were overwhelmed with the response at the auction, which took place on May 13. The cover was the big item of the night, raising the most money out of all the other fabulous items. The winning bidder was Don Kuhns, President of Healthland Insurance Services.

“I like supporting local causes,” he told us. “I’m the President of the Board of the Bakersfield Rescue Mission. I’ve known [Global Family Executive Director] Jennifer Jensen’s father for a while so I got involved with Global Family years back. It’s a great cause. I know Les [our publisher] so I wanted to make sure the cover went for a good price and that the organization got as much money as it could. I was prepared to bid high.” (Note: 100 percent of the winning bid went to Global Family.)

Don and his wife, Jeannie, came out to pose with Don’s Harley. We think the shots turned out pretty cool. Thanks, you guys, for being such good sports and, of course, for such a generous donation.

And why, you ask, would we pose Don with his bike for the cover? Because this is our Annual Man Issue—and what’s more manly than a dude and his gal on a Harley? We have several cool Man stories starting on page 35, including my favorite, a story on Red Harden—custom car builder extraordinaire!

We are also pleased to present our Medical Specialties section (page 55) with more informative, health-related articles including “Dirty Medicine: Mumps, Mudpies, and Myths” (page 63), and a first for us: an in-depth section on the local ABCs of Education (page 74). Plus, all of our regular features. What can I say? It’s another great issue. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of such a great community. That, in itself, is a “good” feeling.

Article appeared in our 28-2 Issue - June 2011