Students Donate Over $2K To Bakersfield Hospital

SJVC students are regulars in community service, but it’s not every day they pass off a $2,500 check.

SJVC Bakersfield recently saw the completion of their largest CAMA (AMT) club volunteer project to date – over $2000 raised through the efforts of 30 students for the NICU at the San Joaquin Community Hospital.

“We had never undertaken a project of this magnitude before and we were determined to be successful,” said club advisor Steven Prince.

Over the course of the last year, the CAMA (AMT) clubs hosted various fundraisers, including a big Hawaiian Luau last July and a Halloween “Spooktacular” carnival in October.  Both events were open to the public and drew in many SJVC student and their families.  Supplemented by food sales to evening students, the goal of $2500 was raised to help the hospital purchase “Penguin Warmers” for their neo-natal intensive care unit.  These warmers aid babies in digestion and help preemies conserve vital calories.

“[The students] learned the value of working together as a team and the power of communication,” said Prince.  Participating students Jamie Biehl and Michelle Garcia-Pitts agree.

“I was with the fundraiser from the very start,” said Biehl.  “It was a learning and amazing experience.  I learned how to organize events and ask business for donations in a professional manner and how to work with and delegate jobs to others. I found that a little hard work can go a long way.”

Said Garcia-Pitts, “Working on the NICU fundraiser…gave me the opportunity to do something valuable for my community.  It taught me different forms of communication and I learned the value of teamwork. The experience and pleasure I gained from fundraising was substantially more valuable to me than anything I could ever express with words.  The experience I take with me will last me a lifetime and has made me a better person.”

The hospital was thrilled to accept the check and provides many volunteer opportunities for any who would like to get involved.