Westchester Kiwanis History - Westchester Kiwanis Bakersfield

Our Club

The Westchester Kiwanis Club, Bakersfield was chartered on June 12, 1961 and held its official ceremony at the Party Center on July 28, 1961. The Club started with 64 charter members who all had the desire to help our community and our world.

Milestones

In the early years, Club Members began traditions that have carried forward to this day; for example,

Gold Seal Awards were handed out, like our Junior High Achievement awards.
the Club supported community organizations such as Big Brothers of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
in 1964 Jack Frost Football was founded.
in January 1972 Kern County Traffic Survival School (later S.T.E.P.S.) was started. In January 1976 the property at 3533 Mt. Vernon Ave was purchased to house that organization, where it is still located.
in 2001 the Jim “Pop” Turner Park, at the Jameson Center, was dedicated.

In July 1987, the Kiwanis International Convention was held in Washington, DC. The big news out of that convention was the vote to include women in the regular Kiwanis Clubs. For the 2010-2011 term, the Westchester Kiwanis Club, Bakersfield elected its first female president.

Today, the Westchester Kiwanis Club, Bakersfield is one of ten clubs in Western Kern County and has around 50 members from all walks of life, both currently employed and retired. Our Club continues our commitment to sponsor and support the needs of our community.

Westchester Kiwanis supports numerous service projects like our annual Christmas shopping spree for qualifying families, and youth-oriented projects to help our children thrive, prosper, and grow. These events are supported by fundraisers such as our annual Charity Golf Tournament as well as company, member, and community donations. See our Service Projects.