Valerie Cassity - Special to the Sun

The Kernville Golf Course banquet room was transformed into an elegant, candlelit celebration last Friday evening and filled to capacity as some of the community’s most active citizens gathered in honor of the Kern River Valley Collaborative’s 10th 'Diamond' anniversary.

The Kern River Valley Collaborative (KRVC) sprouted a decade ago when Mary Barlow, now the Kernville Union School District Superintendent, was concerned with the graffiti and crime that had begun to plague the Kern Valley, and gathered other parents and community members to try to find a solution before the problems escalated further. Two of the other charter members, Alan Jaffe and Pauline Davis, were also present Friday night, and reminisced about early meetings that took place in Davis’s garage. The small group went to Supervisor Jon McQuiston in January 1998 and asked for assistance in forming an official organization to take on the problems, and Supervisor McQuiston gave them two effective tools; Kern County Network for Children’s 'Recipes for Success' guide and the help of his assistant, Judy Hyatt.

KUSD Superintendent Mary Barlow, left, and FRC Program Coordinator Nancy Puckett listen as 1st District Supervisor Jon McQuiston extolls the virtues of the KRV Collaborative at the organization’s 10th anniversary dinner.

Barlow, Davis, and others took the guide and created the KRVC, and shortly thereafter received their first grant from Healthy Start, which was the foundation for future funding for the group and allowed them to establish the Family Resource Center to administer the funds. Since that first grant, the KRVC has received $12 million in funding and has grown to partner with more than 60 agencies and several community members and businesses.

Supervisor McQuiston was present at the celebration last Friday, and spoke of the formation of the group and his pride in the KRVC for all they have accomplished in their first decade. 'The Kern River Valley Collaborative has become a model for other collaboratives throughout the nation,' he said. 'There is no community that has come together to shape their future and destiny like this one has, and it couldn’t have happened without the passion and dedication of the people who worked together to make it a reality.'

The real star of the evening, however, was KRVC Chair Nancy Puckett, who oversees the Family Resource Center and has been instrumental in the Collaborative’s growth and success. Acting as emcee for the evening, Puckett beamed at the accomplishments the KRVC has achieved and how much the organization has done to improve the lives of countless children in the Kern Valley. She spoke with tears in her eyes of the children who go home to an empty house each day, and thanked her own parents, who were present at the celebration, for being there for her, teaching her values, and making her eat her vegetables. 'We have our ups and downs but we never lose our smiles or our tenacity,' said Puckett of the KRVC. 'I have the best job because I get to work with these wonderful people to make a real difference and every day I receive appreciation from children whose lives are better because we are here.'

Several Kern County officials attended to present certificates of recognition to the KRVC, and also to Puckett, who had been unaware before the celebration that she would be honored. Certificates of recognition were given by Supervisor McQuiston, Bryan Williams representing Assemblymember Jean Fuller, Vincent Fong representing Congressman Kevin McCarthy, and Ross Elliot from the Kernville Union School District Board of Trustees. Each person spoke of the incredible progress the KRVC has made, and how the organization represents the spirit of community activism and caring. 'It’s the people that make the Kern River Valley special and the people that get things done,' said Fong. 'There’s no place with a bigger heart than this area; it’s all about the families and children being helped.'

After all of the honors were received, Puckett then began honoring others in turn. She first presented Mary Barlow, the 'mother of the KRVC,' with a plant representing her work, which has made the valley bloom. 'The change that has occurred in this valley is because of all of you, and your passion and the belief that everyone needs a hand up at some point in their lives,' extolled Barlow to the assembled guests.

Puckett then presented uniquely artful honorarium plaques to those who have helped the KRVC become a success. She said they had chosen 10 honorees to commemorate the 10 years they have been in operation. Those honored thus were the Kernville Union School District, Kern County Sheriff’s Department, Supervisor Jon McQuiston, Kern Valley Healthcare District, College Community Services, Clinica Sierra Vista, Kern County Network for Children, Kern County Department of Human Services, Department of Aging and Adult Services, and the Family Resource Center staff.

The evening ended with a sparkling cider toast to 10years of success for the KRVC. 'Here’s to 10 more,' exclaimed Puckett.