Adventist Health Bakersfield | You + Us | Spring 2019

5 “The hospital mission of living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope means a lot to me. It’s my own personal mission in life now.” —Christina Ricco Kern County is counting on us Adventist Health Bakersfield is committed to helping those in need. “It’s important to live our mission not just within our medical facilities, but also outside our walls in our community,” says Sharlet Briggs, president of Adventist Health Bakersfield. It started years ago, with the hospital providing food for meals at The Mission at Kern County and employees volunteering their time to serve the dinners. Now the need for supporting the homeless locally is even greater, says Jessica Janssen, of United Way of Kern County. “It is undeniable that homelessness in Kern County is continuing to grow. You see it in every corner of our city and county,” Janssen says. Recently, Adventist Health Bakersfield employees volunteered their time to help with a one-day count of the homeless people in Kern County, partnering with the Kern County Homeless Collaborative (KCHC) and United Way. Volunteers scattered throughout the county conducting surveys with homeless individuals and families they found sleeping in vehicles, on the streets or in other places. “It’s really important that we have conversations with those who are homeless,” Janssen says. “We need to know their stories, get to know them and their needs, and remember they are people too. Partnering with organizations like Adventist Health… that’s huge. That’s life-changing for the people that we serve.” Coming together as a community The Point-In-Time count relies on local volunteers and provides data that helps organizations access federal and state homeless services and resources. “We chose to partner with the Kern County Homeless Collaborative because we know we need more funding to help the homeless in our community,” Briggs says. Adventist Health Bakersfield also worked with KCHC to hold a series of resource fairs throughout the county. The fairs brought together dozens of organizations that offer support for those who have fallen on hard times. People who attended could get food, health screenings, haircuts and information on local resources. Adventist Health Bakersfield has also invited local church leaders to come together to address homelessness. The group meets monthly to discuss the needs in their communities—and the ways they’d like to see Adventist Health Bakersfield help. We’d love to hear from you. If you would like to support our mission, call the Foundation team at 888-298-6472 . How can I help? You can be part of our mission as we care for those in need both at the hospital and in our community. Here are ways to give to the Adventist Health Bakersfield Foundation: •   Participation in annual fundraising events •   Bequests in a will or living trust •   Major gifts and pledges, which can be made over a period of years and given in the form of cash, securities, real estate or personal property •   Gifts through annuities, trusts, retirement plans or insurance policies •   Third-party fundraising, such as community service club events Hear Christina tell her moving story and learn other ways Adventist Health Bakersfield is helping address this growing problem at AdventistHealth.org/HelpingHomeless . Adventist Health Bakersfield employees help serve at The Mission.

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