The Bakersfield Organization of the Greater Los Angeles Association on Deafness, also known as B-GLAD, hosted a spaghetti dinner in the BC Fireside room Nov. 19 to raise money for food baskets for local families.

According to BC Professor Cinee Bart, the approximately 80 people at the event were BC ASL students and professors who came to lend support for the organization.

“We have a relationship with them,” said B-GLAD Coordinator Raquel Camarena.

Camarena has been with the organization for four years now and has worked her way up to the coordinator position.

“I was a receptionist when I started,” Camarena said.

The evening featured entertainment from Michael Davis, who signed a humorous story about a Thanksgiving turkey. Bart interpreted the story for the hearing audience. At the end of the night, organizers held a raffle for various prizes.

According to Camarena, B-GLAD is a non-profit organization that relies heavily on volunteer labor and is funded by the United Way. The organization provides services for the Deaf community such as advocacy, health education services, pregnancy prevention, individual living skills, information and referral services, human services and community education.

B-GLAD was started in 1984, according to Camarena. Bart mentioned that BC’s Deaf Club will amp up its activities in the coming spring semester. The primary goal of the club will be to promote deaf culture awareness at the college and in the community. The club will be open to deaf students and hearing students as well and will try to participate in a fund-raiser.