The Student Government Association donated $5,500 on Nov. 22 to CARE, a campus subsidiary of Extended Opportunity Programs & Services.

CARE, which stands for Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education, is a state-funded organization that helps single parents that are full-time students at Bakersfield College with childcare and transportation. In addition, CARE puts on workshops, holds tutoring sessions, and has awards ceremonies for the children. They hold fundraisers and bake sales during the school year to help pay for these activities.

CARE employee Meri Renee Lopez wanted to emphasize the support the program receives from throughout the community. “[Over the holidays] we have received monetary donations and actual gifts for the children.”

With the money they received from SGA and donations from organizations throughout BC, CARE was able to supply gift certificates to the Honey Baked Ham store to parents over the holidays and pay for an awards ceremony at John’s Incredible Pizza.

SGA legislative liaison Alan Crane was proud of SGA’s decision to donate to the CARE program. “Children deserve to have a good Christmas, and we had the ability to provide a good Christmas for those kids. It was a very good use of funds,” Crane said.

“We usually struggle to make ends meet, and I am just grateful for all the help we have received from the BC family,” Lopez said.

The money left over from last semester will be used to help pay for the awards ceremony this semester.