President's Message
I am honored to represent the incredible people who make up the Bakersfield East Rotary Club. As I begin this journey as your Club President, I am filled with gratitude — for the friendships built around our meeting table, for the hands that show up when our community needs them most, and for the shared belief that ordinary people, working together, can do extraordinary things. Leading Bakersfield East Rotary Club is not something I take lightly; it is something I take to heart.
This year, Rotary International calls on all of us with the message “Create Lasting Impact” — a challenge and an invitation to move beyond good intentions and focus on the lasting difference our actions leave behind. Our District 5240 Governor, Margarida Eidson, echoes that call with her district theme, “Inspire Action,” reminding us that meaningful change begins when we stop waiting and start doing. Together, these messages set a powerful and purposeful tone for the year ahead — and Bakersfield East Rotary is ready to answer that call.
On December 23, 1952, a small but determined group of Bakersfield citizens sat down together with a shared conviction: that their community deserved more, and that they were the ones to deliver it. That founding spirit — neighbor helping neighbor, leaders lifting up their city — is still the heartbeat of everything we do. Seventy-plus years later, Bakersfield East Rotary Club stands as a testament to what happens when good people commit to something bigger than themselves.
Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce that 2027 will mark our Club’s 75th Anniversary—a Diamond Jubilee celebrating 75 years of service above self in the Bakersfield community. This milestone year will be a special opportunity to honor our history, celebrate our achievements, and look forward to the impact we will continue to make together.
This club runs on the passion and creativity of its members — and that means you. I encourage each of you to lean in this year, whether that means stepping up to lead a project, suggesting a speaker who will inspire us, or simply inviting someone new to join our table. The best version of Bakersfield East Rotary is the one we build together, and there has never been a better time to make your mark.
We meet most Fridays at noon at the Bakersfield Museum of Art.
Bill Trivitt
2026-2027 President
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Every year before school starts, Bakersfield East Rotary Club provides backpacks for students of several organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Bakersfield Homeless Shelter, and several of our sponsored elementary schools including College Heights Elementary. Inside each backpack are pencils, erasers, notebooks and notebook papers to help the children in these programs get a good start to their school year.
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Bakersfield East Rotary Club has had a long relationship with The Boy's and Girl's Club of Kern County. With their original site in East Bakersfield, it was a natural fit. We have provided backpacks, vans, Thanksgiving Dinner to the area citizens, scholarships, Christmas and Halloween parties and goodies, and support any time a need arises. This organization has successful programs during the summer and after school programs during the school year. It is a safe place for these area children after school. We also provide "sweat equity" when the need arises, providing graffiti removal when the building or vans get "tagged."
