Rotary Club of Tehachapi was founded in June of 1987 and serves the local area through its volunteer members efforts.   The club follows the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” in doing good things for our community.  Our Ongoing community service projects include:

·         Annual Ladies Tea  – This spring event provides scrumptious desserts and tea for those ladies wishing to dress up and socialize at Wood's Pavilion.

·         Youth Service – We sponsor and support the Interact Clubs of Tehachapi High School and of Valley Oaks High School. These groups are designed to provide our youth with leadership, good citizen training, and completing community projects throughout the school year.  Rotary provides opportunities for high school Interact students to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp each year.  The four day immersion in leadership training and citizenship building takes place in Ojai each April.  A few weeks before, KernYES is held at the Taft Fort.  KernYES is a one-day leadership experience.

·         Literacy Project – The club provides a special personalized story book to kindergarten kids at all Tehachapi Unified Elementary Schools.  The book gives the children a fun start with reading and helps them develop an interest in education.

·         Breakfast with Santa – In conjunction with other local service clubs, we host the annual Breakfast with Santa for the children in our community.  We serve beverages, pancakes, and sausage. We also create an opportunity for a free picture with Santa.

·         International Projects – Each year the club selects a project to assist people in a foreign country.  Our most recent project has been the support of Global Water Works, a rainwater harvesting system that is providing clean water to thousands of people in Africa. Our Rotarians have also traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, to help at an orphanage.  We've raised funds in association with the Thousand Oaks Rotary Club to provide a Van for the Orphanage. We are also participating in a Global Grant for polio eradication.  In 2021, we organized a community benefit concert that raised $12,000 for Ukraine refugees.

·         Community Support – Throughout each year the Tehachapi Rotary Club takes the initiative to assist locally wherever possible.  We have supported victims of devastating wildfires. We support the Salvation Army’s ‘Coats for Kids’, aided their back-to-school clothing and shoe drives, and we participate in their Christmas bell-ringing.  We started the 12 Days of Christmas food drive that has supported hundreds of local residents in need.  

        Vocational support - One day each month, Rotarians skilled in sewing teach a 3-hour class to those interested.