The Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House (BRMH) at Memorial Hospital is a “home-away-from-home” for families with critically ill children, keeping them close to one another, their doctors, and needed medical care. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal, or where they will lay their head at night to rest.

The Walk for Kids™ is an annual fundraiser to support families receiving comfort, care and support at the BRMH, and Kern Oil & Refining Co. was honored to take part this year. This family-friendly event calls on volunteers, companies, and donors within their local community to keep families close when they need it the most. There were a variety of Star Wars characters among the crowd, Bobo the Clown making balloon animals and face-painting, a bounce house, and many other activities for attendees. Taking place at the Kern County Museum, participants had the benefit of strolling through all the museum attractions too. By far, the best part of the day was the presence of several families graced by the services BRMH provides and hearing their heartfelt stories of love and gratitude.

This year’s event, held on June 4, 2022, marked the 13^th anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House opening in Bakersfield. The 2022 Walk for Kids raised an amazing $188,891.45, far exceeding BRMH’s goal of $165,000.00! This was Team Kern’s first year participating in the event and we definitely lived up to our small but mighty reputation, raising $2,885 toward that total.  Not only did Team Kern exceed our goal of raising $2,500, but we also ranked 8^th in the list of top fundraising teams!  You can still contribute by clicking on this link. We’re already looking forward to next year, and hope to make an even mightier impact with BRMH in their work for #KeepingFamiliesClose.