President's Corner
Tori Limbean
2022-2023 JLB President
Bakersfield is the epitome of a “big little town.” While it is constantly growing with plans for development, welcoming new business, and improving the community with efforts to beautify our City, those of us who live here know that none of this would be possible without the support of our residents and strong local leaders. 58 years ago in 1965, a group of incredible Bakersfield women proved their commitment to our community and satisfied the many requirements needed to join the Association of Junior Leagues International as the official Junior League of Bakersfield 501(c)(3) nonprofit that we are today.
“The Junior League of Bakersfield is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.”
We live and breathe our mission every day. Beyond traditional classroom style trainings and worldwide conferences that our members are invited to attend, we develop the potential of our members though real life opportunities that, in turn, also give back to our community. The hands-on skills development and charitable focus of our organization cultivates a lifetime of civic service, preparing members to serve as advocates of change in the greater Bakersfield area.
At the beginning of each Junior League year, we meet one-on-one with our members to evaluate what she wants to accomplish, and what skills she would like to develop. We then provide the necessary training and support to ensure that each member ends the year with a new skill set that she is able to utilize in her personal and professional life beyond League. Of course, we also recycle these practices to contribute to programs that positively benefit women and children throughout Bakersfield and Kern County.
Through various community collaborations, such as our partnership with Kern Literacy Council, we currently focus on cultivating literacy proficiency for children and families throughout Kern County. This year we look forward to the return of in-person collaborations with our members, community partners, and those who benefit from the volunteer work and contributions we offer.
Being a member of the Junior League of Bakersfield is a true honor, as this organization continues to give back to me everything and more that I put in. In addition to professional networking, skills training and opportunities to volunteer, I have also made countless new friends, traveled the country and connected with this community through JLB.
We encourage you to look through our website to learn more about the projects our League has initiated over the years, the perks of becoming a member, and opportunities to support our efforts. For those who are curious, who love to learn, and who want to become their very best selves while creating a stronger community, the Junior League of Bakersfield can help you do exactly that. We invite you to join us as a member, a partner, a supporter.
Together, we are unstoppable.
Tori Limbean
2022-2023 President
Junior League of Bakersfield