Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ridgecrest proclaims March Red Cross Month; city honors two employees and Lions Club student speakers
Summary
At its regular meeting, the Ridgecrest City Council proclaimed March as Red Cross Month, recognized two city employees for milestone service anniversaries and heard from the Ridgecrest Lions Club about a recent student speaker contest focused on artificial intelligence.
The Ridgecrest City Council on an evening meeting recognized Red Cross volunteers, honored two long-serving city employees and acknowledged student speakers from a Lions Club contest.
The council proclaimed March as Red Cross Month in recognition of volunteers from the American Red Cross, Kern County and Eastern Sierra chapter who responded when wildfires displaced families in 2024. Lester Fuzell, government operations liaison for the Eastern Sierra chapter, accepted the proclamation and described local volunteer efforts during the June 2024 Lake Isabella evacuations, thanked community vendors who supplied food during shelter operations and invited Ridgecrest residents to volunteer at redcross.org.
The proclamation noted the Red Cross’s century-long history of disaster relief and the chapter’s participation in shelters and mass-care activities that served evacuees from nearby wildfires.
The meeting also included employee recognitions. “Thank you for 10 years of service,” one council member told Justin, a city employee who accepted a 10-year service acknowledgement and declined to speak at length. Kelly Bruton accepted recognition for 20 years of service and spoke about watching the city grow and the support she received from colleagues and family.
The Ridgecrest Lions Club presented a student speaker contest that was held January 23 in the council chambers. Lyon Michael Spahn, secretary of the Ridgecrest Lions Club, described the contest as part of the California Lions Clubs' statewide program. Judges included community volunteers and council member Kyle Blades; five high-school–age students prepared 5–10 minute persuasive speeches on the prompt “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?” The club named a winner who will proceed to the zone-level contest in Tehachapi.
Council members thanked the volunteers, employees and students and noted the value of youth engagement in civic events. No formal council action was required for the presentations.
Less notable items on the agenda that did not require council votes included the reading of the pledge of allegiance and an invocation before the regular session resumed.
