BY JOSH HEIMILLER Community contributor I s the next generation a lost cause? Wayne Rice doesn’t think so. Rice is the featured speaker at the upcoming “Next Generation Family Conference” at Parkside Church, 2515 Church Ave., in northeast Bakersfield. Rice is also the co-founder of Youth Specialties and the author of more than 30 books for parents, teachers, and youth workers. From Rice’s perspective, the most important thing we can do to help the next generation succeed is to create healthy families. As he writes in one of his most recent books titled “Generation to Genera- tion:” “No one has more influence on chil- dren than parents." He also acknowledges the important role of grandparents, extended family, and mentors. At the Next Generation Family Confer- ence, Rice will be sharing many practical insights about how to build an effective family and teach healthy values at home. The conference has been sponsored by Parkside Church so that the entire week- end is completely free. The public is invit- ed to participate in three conference ses- sions with Wayne Rice, a Family Fun Night on Saturday, and seminar sessions on Sun- day (see below for full conference details). The Family Fun Night will feature a free barbecue meal, fun activities, a puppet show, and a concert for children. Various seminar sessions on Sunday morning will be lead by community representatives and members of the congregation at Parkside Church. The Bakersfield Pregnancy Center will present a seminar on the topic of “How to Talk to Your Kids about Sex” and Youth for Christ of Kern County will lead a “Youth Culture” seminar. Other seminars will be focused on parental disci- pline, the role of grandparents, and helping children through crisis. For more information about Wayne Rice you can visit his website at: www.WayneR- ice.com. You can find out more about the Next Generation Family Conference by visiting Parkside Church's website at: www.ConnectGrowReach.org. This is a great opportunity to learn how you can impact the next generation of young people. Josh Heimiller is the associate pastor of Parkside Church. 2 The Bakersfield Voice Sunday, April 29, 2012 Share stories, photos, blogs ■ Submitting your stories for The Bakersfield Voice is simple and FREE! Just go to: bakersfield- voice.com and create a profile. ■ Choose what you’d like to contribute (an article, letter, picture or community event listing) and post it yourself. ■ Still need help getting your contributions onto our website? E-mail Sandra Molen at [email protected] ■ Circulation: If you would like to receive our weekly publication or cancel delivery, please e-mail: voicedeliv- [email protected] or call 392-5777. Be sure to include your request, contact information and address. Fruitvale Junior High drama students to perform ‘Peter Pan’ YOUR SCHOOLS YOUR RELIGION BY ALICIA HAMMONS Community contributor “S hiver me timbers!” Fruitvale Jun- ior High's Advanced Drama Department will present J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” on Friday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the junior high’s multi-purpose room at 2114 Calloway Dr. Doors open at 6:05 p.m. The cost is: $6 adult; $4 for students/children under 14. Peter Pan is truly the story of a boy who refused to grow up. J.M. Barrie’s classic char- acter is based on his brother, who fell through thin ice and died the day before his 14th birth- day. To the boys’ mother, he would always be remembered this way. This is a children's play, but is sure to delight people of all ages. Come and join Peter’s adventures with Cap- tain Hook, the Indians, the Lost Boys; and, of course, the Mermaids. Directed by drama teacher Alicia Hammons, “Peter Pan” stars Kirsten Laverty as Peter, Kate Coughlin as Wendy, Tyler Morris as Tin- ker Bell, and Karla Aparicio as Captain Hook. Don't miss it! Alicia Hammons is a language arts and drama teacher at Fruitvale Junior High. PHOTO BY LEAH COUGHLIN Alicia Hammons and her advanced drama class rehearse for Friday’s production of “Peter Pan.” The show starts at 6:30 p.m., doors open at 6:05 p.m. PHOTO PROVIDED Josh Heimiller Senior citizens invited to fun YMCA ‘prom’ May 12 BY SHERRY BOYDSTUN Community contributor J oin us for an enchanted evening of fun-filled entertainment, music, dancing and memories! Our semi-formal event for senior citizen’s will include dinner, music and dancing. Come by yourself or with a friend. Hope to see you there! YOUR VOICE Church conference addresses roles of next generation YOUR VOICE BY JENNIFER BURGER Community contributor T he Kegley Institute of Ethics at Cal- ifornia State University, Bakersfield and Downtown Rotary of Bakers- field are pleased to announce Colleen McGauley as the recipient of the first annual KIE-Downtown Rotary Community Ethics Award. McGauley is Executive Director of Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Kern County. The award honors community members who exemplify ethical values either over a lifetime or in a specific situation during the previous year. “These are people who, day by day, reveal their character in their actions, peo- ple who truly stand out as consistently doing the right thing, even when no one is looking,” said Christopher Meyers, direc- tor of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at CSUB. The selection committee voted unani- mously to choose McGauley for her long- time role in giving a voice to abused chil- dren in Kern County. She was a member of the first class of volunteers when CASA was established in Kern County in 1994. She joined the staff in 1996 and became the executive director in 2001. CASA volunteers advocate for children who are dependents of the court, many of whom live in foster homes. Under McGauley’s leadership, CASA has doubled the number of volunteers and children served annually. Jarrod McNaughton, a CASA board member and member of the Community Ethics Award nominating com- mittee, said McGauley is one of the most pas- sionate and ethi- cal people he knows. “Over a decade ago, Colleen was my case manager when I was a CASA volunteer. It is such a joy to see that her mission for what she does has- n’t changed a bit. Today, Colleen is recog- nized as one of the powerhouse nonprofit executives, always willing to go the extra distance to be sure the children of Kern County are never forgotten. She is the per- fect choice for this year's ethics award,” McNaughton said. The Community Ethics Award is also sponsored by local accounting firm Barbi- ch, Hooper, King, Dill, & Hoffman, along with Robert Tafoya and Sandra Serrano. McGauley was honored during the 26th Anniversary Charles W. Kegley Memorial Lecture on April 19. BY CAROLINE WILSON Community contributor D uring these difficult economic times, Kern County Bar Associa- tion and Kern County Law Library have collaborated to provide valu- able information, free of charge, for our community which includes individ- ual consultations with attorneys in celebra- tion of Law Day celebrated annually throughout our nation. The event is May 1 with “Law Day 2012 — Law Day at the Mall” from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Valley Plaza Mallin front of JCPenney and Wet- zel’s Pretzels. This is a Pro Bono/volunteer attorney event. Information will be available throughout the day in the areas of bank- ruptcy, foreclosure, criminal law, tenant rentals, family law, probate, estate plan- ning, real property, landlords, domestic violence, guardianships, expungements, answering creditor lawsuits, mediation services, child support, and many other legal issues. For further information please call 868- 5320. PHOTO PROVIDED Colleen McGauley PHOTO BY DOUG WILSON / PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE U.S. Kegley Institute, rotary announce Ethics Award winner Kern County Bar Association to hold ‘Law Day at the Mall’ YOUR GARDENING TIP Saturday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. YMCA of Kern County 5880 District Blvd., Ste. 13 Cost: $5 Please call 837-9622 to register. Registration is required by May 4. Groups or Community Living Centers may RSVP by email with a list to: [email protected] Donations being accepted to help support this event. IF YOU GO A s soon as you see butterflies and moths flying around the garden expect to have a nice “crop” of worms about two weeks later. Bring samples to Robby’s Nursery in a plastic bag and we can help you with a good control for the little critters. This week’s garden- ing tip is from Kathy Robinson of Robby’s Nursery. Do YOU have a gardening tip you’d like to share with our readers? Post your gardening tips and photos of your garden on our web site at: www.bak- ersfieldvoice.com. Both moths and butterflies are signs that worms are busy in your garden