"Sewing" Change Together: South Kern Quilt

The Power of Stories is an archive of projects submitted every year to Building Healthy Communities (BHC) Statewide Convening. It showcases work created throughout California highlighting the power of individual and collective efforts to promote health and demonstrates how stories have the power to re-imagine and transform our communities. Produced in partnership with the California Endowment.

Project submitted by: Building Healthy Communities South Kern

Project summary: When community comes together to lift up their voice, powerful things can happen. In 2014 the rural, South Kern County communities of Lamont, Weedpatch, the unincorporated areas of Greenfield and the City of Arvin came together and patch by patch, families and community groups stitched together their hopes and dreams of a healthy community for the next generation to create a 11'9" x 9'2" communal quilt.

BHC site: South Kern

Everyone who lives, works and plays in South Kern are partnering to create a healthy, safe and clean community that embraces our cultures and fosters opportunity for all residents, especially youth to develop their full potential.

Over 1,200 residents, youth, businesses and organizations are leading the Building Healthy Communities (BHC) South Kern effort to positively change the health of our communities through a shared vision, goals and action plan. Residents in Arvin, Lamont, Weedpatch, and the unincorporated areas of Greenfield are proving that we have the power to make health happen in our communities.

BHC South Kern is promoting healthy change in the areas of:

• Education: Improving education from pre-K through adult
• Environment: Creating a healthy environment with clean air and water
• Health Access: Increasing access to a better health care system
• Recreation: Improving recreational activities, facilities and parks