Thursday, October 14, 2004
Giving a voice to
Northwest Bakersfield
“I’m Daphne the
Northwest Shih
Tzu. Check out
my Halloween
costume ideas
on Page 26.”
n o r t h w e s t v o i c e . c o m
Fall Football:
Cold bleachers, plaid
blankets, hot nachos and
crowd-pleasing plays:
it’s fall football season
and Liberty, Centennial
and Fruitvale Junior
High are getting in on
the action.
Pages 16-17
How the Magic
Happens:
Brothers and
longtime Northwest
residents John and
Brian Mendiburu
support the
community in their
mother’s name with
the Mendiburu Magic
Foundation.
Schools rely on
dedicated parents
By Lauren Ward
Northwest Voice Editor
In this issue, The Northwest Voice is spotlighting
one outstanding volunteer from each of the three
school districts in the area: Kim Casselman from
the Norris School District, Debbie Pasquini from
the Rosedale Union School District and Leona
Forker from the Fruitvale School District. Find
out more about how you can become a school
volunteer at the end of the story.
Page 14
Restaurant Talk:
Pie Recipes:
Some say the
former Red
Pepper location is
a cursed spot for
Mexican
restaurants, but
Marta Hernandez
and her daughter,
Lidia, plan to make
Señor Pepe’s a
success.
Apple, strawberry,
chocolate chip,
mmmmmm...
These mouthwatering pie recipes
were submitted by
some of the finest
local bakers.
Pages 29-30
Page 23
Youth Sports:
Bailey Thompson,
Makenna Hannaman,
Caity Connors and
Jaclyn McDermott
are members of
Freedom’s cheer
squad.
Page 20
School News:
Patrick Vaughan
and his Liberty
High School video
students make
smokin’ antitobacco PSAs.
Page 4
Want to be a Voice blogger?
Vivacious
Volunteers
...................................
Outside on the Norris Elementary School
grounds on a recent Friday morning, Kim Casselman’s voice cuts through the quiet campus as she
sings:
“A, B, C, D, E, F, G...H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P...”
Attired in a simple blue sweatsuit, her face fresh
and eyes bright, she finishes “The ABC Song” and
promptly begins jumping on one foot with her
hands behind her back.
“How many of you like to sing?”
“How many of you want to learn how to
dance?”
“How many of you want to be a conductor?”
Casselman’s questions are greeted with a unanimous response from the group of first-graders
on the mats in front of her:“Me!”
Throughout the class, she displays a level of
energy and enthusiasm impressive in any educator. And what makes it even more impressive?
She’s not getting paid for it.
Due to budget and time constraints faced by
the Norris School District’s one music teacher,
Rebecca Trevino, this was going to be the second
school year in a row that kindergartners and firstgraders went without music classes.
That is, until Casselman, a Northwest private
piano teacher and parent, volunteered to teach.
Find out how on Page 29
Kim Casselman leads a first grade class in song.
Please turn to VOLUNTEERS, Page 10
14
Thursday, October 14, 2004
The Northwest Voice
N o r t h w e s t Vo i c e
How the magic happens
Mendiburu brothers’ foundation continues to honor mother
Juan and Nancy Mendiburu.
14
By Lauren Ward,
Northwest Voice Editor
This month, pink ribbons tied around
trees throughout Bakersfield serve to
raise community awareness of breast cancer.
But while many area residents have
heard of The Mendiburu Magic Foundation, established in 2000 in memory of
Northwest resident Nancy Ann Mendiburu, who died from ovarian cancer, they may
not be entirely aware of all that her sons
do every month to honor her legacy.
They receive about 60 requests for help
per week, give away approximately $5,000 a
year to youth development programs and
those affected by illness, have established
working relationships with many community
organizations, such as the CBCC and the
American Cancer Society, and support more
than 50 non-profits, like Kids Konnected and
the Boys and Girls Club of Bakersfield, for
whom they helped provide a new marquee.
Residents also may not be aware that
the foundation, now in its fourth year, still
needs donations in order to be effective.
“The number one thing is that we need
money,” said Brian Mendiburu.
Brian, 27, the varsity boys basketball
coach at Golden Valley High School, is sitting in his brother John’s office at
Almondale Elementary School, where the
31-year-old is principal.
Brian, the founder and president, and
John, the vice president of operations and
board secretary, are discussing the triannual board meeting, which happened a
couple of nights ago. It was decided at the
meeting that both the processes of where
to get funds and where to put them needed to be reevaluated.
“We’re trying to figure out how we can
make the most impact for the buck,” said
John.
Part of the dilemma lies in the capable,
together image that has come to belong to
the good-looking, good-natured brothers:
they’re like the beautiful girl who never
gets asked to the prom because everyone
assumes she already has a date.
It doesn’t seem like they need help, and
they’re too polite to ask.
Of course, what with their family name,
bios and friends, it’s easy to understand
how a person could get that impression.
The Mendiburus, a Basque sheep-ranching family, have been prominent here for
years.
In 1998, when he was only 20, Brian,
who also serves as the associate executive
director of the Boys and Girls Club of Bakersfield, was promoted to being the
youngest director in the youth services
industry throughout the entire city.
His many volunteer roles in the community include serving as a member of the
government review council for the
Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, serving as a member of the adult
planning committee for the Kern County
Leaders in Life Youth Conference, and as a
wish grantor for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Southern San Joaquin Valley.
In 2002, those in the know would
observe that John, who used to admire
Principal Jamie Henderson when he
attended Rosedale Elementary School as a
boy, was now a principal himself in Superintendent Henderson’s district.
And then there’s the endless list of
foundations that Mendiburu Magic supports, like Magic Johnson Enterprises and
the National Cancer Institute, and their
seemingly endless list of prominent board
members, including Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry E. Reider, Chief
of Police Bill Rector and Councilman
David Couch.
“But this isn’t supposed to be about us,”
said Brian.“John doesn’t mix the foundation and school –– he doesn’t have students out selling candy to benefit the foundation. And our board members aren’t
there to cut us checks –– we admire their
ways of life and expertise and seek advice
from their perspectives,” he explained.
Because if you buy into what’s big and
powerful, then in Brian and John’s eyes
you’re missing the whole point of the
small, home-grown nonprofit.
“Mom always paid attention to the little
things –– she was all for helping the little
people. No moment was to small to be
noticed, and nobody was too insignificant
to matter,” said John.
Brian and John are most proud of the
fact that they’re the offspring of hardworkers and longtime lovers.
“Dad is Spanish Basque and Mom was
French Basque.We like to say we got the
best of both worlds,” said John jokingly.
Juan Mendiburu, 69, was born and
raised in Azpilcueta, Spain, and came to the
U.S. on March 20, 1955, at the age of 20.
Nancy, born in Bakersfield, would be his
wife for 30 years. Besides running the family business, Juan Mendiburu Sheep Company, since 1981, she worked at API (Alternative Programs Incorporation) and at the
Mesa Verde Correctional Facility as a
receptionist.
The brothers, who still reside in the
Northwest, grew up in the family home off
Jewetta against the railroad tracks, and
attended Rosedale Elementary and East
High School because there was no Liberty
or Centennial in those days.
“It used to be just dirt and sheep grazing.There were no shopping centers or
homes,” recalled Brian.
“I met the Mendiburu family years ago
–– we built them their first home,” said
executive advisory member Adoree
Roberson, who was recently asked to be a
member of the board.“I’m good friends
with Juan and I admired Nancy so very
much,” she said.
Nancy Mendiburu was first diagnosed
with cancer in 1994. After going into
remission for some time, she died in June
2000, when Brian was 22.
“The doctor told us she had six months
to live and she died six months and one
day later,” said Brian, who wanted to make
her proud and honor her legacy by establishing a foundation.
The brothers said she was aware of
their plans for the last six months of her
life.
“We talked to her and told her we
wanted to help people affected by cancer
or other illnesses and also help youth,”
said John.“She knew what our goals were,
and she thought it was great. She felt it
coincided with her ideals,” he said.
After the brothers filled out mountains
of necessary paperwork, it didn’t take long
for the community to embrace the foundation.
“You couldn’t meet a finer individual
than Nancy,” said Rosedale Union School
District Superintendent Jamie Henderson,
who’s on the general advisory board.
“When you lose a loved one, their memory never dies. I think it’s wonderful that
they’re helping students and turning the
tragic loss of their mother into a positive
thing for the community,” he said.
It didn’t take long for requests to come
pouring in, either.
Since the foundation can’t afford to pay
for the cost of surgeries or long-term
medical expenses, they focus on small
costs that insurance doesn’t cover and are
too small for the bureaucracy to bother
with.
“We’re talking about the $40 for gas
money to get down south to see your
dying grandpa, $18 wipes after treatments,
wheelchairs and medication,” said Brian,
who noted that the most popular request
is money to pay utility bills.“They make up
about 40 or 50 percent of our requests,”
he said.
They also receive requests from youth
development agencies like PAL and the
YMCA.
There is a contact number on the Web
site, www.mendiburumagic.org, and applications can either be submitted online or
by mail. An allocation of funds takes place
three times a year, but there is a 48-hour
turnaround for what the foundation classifies as “pending emergencies.”
The foundation, linked with the American Cancer Society, recently partnered
Brian (left) and John Mendiburu.
MENDIBURU
MAGIC
FOUNDATION
11216 Aimee Way
Bakersfield, CA 93312
Tel: 587-9940 ext. 2
Fax: 587-9940
www.mendiburumagic.org
with the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center on Truxtun, and will refer bigger cases to them, while CBCC will turn
to the Mendiburus when they need someone to fill in the small gaps.
Right now, the foundation accepts calls
and requests from all private parties, but at
the board meeting the possibility of working on a referral basis and dealing only
with larger parties, like schools and social
workers, was discussed.
The foundation also has a scholarship
component, and the Mendiburus award
cash to about five graduating seniors from
the Kern High School District each June.
Money for that program comes from the
Hoopin’ with Hope junior-high boys’ basketball tournament at the first of each
year.
It’s a lot to be responsible for – especially when you have a social life. Brian’s
busy with his wife,Valerie, and John and his
fiancé, Shelby, plan to tie the knot in January.
But the Mendiburus have found their
niche, and they don't plan on budging.
“In all of the letters and thank-yous we
get, the theme is always the same:‘Thank
you for not ignoring us,’” said Brian, who
would encourage people to donate if they
believe in any of the foundation’s four
causes: 1) community asset building, 2)
those affected with cancer/terminal illness,
3) health-related marketing and 4) youth
development programs.
And whether or not people are aware
of it, they plan on making magic happen for
years to come.
“We’re going to keep the foundation
going as long as we have the means and
people have the need,” said John.