The Baker Family Foundation Making A Positive Impact In The SCV

Kristen Baker has always loved volunteering her time and energy for various fundraising events or charitable causes, and her husband Blake is a well-known businessman in Santa Clarita who also has a passion for outreach. Together, they were starting to enjoy the fruits of their years of hard work, after raising five adult children and one soon finishing high school. But once the family sold an insurance/financial firm in 2020, they started to notice how much need existed in their community. With the idea for a charitable benefit in mind, the family established the Baker Family Foundation in 2021 to help disadvantaged folks within the Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding areas.
Their motto “a hand up, not a hand-out” speaks to the entire goal of the organization to lift others up; and the acronym “BFF” reminds us of the support we find in our friends, not just the idea of a one-time donation. With years of experience cutting through the red tape for other charities and foundations, the Baker Family Foundation has been able to fundraise efficiently and quickly right from the inception. They are planning three to four events per year, with the goal of making a positive impact by providing a bridge to resources and aid for people in our community in need.
Working with Chef Daniel Otto and his students at College of the Canyons was one of the first projects undertaken by the fresh foundation, and the small team of four (Kristen and Blake Baker accompanied by Executive Director Cathy Craig and Board Member Ronda Murray) were able to start helping financially disadvantaged students afford textbooks, school supplies, tuition fees, and any other school related costs. Instead of picking one area of focus, the foundation prefers to look at a person or situation with a holistic point of view. They try to help at-risk youth, veterans, seniors, single mothers, and kids who have aged out of traditional foster care systems; essentially casting a wide net to catch individuals who have fallen through the cracks in society.
After receiving support from the 10th Annual SCV Charity Chili Cook-Off in October this year and celebrating their first sold-out Inaugural Golf Tournament in September, the Baker Family Foundation is showing no signs of slowing. Today, they are excitedly planning a strategic youth entrepreneurial program and community-wide competition for high school and college kids, somehow a cross between “Shark Tank” and “The Profit” and is set for the 2023 school year. After a tumultuous few years of hybrid learning and online school, the foundation is hopeful to engage with youth who will see the benefit and fun of the future programs and all the foundation has to offer. With their first year almost complete, the BFF hopes to aid the community in times of crisis or hardship for many more years to come. When disaster strikes, the BFF will be there! 

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