Jim Walker speaks to Rotary Club

The Rotary Club welcomed speaker Jim Walker on Sept.23. Walker is the president of the newly formed Tehachapi Mountain Alano Club. An Alano club, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the name used for community centers for 12-step recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Walker explained that the local meeting place for such programs faced serious financial (and other) setbacks due to the pandemic. Ironically situated behind a bar in Old Town Tehachapi, the meeting place was a haven for people seeking a safe place for help and recovery since 2005. When the building sold a few months ago, the new owner dramatically raised the rent, making it impossible for the groups to continue leasing the space. Naturally, this turn of events sent the recovery community into a tailspin. But thanks to the generosity of some individuals in recovery, a new building was procured. The rent is affordable and recovery groups are able to meet there.

The group was formed when the local people in recovery voted for Walker and his board to apply for a nonprofit license and facilitate a new place for Tehachapi area meetings to continue. Recovery meetings, Walker pointed out, were deemed "essential" and as such were allowed to meet (following safety guidelines) during the worst of the pandemic.

Although the Alano Club has been the site of meetings, it's still waiting for its nonprofit status to be approved before accepting tax-deductible donations. Walker stated that Senator Grove's office cited the pandemic as the reason for the backlog of applications and the delay facing the fledgling club's requested tax-exempt status.

Walker is eager to inform the community about the Alano Club and the new meeting location. Unlike the previous meeting hall which only allowed Alcoholics Anonymous and Alanon meetings to take place, TMAC welcomes 12-step groups of all kinds, including Narcotics Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, Overeaters Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and more. For more information, and to find out how (and when) you can make tax-deductible donations, please contact Jim Walker at (303) 378-4708. TMAC is located at 303 East H Street, Tehachapi.

The Rotary Club of Tehachapi is a volunteer service organization with the motto "Service Above Self." The Club has 32 members and is currently meeting on Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. If you would like more information about Rotary Club, you can visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofTehachapi/ or contact club President Paul Kaminski, (661) 699-5851.