Cheers to Charity awards $55,000 to local nonprofits.

Cheers to Charity distributed $55,000 in grants to 11 local nonprofits on Jan. 21 following its August fundraiser; grants ranged from $500 to $9,500 and brought the group's cumulative giving to $486,333.

Cheers to Charity handed out checks totaling $55,000 to local nonprofit organizations on Jan. 21 after a successful fundraiser the previous August. The fundraiser began in 2014 as a small event in a parking lot and has since grown into an annual community gathering, the organization's press release says. The August 2025 event featured food, wine, craft beer, desserts and spirit-free mocktails and drew hundreds of attendees. The committee met at The Slice of Life to thank supporters and distribute funds. Key details: - The organization awarded $55,000 to 11 local nonprofits on Jan. 21, with individual grants ranging from $500 to $9,500. - Those awards brought Cheers to Charity’s cumulative community contribution to $486,333 across 36 nonprofits. - Major grants included $9,500 to Family Life Pregnancy Center for strollers, car seats and cribs; $8,500 to Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley for its Outpatient Medical Pavilion; and $8,500 to Have a Humane Heart Society for its Spay & Neuter Bus. - Other recipients and amounts included Make Art Tehachapi ($6,500), Tehachapi Rotary Foundation ($4,500), Gryphons Soccer Club ($4,000), Stallion Springs CERT ($4,000), Tehachapi Mountain Search and Rescue ($4,000), Central California Animal Disaster Team ($2,500), Tehachapi Valley Wrestling ($2,500), and the American Legion ($500). - The Cheers committee acknowledged sponsors, ticket buyers, volunteers and partner nonprofits for their roles in making the event successful. Summary: The donations support a variety of local services and programs, including health care, animal welfare, youth sports, public art, scholarships and emergency response. The committee has started work on the 2026 Cheers to Charity event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, marking the event’s 12th anniversary.