OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ procurement organization, celebrated the opening of its new Bakersfield Regional Office on Thursday, June 18th with a community Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony attended by elected officials, healthcare leaders, donor families, transplant recipients, living donors and community advocates.
The new office reflects OneLegacy’s continued commitment to Kern County and will serve as a regional hub for hospital partnerships, community outreach, donation education and family support services.
A featured speaker at the event was Lori Malkin, donor mother and founder of JJ’s Legacy, a Kern County nonprofit dedicated to educating residents about organ, eye and tissue donation and supporting donor and recipient families.
OneLegacy recognized the longstanding commitment of Malkin and JJ’s Legacy, as well as the collective efforts of hospitals, donor families, transplant recipients and community organizations working together to increase donation awareness and to save lives.
Guests included Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh, representatives from the offices of Congressman Vince Fong and Congressman David Valadao, members of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber and many other local organ donation and transplantation advocates.
“We’re proud that over the past decade, the generosity of 369 Bakersfield organ donors and their families has helped save more than 1,000 lives through organ donation and heal more than 67,500 lives through tissue donation,” said Prasad Garimella, CEO of OneLegacy. “This office represents our commitment to building on those legacies and saving more lives in Kern County through organ, eye and tissue donation.”
“We welcome OneLegacy’s expanded presence in Bakersfield,” said Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh. “This new regional office demonstrates a lasting commitment to serving Kern County through collaboration, education, and compassionate care. I look forward to seeing the positive impact partnerships will have on families throughout our community.”
OneLegacy serves more than 20 million people across seven counties in Southern California and works with more than 200 hospitals and nine transplant centers to recover organ, eye and tissue donation. In 2025, OneLegacy facilitated 748 organ donors resulting in 1,949 life-saving organ transplants, helping more individuals and families receive a second chance at life.
The Bakersfield Regional Office will support ongoing outreach and education efforts throughout Kern County while deepening relationships with local healthcare providers and community partners.
About OneLegacy
As the largest organ and tissue recovery organization in the country by population, OneLegacy enables nearly 2,000 organ transplants and nearly 150,000 tissue transplants each year by serving more than 200 hospitals, 8 transplant centers, and a diverse population of over 20 million people throughout seven counties in Southern California. More information on OneLegacy or on becoming a donor is available at www.onelegacy.org.
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