Help Chumi and Maile After the Loss of Their Altadena Home

Please help one of my dearest friends from high school, and her daughter, who lost their home in Altadena to the Eaton fire. Chumi and Maile have lived in The Villas neighborhood of Altadena for 10 years. They were able to evacuate in time and make it to safety, but they have lost everything in their home and could use a little help to start recovering from this devastating fire.

Their adored their Altadena “cabin,” their neighbors, their town and their community. It was their safe and happy place.

On Tuesday night, they had to evacuate so fast that they weren’t able to pack their belongings. They lost baby books, treasured letters, many irreplaceable inherited family items, and so much more. Their entire personal history is gone.

Maile is 11 and is in the 6th grade. She and her classmates are grappling with the uncertainty of the future and how to deal with such devastating loss. Her whole community is scared and grieving. Maile is such a kind and empathetic soul and she is having a hard time processing her own loss and also carrying the burden of the loss those around her are facing.

Their neighborhood bordered the Angeles National Forest and was home to a diverse wildlife population and Chumi and Maile loved living among them. Snakes, bobcats, deer, owls, raptors and even bears, would visit their backyard. But, most importantly, their home was a sanctuary for the rehabilitation of bats. Chumi is one of two bat rehabilitators in the 5 surrounding counties and works with the Los Angeles Bat Rescue. They do really important work, not only with rehabilitation, but with education and conservation of these essential members of the ecosystem. In order to help the bats in her neighborhood, she had a large custom-built backyard flight cage which has also been destroyed. The trees that Maile loved to climb are also gone.

I know this time is so difficult for so many, but if you can donate anything to help them get back on their feet it would give them a sense of hope for the future.