Help Liesel, Steve, and Kids Rebuild After Devastating Fire

On January 8th, 2025, our mentors and friends Liesel and Steve lost everything when their Altadena home burned down in the Eaton fires. In the past 48 hours, their lives changed dramatically - from having a quiet family dinner on a windy evening to watching their cherished 1912 home reduced to ashes.

"We lost everything today," Liesel shared on Threads. "Garden. History. Art. Memories. Thousands of books. All the music. Our kids' safe space. Every painstakingly restored piece of woodwork. All our plans. Our safe place. And our beautiful, quiet, lovely community. Razed. Unrecognizable."

While we're incredibly grateful that Liesel, Steve, their two teenagers, and their kitty are safe, they're now facing the enormous challenge of rebuilding their lives from scratch. Above all else, Liesel and Steve's primary concern right now is helping their children regain a sense of normalcy and security after losing the only home they've known. As any parent can imagine, seeing their kids feel safe and settled will be their first step toward healing.Their home wasn't just a house - it was a sanctuary that housed carefully curated vintage collections, unique art pieces with great stories behind them, and 20+ years of memories. It served as a safe space and shelter for countless students and friends over the years.

For those who don't know them, Liesel and Steve have dedicated their lives to education and mentorship. Liesel has been a professor at Pasadena City College, and was formerly a dean at Mt. San Antonio Community College.

They are also both active in a variety of arts and entertainment communities. Liesel has written, directed, and produced a variety of productions including a stage version of the It Gets Better Project. Steve is best known for his graphic novel memoir It's a Bird... and as a co-owner of Man of Action Studios which created the animated Cartoon Network series Ben 10.

Both have served as speech and debate coaches, transforming the lives of hundreds of students. They're fierce advocates for underrepresented students and the LGBTQIA+ community, and as adoptive parents of their foster children, they've opened their hearts and home to so many in need of support and guidance.

Immediate Needs:

The family currently has temporary housing secured for about a week, but uncertainty looms beyond that. While they do have insurance, they've been unable to get through to State Farm for any immediate assistance.

Funds will go toward:

Their goal is to rebuild and continue being vital members of the Altadena community they love so deeply. However, with so many families impacted by these fires, the path to rebuilding will be long and challenging.

If, like us, you’ve experienced their incredible kindness — whether it was receiving unexpected groceries on your doorstep during a difficult time, staying in their home rent-free, having Liesel step in as your mother for an event when yours had passed, making sure you had a suit to wear to a tournament, helping with college applications, or being someone you felt safe enough to share something heavy with — you know just how deep their care and generosity runs.

Now, it’s our turn to give back. Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference in helping them rebuild their lives. Together, we can help restore the sense of safety, love, and home they’ve so selflessly offered to so many others.

How You Can Help:

All funds will go directly to helping the family with both immediate needs and longer-term rebuilding efforts. We'll provide regular updates on their progress and specific ways your donations are helping them rebuild.

Thank you for any support you can offer - whether it's a donation, sharing their story, or sending words of encouragement. Let's show Liesel and Steve that the community they've helped build stands ready to help them in their time of need.

With gratitude,

Rafael Agustín, Lisa Chiya & Danee Pye

A note about the organizers: For those who don't know us, we are former speech and debate students whose lives were transformed by Liesel and Steve's mentorship. What started as a coach-student relationship has grown into lifelong friendship and guidance. Today, we're organizing this fundraiser to help give back to two people who have given so much to so many. Rafa and Lisa currently live in Altadena and Glendale, respectively, but thankfully, their homes are okay as of this posting. Danee is in Sacramento, a much safer distance away, but as we've all learned, this type of event has far reaching impacts.