Help Olivia, Bergen, Grant and Oona after losing their home

Last week our dear friends, Olivia, Bergen, Grant (9), and Oona (6) lost their home in Altadena. They lived on Marathon Rd in a sweet little house with a big front porch where the family loved to sit on hot days. They are receiving news and updates from abroad, where Bergen continues to show up for work every day and Olivia and the kids try their best to salvage what was supposed to be a month-long family adventure in the UK. Their resilience so far has been inspiring and yet they are heartbroken and full of anxiety for what the future holds for them when they return.

Olivia worked as a tailor in the film industry for many years and the home life she built was one that was full of hand-made objects and creativity. When I think of their house I think of the kid’s framed art along the walls and the elaborate cardboard lemonade stand she and Oona built one sweltering summer morning. There was a loom that hung in an interior window that the kids would periodically add to when they were bored and needed something to do. It was a home where you could show up for an impromptu BBQ pizza party or a kid’s movie night on the projector in the back yard. The base for elaborate projects for school fundraisers and a place where so many of our kids felt instantly at home. The last time I was at their house Olivia and I were talking about plans for her garden. Should it be vegetables or native plants? Whatever you decide, I remember saying. You’ll make it beautiful.

We have no doubt that Olivia and Bergen will bring all of this love and creativity to the rebuilding process but the road ahead will be long and hard and expensive. They were hesitant to ask for help but after an eye-opening meeting with an attorney they’ve come to realize that help is what they need and that right now they must rely on their community for support. We are that community. Please consider giving whatever you can to this incredible family during this difficult time.