Support Fay Austin's Journey to a New Home

https://youtu.be/kUIF6BlcvTA

My name is Carolina and I've been working at the Pasadena Disaster Relief Shelter with the Red Cross for the past week due to the LA fires. This is where I met 88-year-old Fay Austin, who recently lost her house in Altadena due to the Eaton Fire and this is her story:

It was January 7th when the Eaton Fire swept through the quiet Altadena neighborhood. Fay had only moments to react. With limited mobility, she could only grab the bare essentials—her documents and the clothes on her back—before fleeing with the help of a kind neighbor. As they drove away, she watched her cherished home of over 50 years succumb to the flames. The house she had worked tirelessly to transform into a sanctuary. The house she had purchased in the 1970s for just $19,000—a testament to her grit and determination. The house that bore witness to every triumph and challenge of her life, now reduced to ash. Along with it went her jewelry, her wardrobe, her photographs, and all the irreplaceable memories of a life well lived.

Yet, if you were to meet Fay, you might never know her struggles. She radiates joy and optimism, determined to make the people around her laugh and feel uplifted. She would tell you stories of her 35 years at Bank of America—how she left behind the frigid cold of Indianapolis to build a new life under California’s sun. She would have you laughing through your volunteer shift, recounting tales of quirky customers and her long journey of saving every penny to create her version of the American Dream. And if you’re lucky, she might pass along her mantra: “Today will be a good day. I will stay positive, and good things will come to me.”

But as the hours pass, Fay might open up. She might tell you how that mantra is being tested now. How the insurance companies have turned their backs on her—home insurance denying her claims and health insurance raising their prices to impossible heights. How she is being pushed toward unaffordable senior living facilities that charge $4,500 a month, a cost far beyond her means. Or how rebuilding her home feels like an insurmountable mountain, both financially and emotionally.

Fay is at a crossroads, standing on the fragile edge of hope. She is resilient, but even the strongest among us cannot rebuild alone.

This is where you can help. Fay’s story is a reminder of how life can shift in an instant, and how much we all rely on the kindness of others when the unthinkable happens. Your donation, no matter how small, can help her rebuild not just a home but the sense of stability and safety she so desperately needs. Let us show Fay that she is not alone—that her story has touched us, and that together, we can help her manifest a brighter tomorrow.

Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and for being part of Fay’s journey toward hope and healing.