The wildfires across Southern California have been a central focus of many, both in and out of the state where the incidents occurred. At their height, a total of seven fires were burning in the state, fueled by the dry brush of the hills and the Santa Ana winds. The start of the infernos began with the Palisades fire on January 7, considered to be one of the two most destructive blazes along with the Eaton fire. In total, it is estimated that around 57,500 acres have burned.
As the flames sweep across Southern California, many people are stepping up to help out–whether that is through donating food, clothes, money, or their time to assist people affected by the disaster. And though the resources from prominent organizations matter, support from smaller ones have just as much worth. At CHS, several clubs have taken the step to support the community.
CSF, or the California Scholarship Foundation, did a supply drive in collaboration with the National Honors Society to raise and send supplies to families affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires. The items they took included canned and dried goods, along with hygiene products such as pads or body wash. In addition, they accepted household cleaning items and masks that would aid the families in their recovery. Senior Danni Fajardo explained how CSF is helping out.
“Our mission as an organization is to encourage academic excellence and devoted service among secondary schools in California,” Fajardo said. “The supplies go directly to families in need or to resource hubs that families can rely on for support.”
The drive ended January 31, and the supplies went to Our SPOT, an organization dedicated to connecting teenagers to aid efforts. The items that were collected are to be distributed to teens impacted by the fires in Altadena.
CSF and NHS were not the only clubs to do their part. Speech and Debate had taken a more emotional approach with their support. John Muir High School is located in Pasadena, near where the Eaton fire burned. The school itself was not damaged, but many of the students’ houses and families were affected by the blaze.
There were written messages of support from students and staff, as well as gift cards and cash that were collected and delivered on January 31. Speech and Debate’s advisor David Chamberlain explained how the fundraiser worked.
“What we’ve tried to do is collect messages of love and support, and we delivered them to the school on Friday,” Chamberlain said. “We also kept it simple and collected cash donations and any gift cards. The cash donations will be distributed to those most in need by the Pasadena Education Association, and all the gift cards went to the principal of the school, and they get to distribute them as they see fit.”
When asked why Speech and Debate did a fundraiser, Chamberlain explained that he felt CHS was fortunate to not be impacted by the fires and because of that, they should try to help those affected in some way.
While CHS and Claremont were lucky to escape the worst effects of the wildfires, those impacted have a long road ahead of them to recover from the loss. CHS, along with many other places, are helping support those in need.
