Colorado Fire & Natural Disaster Support

Team fundraiser

Will Bans and Analis Bans are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

***The chance to enter the drawing closed at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, February 28. However, donations through the GoFundMe will still be accepted after. Thank you for the support! ***

This special fundraiser is an opportunity drawing for a chance to win a prize to help important natural disaster-related causes along the central coast.

Half the proceeds will go to the volunteer-run Mid-Coast Fire Brigade in Palo Colorado Canyon, which recently experienced the Colorado Fire. The other half will establish a scholarship opportunity for a CHS senior whose K-12 academics were impacted by a natural disaster, or whose family was ever impacted, to recognize the unique adversity our Big Sur, Palo, and Cachagua area students and families periodically face.

*Donations to enter the drawing are $25 each, or five entries for $100. Participants do not need to pay for a (one) chance to win. Entry price/donation is not tax deductible.*

What can you win?

Esalen Institute — A day pass for TWO people. Full access to campus between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. including all meals + daily class offerings + hot springs.
Henry Miller Memorial Library — “Family and Friends at the Miller Library Movies!” = Private screening of any movie at the iconic Big Sur venue under the redwood trees. Limited to 120 of YOUR people. Carpool only. Date subject to availability.
Aubergine — “Sunday Brunch” to-go kit. Pick up at L’Auberge Carmel and enjoy at your home. The Shellfish Tower kit includes chilled Maine lobster, 18 Morro Bay oysters, 1 oz. caviar, smoked salmon, crab, lemon verbena poached shrimp, all sauces and accompaniments.
Big Sur Lodge — One night’s stay.
Big Sur River Inn — $100 gift certificate to use at the restaurant or the general store. **Two winners of one $100 gift certificate each.**
Nepenthe — $100 gift certificate
Alta Bakery — $50 gift card
Local pastry chef Michelle Lee (as seen on Food Network) — choice of one fun, sculpted food cake — a pizza cake, or stack of pancakes cake, or sushi cake.
Big Sur Adventures (PG)/Pedego Electric Bikes (Carmel) — two half-day gift certificates for bike rental at either location.
Refuge — Two Deluxe Refuge admissions. Includes a robe rental, a bottle of water, and access to outdoor facility, including sauna, steam rooms, hot & warm pools, Nordic cool & cold pools, and outdoor fire pits with Adirondack chairs.
Valley Botanicals — Garapata candle (8 oz. soy candle made with phthalate-free fine fragrance + essential oils), Repair Salve (a healing + moisturizing all-purpose salve for the face and body. Made with organic, plant-infused oils + beeswax), and Rose Geranium Cleansing Oil (a lightweight, oil-based cleanser that won’t clog the pores or the skin feeling dry).
Happy Girl Kitchen — “Sweet California” jam variety box has Big Sur marmalade, strawberry lavender jam, apricot jam, plum jam.

Why donate? Two worthy causes.

Cause No. 1 >> The Mid-Coast Fire Brigade

The Colorado Fire in Palo Colorado burned 687 acres in January 2022. These fires, and other natural disasters, are why volunteer-run units like Mid-Coast Fire Brigade are so important.

“We are a small community and rely on donations from the community to support our efforts. Without your generosity our future would be much different in continuing our efforts to provide life, safety, emergency and fire response.” — Chief Cheryl Goetz.

The Fire Brigade is made up from community members who volunteer their time to provide these services to our community. There are fifteen men and women currently serving on the Mid-Coast Fire Brigade with five fire fighting apparatus.

These volunteers have been trained in emergency medical intervention, including CPR, defibrillation, and firefighting skills. They meet twice a month to practice their skills; they are dedicated to provide you with the essential services of fire and life safety you deserve. However, as with most organizations, the organization is only as good as its weakest link, without the support of the community, the Fire Brigade cannot exist.

“It’s not someone else’s home that’s going to burn; it’s our home, it’s our friend's, our family’s, our neighbor’s,” Chief Cheryl told the Monterey County Weekly in a January article about the Colorado fire. “The community needs to know how hard we are working.”

Cause No. 2 >> Natural Disaster Support Scholarship

Natural disasters are regular occurrences for Carmel Unified students who live in the Big Sur, Palo Colorado and Cachagua areas. Mudslides, fires and other similar events affect the lives of students and their families. The community recognizes these hardships and appreciates those who live and work in the areas that keep them so special. This scholarship will be worth $500 and may be applied to any accredited post-secondary institution (four-year university, community college or trade school).

CMS and CHS students living in Palo Colorado and Big Sur were unable to go to class while Highway 1 was closed because of the Colorado Fire in January.

“I definitely got pushed back from my progress in classes,” CHS freshman Jaiden Clark said. “It’s really hard to keep up and catch up at the same time.”

It’s not just the Colorado Fire. Every few years, portions of the CUSD population, especially from the south coast, have to deal with interruptions to their schooling because of natural disasters and compromised infrastructure.

Beyond the first $500 raised for the scholarship half of the fundraiser, the rest will be earmarked for annual scholarships. The long-term goal is to reach $10,000 for endowment status with the CHS Foundation to fund an annual $500 scholarship in perpetuity.

How can winners choose prizes?

The first winner whose name is drawn will get first pick of one prize. Then the second winner drawn will pick one of the remaining prizes, and then the third winner drawn will pick one of the remaining prizes, and so on until all of the prizes have been claimed. You will be contacted after your name is drawn. There is no need to be present at the time of the drawing.

**Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the generous businesses who donated incredible prizes! **