I am Katherine Alcantara, mother of Brandon Alcantara who has Autism. On January 8, 2025, Brandon lost everything in his home in Altadena. The house he lived in for 20 years, (his whole life) was destroyed and burned to the ground. He lost all his valued possessions like his piano, other musical instruments, all his art and supplies, electronics, and Legos he built for years. Being on the Autism spectrum and losing all his possessions was devastating for him. The home, especially his room, was his sanctuary and safe place where he could feel comfortable and secure. The horrific day we had to evacuate, I told Brandon to get what was most important until we came back home. He only wanted his cat Michael, who was adopted a year ago from the Pasadena Humane Society. My son is devastated because we never came back home. All the memories and everything we had were all gone. The most important thing is that we are safe and blessed to be alive. It is so hard to explain to him that he can no longer do piano lessons at Altadena Music Academy or his favorite African drumming classes at Rhythms of the Village. Seeing our beautiful community gone is heartbreaking. Now we need to find a new home in a new city and start all over again.

I am reaching out to everyone who would like to support us in rebuilding our lives. Any amount would be greatly appreciated in helping us recover from this tragedy.

Thank you for your kind hearts in these difficult times of need.