Dear Friends,

The magnitude and extent of the destruction of the recent fire in our beautiful neighborhood of Altadena is beyond words and photos. Unfortunately, our home was one of the many homes burnt to the ground.

This place has many special memories for us. It is where we started married life together, weathered the pandemic, made bread and cocktails for neighbors, and had evenings of music with guests playing songs on our baby grand piano. As we traveled the world pursuing work and adventure, there was comfort knowing we could always return to this home and be with friends.

We are now in a position where we need to rebuild our life and, as much as it pains us to ask for help (anyone who knows us knows that this isn’t easy), we have to humble ourselves and acknowledge the financial challenges ahead. 

While we are insured, we have accepted that it won’t cover all our needs or be enough for another home. There is also the stark reality that we'll need to continue paying our mortgage and property taxes for two to three years, and it could be months of cleanup and environmental mitigation before we can even begin that process.

We are raising funds to help alleviate expenses like covering our mortgage and taxes in the short term and in preparation for countless other unexpected “surprises.”

We know so many are in need like us. Thanks for reading this far and considering making a direct donation to a family like ours who have been absolutely devastated by this catastrophe.

Brian and Keiko