Help Jason's Mom Recover From Eaton Fire

We all know there is an unimaginable amount of loss and devastation due to the fires in the Los Angeles area and one of those impacted is our beloved elder Karolyn (Jason Berkman's mom).

My name is Kate and I have known, laughed and cried with my dear friend Jason and his 88 year old mom Karolyn for 30 years now. Since we first met, I have been deeply touched by how generously they have contributed their time, amazing talents and positive energy to their communities. They are now needing our support in return.

Karolyn has lived alone in her home for many years in Altadena, until the Eaton fire began to rage late Tuesday night, January 7, and mandatory evacuations were ordered immediately. Amazingly, Karolyn was able to drive herself to the Red Cross shelter in Pasadena at 4am, narrowly escaping the life-threatening catastrophe that ensued. Currently much of the entire Eaton burn perimeter area is unsafe, and in the evacuated areas, no one is allowed to return for any reason.

While her home is one of the few that miraculously was not decimated, it needs to be assessed for smoke damage inside the home, and roof damage has been reported. Karolyn will not be able to return to her home until the authorities deem the area safe, the damage to her house has been remediated, and the utilities and safe drinking water are restored. This could take several weeks if not longer.

The stress of this catastrophic event, and the challenge of living in a public shelter with up to 1,000 evacuees, have impacted Karolyn’s mental state and greatly exacerbated her pre-existing health conditions. Thankfully, a caring social worker has found a safe, clean and private assisted care facility nearby, where Karolyn can reside calmly and comfortably for a few months until they are able to more fully assess her physical and mental faculties and the condition and safety of her home. She will be given three meals per day, her medications will be monitored, she will have access to activities and camaraderie, and she will be given rides to doctor visits.

Jason is traveling to LA this week and will need to return often, to help assess her condition, make plans for the house and her future care, and to manage her claims as they seek government assistance for her. All social services and resources are beyond-impacted, and any funds that may be available to assist those displaced could be delayed months as thousands of people work their way through FEMA, insurance, and local service providers for support.

Many friends have reached out to ask how they can help Jason and his dear mother, and this is how: given that Karolyn lives on a fixed income, and that Jason will not be able to work much during this time, they could really use our financial support to cover unexpected costs and make sure they have what they need to get Karolyn back on her feet. Our contributions will assist with needs that might not be fully covered by other sources of aid. We are asking those of you who can, to consider donating to Jason’s Go Fund Me which will allow him to address the many aspects of his sweet mama's recovery and support her through this crisis.