Help Liz & Devon Culpepper Recover Their Home

If you're a longtime Pasadena or Altadena resident you might recognize Liz Culpepper and her son Devon! Their home is located in a badly burned scar zone of the Eaton Fires, and while their home still stands, it sustained significant damage. As Stage 1 and 2 government cleanup begins, their home will continue to be exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals as the Army Corps of Engineers works to remove the ash and debris on a mass scale from all of the surrounding burned homes that span for many blocks. It is uninhabitable and needs repairs that are estimated to take 1 1/2 years. Also, since their home wasn't entirely burned, FEMA cut one and only one check for a minuscule amount that is equivalent to two months of groceries.

Liz's home was a sanctuary for people in need of housing and over the years her family community grew. What Liz is hoping for most right now is to provide stability for herself and Devon while they are displaced and as they work to rebuild their home.

Every cent of your donation will go to offset the costs of practical necessities while they are displaced for the next 12 to 18 months while clean-up and significant structural damage repairs take place.

A message from Kelsey Mumford: Devon and his mom Liz are truly some of the kindest, community-driven, selfless and humble people I’ve met; and constantly welcoming me into their home with open arms. They have been so generous with checking in on others during these hard times, that they haven’t asked for any help themselves. They deserve the world, and I want to make sure they are as comfortable and stress free as possible as they navigate these unpredictable circumstances!

A message from Didi Mumford: During a recent visit, Liz was on hold for the umpteenth time following up on a lead for resources while we talked about the overwhelming challenges they've been enduring since January 7th. I asked for their GoFundMe and found that they've been too busy moving out of their hotel into an Airbnb, standing in line for the various resources around town and tracking every lead that's sent to them to set it up. That's when I was like, it's ON!

Please give any amount so that they can reduce the stress of uncertainty about living expenses over the next year while they wait for the many stages of clean up and assessment that must be completed before rebuilding can start.

Thank you for reading and for your donation!

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More about Liz & Devon:

Liz was born in Pasadena and has been building her community here ever since. She attended Webster Elementary, Washington Elementary, Eliot Middle School (burned in fire), Pasadena High School, Pasadena City College and Cal State Los Angeles. She was a preschool teacher at Altadena Christian Children's Center for over 5 years and a literacy teacher at the Aveson Elementary campus in Altadena for over a decade. Both of these schools burned in the fire. Liz bought her home in Altadena in 1996, and it has been her son Devon's only home ever since he was born on Christmas Day 2000.

Liz has spent countless hours volunteering in her community for numerous organizations including the Jackie Robinson Community Center, the Sierra Madre Community Nursery School, as a Community Advisory Committee member for the Altadena Sheriff Station, as an ER volunteer at Huntington Hospital, and as a docent for Amigos de Los Rios, a local environmental organization in Altadena. Her roots in the community run deep, as does her ongoing commitment to fostering connection. She helped found her neighborhood watch group over 25 years ago, a tight knit community of neighbors that is still currently staying connected as they struggle to navigate the complexities of rebuilding their homes and community after the recent Eaton mega fires.

Devon grew up attending Pasadena public schools, and also attended Pasadena Christian, Maranatha and La Salle for middle and high school. Devon worked at the Altadena Hardware Store on Mariposa (burned in the fire) for many summers while in high school where he further connected with and served his local community. As well Devon volunteered at Amigos de Los Rios, working to plant hundreds of trees and native shrubs to create a green beltway of parks from previously urban and industrial sites. When Devon left for college in 2019, COVID soon followed interrupting his freshman, sophomore and junior years of campus life. In spite of the many challenges Devon faced, he persevered and went on to graduate from Chapman University in 2023.