Help Mark, Julia, Eloise and Smokey recover from Eaton Fire

The Los Angeles Eaton fire completely destroyed Mark Finer and Julia House's home, as well as their entire community in Altadena. Thankfully, Julia, Mark, toddler Eloise, and their dog Smokey heeded early warnings and left early for Julia's parents' house, avoiding a harrowing exit. Had they waited until the evacuation order at 3:30 AM the next morning, they would have had little time to escape before their house—and entire neighborhood—was on fire.

The Finer-House family lost nearly everything—they grabbed only a change of clothes and important documents before leaving the house. So far, they have only uncovered their Tree of Life sculpture in the rubble of their home.

They loved their community in Altadena, a diverse, historic area filled with vibrant local businesses. And that community will need to essentially start from scratch. The Finer-House family will donate half of the proceeds from the fundraiser to helping these local businesses recover from this tragedy.

I went to college with Julia and have visited her in her hometown of LA on numerous occasions, though I currently live outside of DC. I am hoping that this fundraiser can help her family and their neighbors as they imagine - and realize - the future of their community.