Help My Family Recover From The Altadena Fires

Hi everyone,

I’m raising money to provide my dad and I some relief after our house was destroyed by the ongoing Eaton Canyon fires.

Earlier this year, my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer—news that rocked our world financially and emotionally. At the time, I was finishing up my senior year of college and was desperate to find a way to help him. I turned to you all, and to a crowdsourcing effort to help alleviate our immediate concerns. And you showed up. You raised an incredibly helpful sum of money in a very short time, and helped my dad get the treatment he needed with dignity. With your support, he’s been able to enter remission.

We were just recently getting back on our feet when the fires hit.

Truth be told, I don’t have the words to describe our devastation. An entire lifetime's worth of possessions was lost. I hardly know how to process this loss, let alone the series of misfortunes over the past year that has left us feeling beaten. I really did not expect to have to ever do this—let alone twice in one year. But when it rains it pours, I suppose. That said, your generosity earlier this year gave me hope in a desperate time. And so I’m here now, to ask you all to help us get through another crisis.

I understand that the goal I’ve set here is profound, but it is my most reasonable assessment of what it will take to recoup some basic living essentials, and to provide my dad with a sufficient fund to survive as he hires an adjuster, assesses the damages, and sets out to rebuild our lives. We are, of course, still in the midst of these horrible fires, and thus don’t have a clear picture of our situation and the total financial burden we face. In time, the federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as the homeowners insurance companies will kick into gear and begin providing relief and recovery infrastructure. But for now, I am certain that this is a good place to start.

Lastly, to my friends and community members who have also experienced horrific damage due to the fires, I ask that you please make sure your own needs are attended to before you consider helping us out. We are experiencing a truly cataclysmic event the full extent of which we will probably not understand for days, weeks, and months to come. Already it is said to be the costliest fire in American history. If you need help as well, please feel free to reach out and we can find ways to care for each other.

I do not have the words to express my gratitude to you all.

Thank you,

Kenneth Schultz