Help the Crosman Family After Losing Everything in Wildfire

“Mommy, are we ever going to be able to go back home?” asked Mia, 10 years old, two days after the Palisades Fire had broken out. Her twin sister, Brooke, joined in: “yes, Mommy, we need to go back and rescue Ellie!” Ellie was Brooke’s treasured blue stuffed elephant, which she had loved since she was a baby. Their mother, Alison, didn’t know what to tell her daughters; she knew that the family would never go home, and Ellie was now ash blowing through their once-charming neighborhood.

Thankfully, the Crosman family are safe. That Tuesday had started like any other school day, with Alison and her husband, Chris, attempting to coax Mia and Brooke out of bed and get them to Palisades Elementary School before the bell rang at 7:55. Later that morning, the school called to say they were evacuating all of the children because a wildfire had broken out nearby. “I’m sure everything will be fine, girls,” Chris told them as they drove home under an ominous cloud of smoke billowing from the nearby hillside.

Sadly, everything was not fine. Several hours later, the evacuation order came. The family rushed to throw a few belongings into suitcases and to scoop up their cat, Bowie, who was not pleased to be hustled into her carrier. “Mrowr!” she protested. “It’s ok, Bowie!” said Mia, “we’ll be coming back home in a couple of days!” The family packed into their car as bitter smoke swirled around and embers fell from the sky. The Sun looked like an angry red fireball in the sky. Then the smoke blocked it out, and day turned to twilight. “We need to go now, said Chris, a note of panic edging into his voice. They piled into the car, and they drove off. They waved as they made their way past the brave firefighters rushing towards the inferno. “Please, save our neighborhood,” whispered Brooke.

Unfortunately, the neighborhood was not saved. Block after block, the fire ravaged the town. It destroyed the grocery store, the post office, the library, the shops, everything. The girls’ school, built in 1931, was gutted by flames. The Crosman home was reduced to rubble, and along with it all of the family’s possessions. All of the twins’ toys, their beds, their favorite blankets, their books, the school projects that Alison had been saving since they were in kindergarten, the clay bowls they made in camp, and yes, Ellie the blue stuffed elephant. All gone.

Alison is my sister and we are trying to help her and her family as they struggle to make it through this disaster. They never dreamed they would be homeless, with almost no possessions besides the clothes on their backs. Please help them buy clothing, toiletries, school supplies, books, and other necessities. They need food. They need a place to live. They need kibble and litter for Bowie. And a new blue stuffed elephant. Anything you can spare will help. God bless you.

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