Helping Yvonne and John Rebuild After The Eaton Fire

This GoFundMe page is being established to help Yvonne and John, two people who completely lost their home, and all of their possessions, in the Eaton/Altadena fire a few weeks back. On 1/19, Yvonne was allowed to return to the address where her house once stood. In surveying the destruction, found intact was nothing but a pair of scissors, a symbolic testament to the devastating losses that were suffered.

I was first introduced to John and Yvonne back in November of 2014. John became my “Little Brother” through the L.A. Big Brothers & Big Sisters program. Yvonne is John’s foster mom and legal guardian of 10+ years. Yvonne has fostered 35+ teen girls and boys, spanning multiple decades. At the age of 75, after many years of giving to others, it was supposed to be her turn to wind down, enjoy life, and reflect back on all the lives she has impacted. Instead, Yvonne finds herself and John faced with the daunting task of “starting over”.

My hope in creating this page is to provide Yvonne with the financial help to get back on her feet and to tangibly feel the same sense of support that she has spent her entire life giving to others. Thank you in advance for any financial assistance you can provide and in forwarding this on to others, who might want to directly help a family, whose life has been forever altered by the fires. Thank you.

Mark Zapatka