Kim and Marek's Fire Relief Fund

Kim and Marek were married last May and planned to add to their family this year, but received devastating confirmation that their home in Altadena and everything they were building was destroyed. They were the first to warn me that there was a fire in Eaton Canyon (I live 5 minutes to the east of them), thinking of their friends who could be impacted as they rushed to pack what little they could before their own evacuation. They are kind and generous people, who know how to listen to your problems, offer insightful advice, and create a sense of safety in every room they occupy. But now they need your help.

Kim is a licensed therapist who recently started her own practice in an office in Pasadena. Marek is a planetary scientist at JPL, helping operate a NASA spacecraft and studying clouds on Mars. They love to hike, and Marek proposed at the top of Echo Mountain, which in a cruel twist of fate were the very hills that took their home. If there's a new farmer's market or restaurant in Altadena, they are always eager to check it out, hoping to build community and support local businesses.

They were lucky to escape with their lives, some clothes, and their car, but almost everything else is lost forever. Many families have been affected by these fires, and the pain we share cannot be easily extinguished. When we feel we have lost everything, we can still take solace in finding community, being supported by those that love us, and work to rebuild anew. Thank you for your empathy, for taking the time to support these amazing people, and for being the light they need in this dark time.

-Matteo