Lift Cody Up: A Community Effort

Dear friends,

I am writing this on behalf of our dearest friend, Cody , as he is currently dealing with several challenges that are making this season of his life less than entirely groovy. Let me start off by saying, if you have met Cody, you have truly met one of the most unique and compassionate people on Earth. As a self proclaimed “ Empathic Barbeque Healer,” Cody does not easily leave the mind once you have met him. Whether you converse about interconnectedness, meats and grills, or just share stories and jokes, you will have a conversation that you won’t easily forget! Nor can you forget the humor, kindness and resilient wit that Cody shares generously, daily, with his friends and his community.

Friends, Cody is working very hard to take care of himself, and has been incredibly proactive and brave this year. I am asking for your help helping my beloved friend because I have recently been generously held up by the kindness of my friends and family, and I want to pay it forward, by helping my homie! If I were to try to help him by myself I would have the financial means to do so only a little, but I learned from watching the GoFundMe that my friend, Gabby put together for me last month, a little goes a long way when many hands reach out to help together.

Cody is navigating a difficult time in his life and has come up just a little bit short of covering his expenses this month. Although not directly affected, after the Altadena fires, Cody has sometimes struggled with depression and PTSD, and recent months have been incredibly chaotic and scary for all of us in this area. Particularly for those of us who are kind, sensitive, and caring, the devastation over here in SoCal has been very very overwhelming and a wee bit triggering to say the least! Currently, Cody is working hard to get a positive handle on his mental health but needs a bit of help to get back to a solid healthy foundation. He is making a lot of wise and mindful moves and those of us that love him are very very proud. Cody simply needs to maintain his home (rent , utilities, self care, medical care, food , clothes, vegetables and meats for his BBQ, etc etc etc.) and to support himself and his room-mates to keep the household afloat and to make necessary repairs and to care for each other. Cody does not need much to meet his minimum expenses, but if we exceed our goals, Cody might blow the lid off this community by starting his own BBQ comedy show, who knows?! I don’t want to put any additional pressure on him, but while I ain’t a gamblin’ man I’d be willing to bet a shiny nickel or two that these troubles will be behind us soon and there will be some summer celebrations indicated once our homes and our health is on a solid foundation again. Cody is a great guy who loves to cook, laugh and enjoy nature. He enjoys nothing better than a starry night. Right now we are simply focused on health and safety, but Cody would love to own and operate his own BBQ stand someday. He loves cooking, caring for others, and seeing people happy. I believe that in the near future Cody will be able to work in a helping profession again and to actualize his entrepreneurial dreams of preparing good food for people in our community. Barbecue is a passion for Cody, but he hasn't really had time or money to practice. He is always cracking jokes, telling stories, and he is a kind and patient soul always willing to take the time to listen as well. He is playful, generous, and gregarious; he is certainly not serious, but he is very sincere in his mission to connect with others through kindness, empathy, listening and food.

For those of us who live in Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Altadena and the surrounding areas, while we may not have lost our homes like so many of our friends and neighbors have, we have been shocked, and recent events locally and globally, have scared the $*î+ out of us. It has made it glaringly obvious that we must band together and help each other rise above the madness, if we are to live in a community of kindness and connections. Please heed the call to help in any sum great or small that you can afford this month!

The donations from this fund will go towards:

1. Living expenses such as rent, utilities, food, and clothes

2. Medical Expenses

3. Giving back to the community with comedy, storytelling, listening, music, empathy, and a hot grill...

Who am I? My name is Rob and I have been a friend of Cody's for the past two years. These past two years have been some of the most terrifying, painful, and difficult years I've ever lived. While I have not known him for a very long time, we became great friends very quickly because Cody is not a guy to waste time on inconsequential small talk, and shortly after we met we got right into the realness. Connection, honesty, and humor is what we find when we get to know Cody Upon meeting Cody, I immediately saw that he was special. Cody has a way of seeing his world, and those of us around him that is humorous, genuine, and wise. If we exceed our small goal, perhaps we can host a car camping trip, or a comedy show / open mic when we get some of our parks and outdoor community BBQ and camping spaces repaired?! I want to be sure to not put any pressure on our Friend, but I am absolutely certain that if we come up with more than we need Cody will find a way to make his light shine on others around him because that's how he rolls!

If we exceed our goal and Cody feels better this summer we will celebrate with:

Vegetables and Meats

BBQ and Camping supplies

… so that we may come together to share jokes , time in nature, and grilled delicacies with each other and the people in Sierra Madre and Altadena. We all need to re-connect with each other , in this area and globally; it seems like the whole world has gone mad at times, but I believe this too shall pass, and even when my depressive seasons roll thru, that seems to be what the wise ones keep telling me. So let’s make this happen!

We need to support our Friends who are rebuilding homes, their heads and hearts, friendships , businesses and parks. I have intentionally set the fundraising goal at only $500 because Cody just needs a little help getting back on his feet - as we all do at times. Donations can be great or small. So ANY amount you choose to donate would help. If those of us who love Cody band together, I'm confident we can meet this goal very quickly to help Cody get back on his feet.

Thank You!

Rob C.

Los Angeles, CA ( Spring, 2025 )