UPDATE #4 - It’s been three months since the devastating fires. On March 21, 2025, the final remains of Carolyn’s home was removed. She is staying with her friend still, but knows she must find a permanent place. She doesn’t believe she can rebuild but is exploring options. She still struggles with the many choices and options out there, but is ever grateful for the kindness of everyone who has donated. The money will assist her in setting up a new home for herself, whenever she can set a definite plan for herself. It is taking her a lot of time for her to weigh in on all the options.

UPDATE #3 - today we took our Carolyn out of her area for some respite and enjoy lunch with friends. She still has a long way to go and is managing the multitude of tasks, phone calls, and decisions to be made for her uncertain future. Your donations are helping her prioritize things she needs now versus saving for when she starts to make a new home, somewhere. She continues to be ever grateful for the outpouring of assistance that everyone has given her. It helps.

ANOTHER UPDATE - Ann LaManna here. Today I went over with Carolyn to the remains of her home. Carolyn is ever grateful for all your donations to her GofundMe page. She still has a lot of work to do to manage her life again. For now, she has a temporary place to stay, and a friend has given her a used car for transportation. This was her car in her driveway in the picture, and her home was on the right of it. She is working through all the available resources to help her navigate insurance policies, FEMA, Red Cross, etc. It’s overwhelming. She not sure when or how she can return to her job, which was done from home. We tell her “one day at a time.”

UPDATE: This is Ann LaManna again. First of all, Carolyn thanks each and every one of you for helping her rebuild her life. She went to her former neighborhood this week and experienced again the devastating result of the Eaton fire to her beloved neighborhood. While there, fireman came by and helped her go through the rubble of her former home. She has a temporary place to stay with a friend, but she still needs to slowly build her life again with essentials of daily life: clothing, utensils, furniture, toiletries, everything. She is unsure when she can return to her job and they are being considerate at this time to allow her time to recalibrate.

Carolyn Shane just lost her entire home in Alta Dena. She left quickly with only her purse. She came home later that night to nothing but her back fence standing. The entire contents of her home were destroyed, including memories, clothes, furniture, computers and important documents. She has nothing and is currently staying with friends. Along with her entire home and contents, she also lost her car which she had left in her driveway. She will be using these funds to help her begin again. She will need to purchase a car, clothing and everyday essentials. She is currently staying with friends, but will eventually need to find a place to live.