Dear friends, family, and kind strangers,

My wife and I lost our rental home in Altadena during the Eaton Fire on January 8th, 2025. The only things we saved from the fire were the bags we had packed to go on a 3-day trip to Oregon, and one of our cars.

I am working full-time to support us while Cora finishes a Master of Fine Arts degree at CalArts in Valencia, CA. Our life was already uncomfortably expensive before losing our home, and now we are in a much worse position. We are unsure whether Cora will be able to finish her degree (which she's 2/3 done with), or whether we'll even be able to afford to remain in Southern California at all considering the impact of the fire on the already strained housing supply.

We both considered Altadena our home before the fire, renting or not. We felt a warm sense of community and pride in the town, and we are staying active in the community during the rebuild effort. We have been working on the front line and behind the scenes for the Pasadena Church fire relief donation center on 425 E Sierra Madre Villa, and though we're going through a hard time, we're also focused on helping our community heal.

We just got married 6 months ago and were in the midst of building our life together when this disaster happened. We are thankful to still have our health and abilities in the aftermath of this disaster. With your help, we know we can get back on track.

Thank you for your help,

Cora & Cole

PS This is a photo of our destroyed home from the LA county assessor:

https://services1.arcgis.com/jUJYIo9tSA7EHvfZ/arcgis/rest/services/DINS_2025_Eaton_Public_View/FeatureServer/0/15153/attachments/17108