
Support Dawn, Karrie, and kids: Altadena Fire Recovery
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Marissa and I’m a family friend organizing this for Karrie, her mom Dawn, and Karrie’s two kids - Sienna and Capri. Oh, and we cannot forget the pups - Teddy and Bowser (a very recent addition to the family!)
On the night of Tuesday, Jan 7th, after hearing about a new fire in the area along with predicted strong winds, their family decided to evacuate in a way that they thought was just “precautionary”.
They had no idea the fire would be accompanied by hurricane force winds of up to 100mph, spreading in both east and west directions, and end up ravaging their community like it has.
As we all know now, the Eaton Fire has left Altadena looking like an apocalyptic war zone. Somehow, their house is one of 4 maybe that is still standing on their street - however it is badly damaged and covered in smoke and ash.
Their home is uninhabitable right now.
With the multiple catastrophic fires in LA, the housing crisis has just gotten so much worse and they don’t have any options of where to go right now. The immediate, desperate need is funding for costs that may not be fully covered by other sources of aid. The goal with all aid for the family is to provide for them so they can have a safe place to exist, stay with and support their beloved community, and rebuild what was lost.
This is a grave and unexpected financial burden on their family and they really could use some help. With the funds raised by this page, Karrie and her family will use only what they truly need. Anything in excess will be shared with neighbors and poured back into the community.
A little backstory:
In June of this year, Karrie and her family moved into a beautiful cottage-style home tucked into a peaceful and quiet part of Altadena. Lined with bougainvillea bushes, a front yard with room for the girls to run and the dogs to frolic, and a sparkling pool for everyone to enjoy - it was a huge relief for them to feel finally settled in a neighborhood they so quickly felt at home in. Early in 2024 they lost their dog Hudson, which brought a significant amount of heartbreak and left a hole in their family unit. Tragically, the day they moved into the house in Altadena, they found that one of their other dogs, Camper, had passed away in the night. The hole in their family got even bigger that day. Moving to Altadena was a fresh start, but with a heavy heart filled with lots of sweet memories in tow.
Since then I have received so many texts about how much they adore Altadena. I’ve had the privilege to meet some of their neighbors they rave about, sip on the best iced coffee concoction I’ve ever had from the local coffee shop around their corner, and learn bits of French from the girls, who have excitedly told me about how much they love their schools.
Altadena is something truly magical and just what they needed. I am so thankful the community welcomed them and embraced them so eagerly. To say the past few years have been easy on Karrie would be a lie, and a story for another time. But to see my best friend have some weight lifted off her shoulders and finally have a safe space where her family was thriving was so beautiful and so impactful.
Dawn and Karrie are the type of people to always jump in and help at a moments notice. They are serial foster moms to local dogs from the shelters who need extra love and special attention. (They won’t like that I am outing them on this, but…) both Karrie and Dawn anonymously donate to gofundme pages consistently because neither of them can bear to think about letting someone struggle if they have the means to help even just a tiny bit. Speaking personally, they’re have been countless times when I’ve needed a place to stay the night and they have always welcomed me, fed me, provided a shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent to, and gave me the most precious gift of getting to know the two girls and watch them grow up. They have truly welcomed me as a bonus member of their family and I am forever better because of them.
Now, the family who has always lifted up and supported others, need us to do the same for them.
The community still has each other, but not much else. Anything you can do to financially support means the world!
Organizer and beneficiary

Marissa Hyland
Organizer
Altadena, CA
Karrie Brady
Beneficiary