Support the Roarke Family After the Palisades Fire

Hello everyone. On January 7, the Palisades Fire erupted, forcing the Roarke family (Leighton, Chris, Maile, and Charlie) to evacuate their home and all their possessions. They still have not been permitted to reenter the Palisades to see if they have a home to return to. It's been a devastating time for so many people in Los Angeles.

While they wait to see if their home is still standing, the Roarkes need to start to rebuild their lives. We've just been told that even if their home survived and the fire and smoke damage can be fixed (and we will update this site as soon as we have any further information), they will not be able to return to live in their home for several months while the city works on removing the toxins in the air and the ground and returning utilities and running water to their neighborhood. They will need to find a new place to live while continuing to support Maile in college and Charlie at Pali High. The Roarkes' home is a modest townhouse in the Palisades, not one of the multimillion dollar homes we've been seeing on the news—their financial need is real.

My name is Leanna, and my husband Chris and I live in Santa Monica. We have been friends with the Roarkes since our children were babies at daycare together, 19 years ago. We knew we needed to do something meaningful to support them.

Many others have also reached out asking how they can help this much-loved family. We thought creating this GoFundMe was the most direct way to offer help. This fund will go directly to the Roarkes so please rest assured that all donations will go directly to this family in their time of need.

Note that GoFundMe does not take a percentage of your donation. (You have the option of adding a "tip" to GoFundMe, but that is completely optional).

Thank you so much for your support. Stay safe, everyone!