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After The Ashes: How Venice Responds To Crisis

After The Ashes: How Venice Responds To Crisis
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Across Los Angeles, thousands of people are dealing with the aftermath of the Palisades, Eaton, and various other fires that have destroyed countless homes and communities. In its wake, the Los Angeles community has worked together to provide support in these difficult times.

In the Palisades, many students have lost their school and even their homes. Palisades Charter High School sophomore Venessa Masterson has lost both. 

My house ended up burning down, and then about 50% of my neighborhood, and then the surrounding neighborhoods,” she said. 

Even in this tragedy, Masterson is grateful for the belongings she was able to salvage. 

I took my summer camp flag that all my friends there had signed,” she said. “I put it in my bag to take with me, and then my friend on the phone was like, ‘Why are you taking that?’ I didn’t listen to her and I’m really glad I didn’t,” she said. 

Masterson said the fires put a lot of things into perspective. 

“Everyone’s freaking out right now about TikTok getting shut down, and I don’t even care, because it doesn’t seem like a big deal at all in comparison to what just happened.” 

Masterson said that the community supported her in many ways to help her and so many others get back on their feet. 

“The community in the Palisades is incredibly strong,” she said. “People who weren’t affected have been doing a lot of clothing drives and donations. Everyone’s just really supportive of each other because now we’re all connected from this.”

At Venice, both students and staff are doing everything they can to make sure people like Masterson feel supported in these times. 

The newly formed Students Helping Students coalition is collecting resources and donations for victims of the fires in language teacher and sponsor, Hiroko Nomachi’s classroom in the East Building, room 211. 

Nomachi said that during school closures surrounding the fires, students “really wanted to do something, but they wanted to do it on a peer-to-peer level.”

“So we decided to make a coalition,” she said. “We wanted all the clubs to help through their networks.”

Nomachi said some of the most helpful items to donate are toothpaste, toothbrushes, new underwear, and new socks. They’re also collecting classroom materials for schools that have lost their teaching supplies.

In addition to toiletries, students are helping provide other resources people may have lost.

Sophomore Zane Galambos is the president of the Surf Club here at Venice High School, and has been organizing efforts to help the surfing community in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

“A lot of surfers lost their surf stuff in the Palisades fire since it’s not an essential item,” he said. “There are a lot of surfers up by the Palisades and Malibu areas that are a big part of the surfing community.”

Surf Club is currently working on partnering with the Venice Surfing Association and Rider Shack Surf Shop to get students from Venice to donate any new and used surf supplies.

Galambos said that the donation efforts of the surfing community are “really nice to see.”

“It really shows a good sense of community between the people at Venice and those all across LA, and how they really care for those affected,” he said.

To donate, you can reach out to Galambos or drop off surf supplies on Wednesdays in room 137.

Relief efforts across Los Angeles have been in abundance, with YMCAs across the county stepping in to provide aid to those in need.

Palisades Charter High School junior Lily Nourafchan runs an Instagram account focused on gathering resources and supplying donations to the recovery of Palisades. The account, @palisadesrecoverycrew, has set up donation boxes at the Collins and Katz YMCA. 

We started this account right after we realized our incredible school and community is burning down,” she said. “We decided together that we need to give back to the community that gave us so much.”

Nourafchan said that she had gotten messages on Instagram from all across Los Angeles asking in ways they can help. 

“I’m most proud of how much these people care,” she said. 

Jimi-Lee Tomboc ’14 is the Westchester Family YMCA Program Director and served as a liaison for those volunteering at the Westchester Family YMCA.

The Westchester Family YMCA served as a donation and distribution center for 10 days, distributing clothing, bedding, toiletries, and more to hundreds of families and making deliveries to almost 300 households and over 100 organizations. During this period, they had over 1,000 volunteers.

“I was there everyday on the frontline, but wherever there were questions on policies, updates, or best practices, people would come to me,” she said.

She said that the Westchester YMCA was “very fortunate” to have so many volunteers.

“Westchester is really great in that way,” said Tomboc. “Most of our volunteers were people I just met for the first time, and now they want to stay connected to the YMCA as much as possible.”

For more information on how to volunteer or donate, visit the Westchester YMCA’s Instagram and Facebook @westchesterymca.

Tomboc said that she is grateful for the community’s efforts.

“I loved working with all the volunteers and seeing so many people show up was so inspiring,”  she said. “It might sound cheesy, but this experience really restored my faith in humanity.”

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