Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Community Rebuilding Event Combines Practical Aid, Small Business Revival and Mental Health Support for Fire Victims

In an uncommon approach to disaster recovery, local organizations are combining practical rebuilding assistance with mental health support and small business revival at an upcoming community event.

The “We’re All in This Together” gathering will feature everything from architectural consultations on affordable building to expert panels with celebrity moderators.

“We hope to give hope — to show everyone that Altadena and Pasadena will rebuild stronger and better than ever, while holding on to the charm, style, diversity, and people that make this community special,” said organizer Caitlin McHugh Stamos of CivicSoul.org.

The all-day event is scheduled for March 1st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Philip the Apostle School and Parish.

For McHugh Stamos, the initiative hits close to home.

“Half of the block that I grew up on burned,” she shared in a recent interview. “It’s really important to me to see this community held and supported and built back in a way that upholds the beautiful diversity that it has always had.”

The event brings together an impressive coalition of support services that extends beyond traditional rebuilding assistance.

The initiative includes a group of architects looking to help build homes in a way that’ll make it “affordable and easy,” The Foothills Catalog.

Habitat for Humanity, Rewiring America, and other nonprofits committed to helping Altadena rebuild will be present.

The event will feature two distinct components: celebrity moderators “to keep it fun,” alongside panels featuring “experts to help survivors of the Eaton fire from clean up, to permits, to rebuilding and beyond.”

“We’re going to have Resource Booths and provide free childcare and food, for registered attendees,” McHugh Stamos explained.

While these free services will be available for verified fire-affected participants, the event welcomes everyone in the community, particularly those interested in the vendor spaces provided for fire-affected businesses.

Dr. Tina Bryson, a noted author, will participate on the mental health panel. The event is being hosted at St. Philip the Apostle School and Parish, where McHugh Stamos attended from kindergarten through eighth grade. While St. Philip is part of a broader network of Catholic churches in the Pasadena area – including Sacred Heart, St. Mark’s, and St. Andrew’s – Victor Bible Church and Mosaic Church will also be present at the event.

Those seeking more information can contact the organizers at 818-659-5036 or visit CivicSoul.org.

The event organizers are calling on local politicians, school board members, business owners, and influential community members to join in supporting those affected by the fires.

The “We’re All in This Together” event accepts donations to support its comprehensive approach to community recovery. Through this initiative, organizers aim to create a support system that addresses both the immediate and long-term needs of fire-affected residents and businesses in the community.

St. Philip the Apostle School and Parish is located at 363 Cordova St. Pasadena.

The event will accept donations in lieu of admission fees. Free childcare and food will be provided for verified fire-affected registrants, while the event remains open to all community members interested in supporting the recovery effort.

For more information, contact (917) 275-6126 or visit CivicSoul.org.