Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Bilingual Tech Support Comes to Altadena’s Fire Recovery Hub

High school students will offer free one-on-one help in English and Spanish at Saturday event

Pasadena Village, a nonprofit serving adults over 55 in the greater Pasadena area, is partnering with ATM (Ayuda Técnica para Mayores), a student-founded organization that provides bilingual tech support.

The IT Cafe runs from 10:00 a.m. to noon at 540 W. Woodbury Road.

High school students will offer free technology assistance to older adults Saturday at The Collaboratory, the community hub established for Eaton Fire survivors in Altadena.

Student volunteers will provide one-on-one help in English and Spanish for laptops, smartphones, watches and other devices. The event is free and open to the public. Coffee and light refreshments will be available.

The event brings technology assistance directly to Altadena, where the Eaton Fire destroyed the Altadena Senior Center and thousands of structures in January 2025. The Collaboratory opened in October 2025 as a central space for survivors to access recovery resources.

“This IT cafe is a way to help people stay connected with their family, their friends with the community, and the many offerings and resources that are available with a little less frustration if they can learn how to use technology in a more effective way,” Katie Brandon, Executive Director of Pasadena Village, said in a previous interview.

Pasadena Village has partnered with ATM for over a year, according to Brandon. ATM was founded by local high school students and provides tech support to seniors in Pasadena and neighboring communities, according to a company statement. The students bring skills in computer science and bilingual communication.

“They keep our seniors safe from frauds and scams,” Brandon said. “They keep our older adults connected with other people and with their interests, which makes aging so much better.”

Pasadena Village has focused approximately 40 percent of staff and volunteer efforts on Eaton Fire relief and recovery since the fire, according to the organization’s GuideStar profile. The nonprofit has distributed over $13,000 in gift cards and purchased over $12,000 in computers and equipment to support fire-affected older adults.

The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road. For more information, call Pasadena Village at (626) 765-6037, email info@pasadenavillage.org, or visit pasadenavillage.org.

“The students themselves came up with the idea of offering free IT help,” Brandon said. “It was a natural partnership when they reached out to Pasadena Village.”