By Mary O’KEEFE

There are several misperceptions about the Los Angeles area, including one that everyone lives in the City of Los Angeles. Another is that residents do not know their neighbors. However, many people know they live in LA County but not in LA City and that LA County is a patchwork of small neighborhood or small town communities. That has never been more evident than in the aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades fires when all communities joined together to help their neighbors including those who had lost their homes and businesses in the fires. 

Girl Scouts has always been a community-centric organization whose members volunteer at numerous events. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Girl Scout Service Unit 407 of the La Crescenta-Montrose area hosted a donation drive to support children and families affected by the wildfires. 

They were able to offer families books, backpacks, games and toys along with art supplies for kids. Their event was held at the Girl Scout House in Montrose.

It was very successful and the Girl Scouts plan on having another event in the future. 

Another outreach to support those affected by wildfires was started by a group that works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The members decided to start a drop-in center. 

“It started as a group of JPLers who wanted to help their friends impacted by the wildfires,” said Molly Shelton, organizer of the drop-in center in La Crescenta and a JPLer. 

They focused their efforts on some specific areas including collection of donations, preparing support bags for kids and creating drop-in centers. 

Shelton approached several organizations in the area including the La Crescenta Woman’s Club, American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1614, the Fire House youth center, St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church and Prom Plus. 

On Jan. 13 the La Crescenta Woman’s Club opened its doors to provide a comfortable and safe place for the drop-in Shelton was spearheading. 

The idea was to give those affected by wildfires a place to go where there was Internet access and a place where parents could try to organize while someone watched their kid/s. 

For many, a place was needed where people could sit with other family members to discuss future plans and get online to fill out forms while their children were entertained so they could do what needed to be done in order for them to move forward. 

Many JPL workers lost their homes in Altadena and some in Pacific Palisades. The drop-in centers are designed to help them. Shelton is in charge of the Crescenta Valley drop-in center. 

“We are looking to help the community and to coordinate volunteers in direct ways,” Shelton said. 

When those affected by the wildfires enter the La Crescenta Woman’s Club they find a lot of comfortable and fun inflatable furniture, a workspace and lots of toys and art supplies to keep kids busy. There are also support bags for kids to take with them. 

On Sunday the drop-in location was moved to the Verdugo Hills Memorial Hall [American Legion Hall] where therapist Jamie Given led a workshop where parents, and grandparents, were given tools to help talk to children about the fires. These conversations might not be just for those who lost their homes but provide information on how to talk to kids who were away from the fire danger but still have concerns.

Given, LMFT, LPCC from Given Guidance Family Counseling in La Crescenta, shared that many of the comments kids make about being frightened or sad are normal reactions. She spoke to children from age 3 to teenagers. For the younger kids she suggested having them draw a picture of a firefighter or police officer to instill hope and provide a sense of security. For older kids she suggested have them create a “gratitude tree” to write things they are grateful for and/or host a family discussion when teens feel comfortable talking about their concerns. 

The bottom line was for parents and loved ones to remind their children that they are there for them and they will support them. 

As the days move forward from the initial fires, Shelton said the group will continue to evolve to fit the needs of those who were affected. This is not going to be a quick fix and support will be needed for a while. 

Shelton added more discussions are planned that include experts to discuss issues faced by those affected by the wildfires. 

On Friday, Jan. 24, the group will move the drop-in center to Verdugo Hills Memorial Hall for the weekend and then move for the long term to St. Luke’s of the Mountains Sadler Hall and the Fire House youth center. 

“Every week we will publish a new schedule and flyer as we transition to [new needs],” she said. 

The schedule and flyer will be posted on the CVW website. 

Shelton grew up in Crescenta Valley and was one of the founders of Prom Plus Club and the Fire House youth center. Though she was well aware of the volunteerism in her community she has been overwhelmed by the level of support. 

“Spending so many years volunteering with Prom Plus in high school and after college, it is still shocking to see how much support this community offers, not just to [the CV community] but to other communities,” she said. “It has been a beautiful thing to see in such a tragic [event].”

The JPLers are stepping up in a big way as well. Many showed up on Sunday at the La Crescenta Woman’s Club to help prepare support bags for kids and organize some items for adults. Shelton added that the volunteer spirit of the community she grew up in is strong and contagious. 

A co-worker of hers, Jonathan Tan, recently moved to the area.

“He has fallen rapidly into the community that is La Crescenta,” she said. 

Tan has been volunteering at the drop-in center and has helped organize donations and is working with Shelton on the future of the drop-in center. 

Today, Thursday, the drop-in location is the La Crescenta Woman’s Club at 4004 La Crescenta Ave. from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Friday it will be open at the Verdugo Hills Memorial Hall at 4011 La Crescenta Ave. from noon to 6 p.m. A discussion/question and answer event with an estate attorney is scheduled.