After providing targeted funding to the American Red Cross, LA Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon, LA Animal Services, LA County Animal Care Foundation and Pasadena Humane Society less than 24 hours after the blazes broke out one year ago, the Chargers Impact Fund – through its Rally For LA: Wildfire Relief Fund – today made additional financial contributions to the LAUSD Education Foundation and Pasadena Education Foundation.
To date, the Chargers Impact Fund has now allocated more than $1.25M to organizations aiding recovery efforts and providing resources to those most impacted.
On the one-year anniversary of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that forever altered thousands of lives and changed the entire landscape of Southern California, the Los Angeles Chargers Impact Fund's 'Rally For LA: Wildfire Relief Fund' continued its allocation of resources, contributing $50,000 to the LAUSD Education Foundation and Pasadena Education Foundation to help provide mental health resources for area youth affected by the fires.
In the aftermath of these wildfires, the Chargers Impact Fund directed its focus towards providing a long-term path to recovery for the communities most impacted, particularly in Altadena and the Palisades. As with any disaster relief effort, the needs are broad. After the team's initial wave of resource allocation, the Chargers Impact Fund created the 'Rally for LA: Wildfire Recovery Fund' to support youth in the affected burn areas. Students, teachers and athletes who needed help getting back on their feet have been the Fund's primary focus.
The 'Rally For LA: Wildfire Relief Fund' has spent the past year allocating funds to organizations aiding in recovery efforts and providing resources to those most impacted by the devastation. In addition to the initial wave of contributions to the American Red Cross, LA Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon, LA Animal Services, LA County Animal Care Foundation and the Pasadena Humane Society (all of whom sheltered animals displaced by the fires and provided emergency care), the Chargers zeroed in on providing financial assistance and tailoring events to the heart of the community; examples of which include financial support to the Palisades High School and John Muir High School football programs and providing laptops/iPads to Pasadena Unified Schools like Rosebud Academy, Aveson Charter School and Odyssey Charter School.
Over the past 12 months, the Chargers have held more than two dozen events targeting schools surrounding burn areas and first responders in those same neighborhoods. 'Bikes for Kids' at Washington Elementary, a Scholastic book fair for first grade students at Jackson Elementary, providing lunch from a restaurant affected by the fires for first responders during a visit to Fire Station 69 in the Palisades, a Pasadena Unified School District furniture donation and Nike Play60 flag camps at Marshall Fundamental School and Blair Middle School (relocation schools for students of schools affected by the Eaton Fire) are just some of the recent events the team has facilitated.
To further commemorate the one-year anniversary of the fires, on Thursday, Jan. 8, the Chargers will host another Scholastic book fair – this time at Eliot Arts Magnet middle school in Pasadena. More than 350 children will have an opportunity to explore and "shop" around the fair, with each student picking out three books to take home as their own while the Chargers provide another 300 books to help rebuild their school library. Food trucks will be on-site to provide lunch, and Chargers Legend Larry English will be on site helping distribute those meals as well as a number of Chargers goodies.
The Chargers and the team's fans have a storied history of stepping up in times of need, most recently this past November when The Chargers Impact Fund donated its 50/50 Raffle proceeds from the team's game against Tennessee to American Red Cross Mountain Fire relief efforts in Ventura County. From sending funds to Maui Fire relief efforts to aiding those impacted by Hurricane Harvey with a food and supply drive and monetary donation, supporting California Wildfire Relief efforts over the decades to supporting tsunami relief efforts across the globe, fans and the organization have consistently stepped up in times of need.
For more information on the Chargers efforts to support Eaton and Palisades fire relief efforts, including a link to purchase remaining team merchandise where all proceeds benefit the LAFD Foundation and American Red Cross, visit chargers.com/relief.
