During the first week of the new year, the United States was struck with a national tragedy. The city of Los Angeles was on fire. The Palisades fire started in the early morning of January 7th. The same day, just hours later the Eaton fire started. Late in the night, a third fire broke out, the Hurst fire. All three fires surrounded the greater Los Angeles area, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of citizens. The three fires burned more than 40,000 acres and destroyed 12,300 homes. Due to the severity of the fires, many people are now seeking non-profit services.
However, in all the ash and rubble came rising a group of teen girls determined to help their community. Altadena Girls is a charity organization run by teen girls in Los Angeles for teen girls in Los Angeles. The founder, Avery Colvert, an eighth-grader from Altadena, lost her middle school in the Eaton fire. While Avery’s home was spared, many of her friends were not. Many organizations jumped to action to provide the necessities such as food and water. And while Avery and her friends were very grateful for the donations they identified some needs that were not being fulfilled. She noticed that her fellow students were mourning their favorite clothing, personal items, beauty, and hair care products. This is what inspired Avery to create Altadena Girls. The charity’s mission focuses on donating items that are not considered necessities to teens that can help them feel like themselves again. These items include clothing, shoes, makeup, skincare and more. Altadena Girls is not just a warehouse full of boxes, it is more similar to a boutique. The charity offers racks of organized new clothing and personal styling sessions, which helps the victims feel some sense of normalcy in their lives. 13-year-old Mila lost her home in the fires and was able to escape with only the pajamas she was wearing. Her aunt, Christina Soltero, brought Mila to Altadena Girls to shop around following the loss of her belongings. The shopping spree was emotional, and Mila was overjoyed to fill two IKEA bags with new clothing, makeup, skincare, and even a matching pink Stanley to the one she lost in the fire.
Social Media has been paramount for the success of this charity. Altadena Girls Instagram made their first post on January 10th, and now they have over 50,000 followers supporting their cause. Their bright pink posts have become synonymous with the effort to restore normalcy to teens affected by the wildfires. Her passion for the cause has inspired other students, celebrities, and even large brands to come out and donate or support the fire relief efforts. Chali XCX shouted out the organization on social media, calling them “the coolest.” Ariana Grande donated boxes of makeup from her company, REM Beauty. Even the royals Harry and Megan Markle donated to Altadena Girls.
The need for charity has grown so much that they are moving to a permanent location in downtown Pasadena. The charity will continue to serve as a support center for local teens struggling with the aftermath of the fires. This includes donations, mental health services, and homework/study spaces for students. What started as a small Instagram post by Avery to help her friends turned into one of the largest charities supporting the relief efforts of the Los Angeles fires. It truly is a story of how a community, young and old, can come together to support each other in times of need.
Mia Mickelsen 
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