LA Wildfires Community Rally
Liza Davis, our director of community engagement and strategy support, was at the Rally for Recovery and Restoration After LA Fires on Friday. Liza plays a pivotal role in advancing The Children’s Partnership’s mission to promote child health equity through community-driven advocacy and engagement.
Here’s the call to action and reflection Liza brought back to us:
At the rally I met Francisca Gunawardena, a longtime resident of Altadena, mother of two, wife and child care provider for the last 22 years. Only six months ago, Francisca and her family invested their life savings into buying their house in Altadena to make her dream a reality: running her own licensed child care center.
I joined community members, spiritual leaders and advocates at the First AME Church in Pasadena to demand policies and resources for a recovery that is both sustainable and just for the victims of LA’s wildfires.
Sadly, Francisca and her family lost everything in the Eaton Fire that hit Altadena.
The pain and hardship that Francisca and impacted families are going to face for the years ahead is enormous. Child care providers like Francisca are the glue that help hold families’ lives together. They care for California’s children, often in family home care settings, and play a critical role in our communities of color. The majority of child care providers in our state are women of color. Their full and abundant recovery is essential for our children’s wellbeing and long-term health.
Francisca told me the only help she has gotten is from friends and family who have housed her and a gift card she got today at the rally. She said to me that all she wants is enough help so that she can get back to work and rebuild. She deserves so much more.
Please help us help Francisca by donating to her family’s GoFundMe, and do what you can to support families who have been most impacted.
Francisca’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-francisca-after-eaton-fires
The Children’s Partnership supports a just, community-led wildfire recovery that prioritizes the health and well-being of children, the strength of families and the safety of communities.
Additional fire resources and links to support affected communities:
- Resources gathered by The Children’s Partnership
- Support the LA Unity & Solidarity Fund for Mutual Aid and Equitable Recovery
- LA Wildfire Resource Guide
Thank you so much to community leaders and partners who gathered us all together for today’s rally, including LA Voice, PICO California, Catalyst California and Community Coalition.
Our talented, diverse staff drive forward The Children’s Partnership’s work for child health equity. In 2025, we will be sharing directly from our staff, to give a deeper sense of the policy, research and community engagement that power our work.
