Tragedy struck in Los Angeles recently, as huge wildfires have overtaken forests near the cities. With a death toll of 24 and destroying as many as 12,000 structures, these wildfires have scorched more than 60 square miles. The strong winds in Southern California have not helped the situation, as these heavy winds have been fueling the flames and helping them spread. Officials said as many as 88,000 people have had to evacuate Los Angeles County in the past week and many more could be affected. It has been 254 days since L.A. received significant rainfall, which is detrimental to the raging fires. In these fires, important things like the music of the famed composer Arnold Schoenberg were destroyed in a fire, just like valuables from many other homes across the area.
There have been no fires near the Hollywood sign, contrary to popular belief fueled by an AI-generated photo that was released, depicting the infamous sign engulfed in flames. There are four named fires: the Hurst Fire, the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, and the Auto Fire.
At the Academy to help the wildfire victims, the proceeds of our bake sale will go to the California Wildfire Relief Fund through the Spanish Honors Society. Due to this being a Latino-based program, the money will go to Latinos affected by the wildfires. The company is called the Latino Community Foundation with a Just Recovery Partnership to help those in need.
Though inaugural events have inundated recent media coverage about the Californian wildfires, the fires continue to blaze and leave locals in dire need of relief. In a recent discussion in Señora Aviles’ Spanish 4 Honors class, the students discussed (using the Spanish language!) the effects of overconsumption, climate change, and the terrible scenes of the Los Angeles wildfires.
The Los Angeles area has the highest Hispanic population in the United States— almost 49% of LA County’s population. So, this past week, the Academy’s Spanish Honor Society raised funds for California wildfire relief through the Latino Community Foundation.
This foundation was chosen for its strong reputation and high ratings on independent charity reviewer sites. In response to the wildfires, the Latino Community Foundation, LCF, announced it would give $1 million in grants for the wildfire rapid response campaign. Per the LCF website, relief will be through “cash assistance and other support to day laborers, domestic workers, street vendors, small business owners, renters, homeowners” (Latino Community Foundation).
The Spanish Honor Society ran a two-day bake sale. The proceeds from this simple sale were substantial: well over two hundred dollars. The proceeds will certainly go to a good cause that the Spanish Honor Society and the Academy were proud to support. As Spanish Honor Society President Chengli Payton remarked, “It was rewarding to be even just a small part of a cause that you know is actively helping people.”
Thank you to everyone who donates to help those in need! We are praying for everyone in LA.
