The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a “green tip” to our readers in each newspaper. This edition’s tip was written by Sara G. Marti, Resilient Palisades board member and communications director.
This Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, our community is gathering around tables forever changed.
And yet, look at what we have done together.
Neighbors showed up. Volunteers became leaders. Grief became fuel. We learned how to take care of each other and how to take care of the land that holds us.
Today’s Green Tip is simple, but profound: Honor this year by choosing one regenerative act.
Plant something native because the land we love is still healing. Every plant you add is a promise to those waiting to return.
Support a neighbor who is still finding their way because community grows through consistent, quiet acts of kindness.
Swap a gas appliance for electric because safer homes and cleaner air are not abstract ideals. They are choices we make one device, one circuit, one family at a time.
Leave a little less waste behind because everything we discard eventually touches the soil, water and future our children will depend on.
Restore one small corner of the world you touch because restoration always begins at the scale of a single backyard, a single habit, a single moment of care.
These gestures matter. They are how we begin healing the place we love and the place that has shaped us.
To everyone who kept showing up in ways seen and unseen, thank you.
Sun sets over the marina jetty in Marina del Rey, CA as boats enter the harbor
The Palisadian-Post presents an homage to Will Rogers’ column, “Will Rogers Says,” with a column by Palisadian Jimmy Dunne—on life in the “greatest town in America.
All ’Long the Way A story of gratitude
The happiest of Thankgivings to you and those who touch your life …
I drift in a harbor in a boat built for one,
The water is still, the day almost done
The noise of the world has faded from me,
Just quiet and sky—and a soft, breathing sea
In the smallest of boats, I float and I sway,
Wrapped in a hush at the end of the day
It feels, for a moment, like I got me here,
Like every good thing is my doing, my steer
But when you trace back—your life in soft light,
You see you were carried through so many nights
By arms that first cradled you close, skin to skin,
A mother’s low humming that rocked you within
By siblings you sparred with, then found at your side,
Believing in you, with unconditional pride
By teachers and mentors, and the dearest of friends,
You’re stitched out of pieces of all that they’ve been
From all who have loved you and played their small part,
You carry their fingerprints, etched in your heart
You thought you were drifting alone in that bay …
Then you start to remember …
All ’long the way
————–
Joy changes its face as the calendar turns,
Its colors grow softer—a deep gladness burns
As a child, it’s a moment—a toy, a new day,
To young parents, it’s simply, “We got through today”
But later, joy deepens in quieter things,
In knowing you showed up when showing up stings
It’s seeing yourself in the light of your kids,
In stories your pals tell of kind things you did
In grandkids who laugh at your old, borrowed jokes,
In towns where you planted a few sturdy oaks
It’s leafing through scrapbooks of chapters gone by,
Those rich, messy seasons when dreams learned to fly
The moves and the losses, the worries, the wins,
The good fights you fought, new doors you walked in
You see that your mark isn’t set into things—
Not houses or titles or bright, shining rings
Your mark lives in people whose paths crossed your own,
In hearts where a small seed of kindness was sown
When your most precious gift was that you were just there, And said with your eyes just how deeply you cared
So here in your harbor, at close of the day,
You whisper a thank you for all of the ways
Life gave you the chance to love and to stay,
To be shaped and to shape …
All ’long the way
Jimmy Dunne is a modern-day Renaissance Man; a hit songwriter (28 million hit records), screenwriter/producer of hit television series, award-winning author, an entrepreneur—and a Palisadian “Citizen of the Year.” You can reach him at j@jimmydunne.com or jimmydunne.substack.com.
Kathleen Katims Photos courtesy of Saved By A Story
Palisades-Founded Saved By A Story Hosts Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop, Fundraising Storytelling Salon
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Palisadian Kathleen Katims has been “empowering voices, building community” and “changing lives—one story at a time” for over 10 years. Now, following the January fires, she has built a space for wildfire survivors from Pacific Palisades and Altadena to come together to share their stories.
Founded a decade ago, Saved By A Story hosts “free community writing workshops for under-resourced and under-served populations” to “empower voices and build connection.” More than 500 storytellers have participated in programming to date.
“I really wanted to bring community together,” Katims, who has lived in the Palisades for 30 years, said of the launch of her efforts a decade ago. “I love writing and storytelling and music.”
Katims was in graduate school when she had a project that needed to connect writing and social justice, she explained. She said she thought of a project to bring people together around writing that could also be a healing experience.
“The first workshop I did was with foster youth,” Katims said. “I read an article about how for some foster youth, one of the most painful aspects is that you don’t have anybody to hold your story.”
Saved By A Story was officially launched when Katims began to bring these workshops to additional populations, running free workshops for women and teens in recovery, former foster youth, neurodiverse teenagers, parents raising neurodiverse kids, teachers, and seniors.
Beginning in November 2023, Katims started hosting Senior Writing Workshops, which took place at Palisades Branch Library. About 60 people have participated in the drop-in workshop, which now meets at Westwood Branch Library.
A meeting of the Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop
Saved By A Story also partners with other nonprofits to facilitate writing groups.
“It’s emboldening voices that we don’t usually hear from to get people to tell their story and get their story to the page,” Katims said. “In that process of sharing, there’s a lot of community that comes together. People become friends.”
Some of the prompts Katims has used include writing about something the person has worn that has been powerful or a love/hate relationship.
Then, in 2025, following the Palisades and Eaton fires, Katims was inspired to launch a new group.
“After losing my Pacific Palisades home in the 2025 wildfires, I created an ongoing group for other survivors to process and heal,” Katims said. “I lost more than my home in the wildfire. For me, the diaspora of community was a profound grief. I also was so overwhelmed with all the things that needed to be done that I wanted to create a space apart from the doing. I wanted to come together in community and give voice to all the things we lost and all that we were finding.”
Katims, who lost her home on the Swarthmore Bluffs, launched the Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop in April, which originally met at the Peter Fetterman Gallery and now meets monthly at Wende Museum. She said it “helped knit our community together,” adding it gives “voice to our pain and our hope.”
“I’ve gotten to know neighbors in this extraordinary way that I never knew … what we share in the group stays in the group,” Katims said, “but it has really created connection for me and I think many people feel more connected to their neighbors … it’s a way to come together with people who have a shared, traumatic experience.”
She said the workshop offers participants a chance to set “aside the doing” of post-fire life, like fighting with insurance companies, and “getting to process what happened” through writing. Some people have written from the perspective of their house to tell the story or about their neighbors.
Pictured, from left: Tom Freund, mehro and Priscilla Ahn perform.
“Participants who have been impacted by the fires come together to write about the history of the cherished places we have been, what we have lost (and found), and how we will chart a way forward,” read a description of the workshop. “We will write to timed prompts to spark creativity, share and savor stories, and connect with friends and neighbors. Come together and write, choose to share (or not, you decide), listen and write some more.”
Writing workshop participants said they have found them “transformative,” Katims said, with “professional writers and budding voices” invited to “explore and experiment” while “writing to prompts,” which have included a “goodbye you feel like you need to say.”
“There’s a lot of understanding,” Katims said of the workshop. “I will say too, remarkably, there’s also a lot of laughter … there are tears, there is laughter, there is kind dreaming into the future, there is remembering.”
To sustain the Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop, as well as other work, Katims hosted Saved By A Story’s annual fundraising event—a storytelling salon—on Saturday, November 1, in Venice. To date, the salons have raised more than $190,000 to help “under-resourced and under-represented people tell their story.”
“I had really wanted to bring together community after such a wrenching year,” Katims said of the event. “I also really wanted to both tell the story of the wildfire, but I also wanted to uplift people. It was, I think, the hardest show I’ve had to curate, to try to find that balance.”
While putting the show together, Katims said she was thinking about resilience and “how are we going to go forward,” but also to “face what we lost” and “the trauma of it as well.”
“The show raised $38,000 to further our mission to offer free community writing workshops for people going through difficult transitions and for under-resourced, under-represented people,” Katims said.
The salon, attended by 175 people, featured storytellers from the Palisades, Altadena and greater Los Angeles area, who shared stories and songs on the theme of “Still Here,” which Katims said “honors the resilient Palisades and Altadena communities.”
Wildfire survivor writers and performers at the fundraising salon
“We were curating the evening both trying to tell the story of the fire and trying to uplift people,” Katims described. “Some stories were about coming through the fire and others were about resilience in the face of other difficult circumstances: a difficult divorce, a falling out with a parent after coming out. The music by three singer/songwriters also dealt with the theme of resilience and finding your power.”
Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop participants who performed were Shermaine Barlaan (from Altadena) and Tamara Rawitt, Jason Katims and Karen Leigh Hopkins from the Palisades.
Additional writers and storytellers who participated were Megan Chan Meinero, Chris Douridas, David Israel, Jessica Goldberg and Al Madrigal. Musicians included Priscilla Ahn, mehro and Tom Freund, curated by Liza Richardson. They closed the evening with a performance of “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan.
Israel spoke on an 11,000-mile trip across the country he took with his wife after the fire, while Douridas shared on “the day of the fire and what he did in response,” Katims described. Both writers lost their homes in the fire.
Katims’ husband, Jason, told a story from the perspective of his first plays and a short story he had written when he was younger that had not been digitized and were lost in the fire.
Kathleen and Jason Katims
“Many people wrote and reflected that they were so moved and inspired by the show,” Katims said. “They were happy to be in community again, and also to get to laugh and cry about all that has happened.”
The Storytelling Salons date back to 2016, Katims said. Past performers have included Sara Bareilles, Cindy Chupack, Natasha Rothwell, K’naan, Winnie Holzman and Daveed Diggs.
Katims invited interested community members to join the Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop, which will next meet on Saturday, December 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Glorya Kaufman Community Center in the Wende Museum in Culver City, 10808 Culver Boulevard.
With residents displaced, people attend from as far away as Carpinteria and Ventura: “There’s people coming from everywhere,” Katims said.
“It’s an opportunity to connect with neighbors and process what’s happened and listen to what you’re hoping to find afterward,” Katims continued. “We laugh, we cry, we connect.”
For more information or to sign up for a future workshop, visit savedbyastory.com.
Bach Collegium San Diego Photo by Gary Payne Photography
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
St. Matthew’s Music Guild will continue its season of concerts with Bach Collegium San Diego and an “all-star cast” in a complete performance of the “immortal holiday classic”: George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.”
The performance will take place on Friday, December 5, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Augustine by-the-Sea Church, which is located at 1227 Fourth Street in Santa Monica.
“Handel’s great oratorio ‘Messiah’ springs to life by way of the fruitful collaboration of Charles Jennens’ carefully conceived libretto and Handel’s supreme skill as a composer for the theatre,” read a statement about the concert. “BCSD’s performance of ‘Messiah,’ delivered by a dynamic cast brought together from throughout the U.S., in the manner of Handel’s dramatic operas, has become one of its crown jewels.”
Bach Collegium San Diego was founded in 2003 and has become one of the nation’s “premier early music ensembles,” which is recognized for its “vibrant and historically informed performances.”
“Now in its 23rd season, BCSD has earned acclaim for its expressive artistry and innovative programming,” the statement read. “The ensemble made its European debut at the Paulinum during Bachfest Leipzig 2024, with additional performances at historic Bach sites throughout Thuringia, Germany. BCSD is a new Resident Company at the La Jolla Music Society.”
The Music Guild performance will include 30 early music instrumentalists, as well as 20 singers and five vocal soloists. There will be three performances in Southern California, including in LA and San Diego.
“St. Augustine by-the-Sea, with its lively acoustic, provides a resonant and welcoming space for the audience,” according to Music Guild.
“St. Matthew’s Music Guild presents ‘World-Class Music close to Home’ in Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica,” read a statement from Music Guild. “Now in its 41st season (2025-26), the Guild is anchored by the critically acclaimed Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s, led by Music Director Dwayne S. Milburn, and presents distinguished guest soloists and ensembles. Each season offers seven thoughtfully curated programs, complemented by the Guild’s Choral Initiative, new-music commissions and community concerts at local service organizations.”
Typically, Music Guild concerts take place at St. Matthew’s Church on Bienveneda Avenue in the Palisades. The program is anticipating its return to its home performance space in the near future.
Tickets for the December 5 concert are $45 for general admission or $10 for students at the door with ID.
Exterior of the Pali High campus at the former Sears space Photo courtesy of LABC
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Several Palisades community organizations that are “guiding wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts” and Palisades Charter High School received Los Angeles Business Council awards, which were announced on Friday, November 21.
Pali High was honored in the Adaptive Reuse category of LABC’s 55th Architectural Awards for its “rapid conversion of the vacant Sears building in Santa Monica after the Palisades fire.”
“It took just four weeks to turn the space into a 100-000-square-foot temporary campus, featuring classrooms, offices and labs,” read a statement, “demonstrating how adaptive reuse can deliver safe, functional learning spaces under urgent conditions.”
Gensler served as the architect of the project, with CW Driver as the general contractor.
“The LABC Architectural Awards recognize innovative projects that exemplify excellence in architecture, design and community building throughout the LA region,” read a statement. “Winners were selected by a jury panel of industry experts, including architects, construction firms, owners and developers from a pool of hundreds of submissions.”
The Pali High campus, which was damaged in the fire, remains closed, with plans to reopen in January 2026 in temporary buildings while permanent rebuilding is underway. Students have been at Pali South, the Sears building, since April 2025.
“This is an important first step for our Palisades Charter High community, and gives us the necessary space for all of our students and faculty to come back together for in-person learning, support and connection,” Executive Director and Principal Dr. Pam Magee said at the time. “We are grateful to secure a space that can accommodate our 2,400 Pali students along with our faculty and staff.”
Palisades organizations that were part of 19 groups that received Community Impact Awards were Palisades Recovery Coalition, Team Palisades, Pacific Palisades Community Council and Resilient Palisades.
“Recognizing that the greatest local architecture and planning challenge is recovering from the Eaton and Palisades fires, the LABC jury made an unprecedented decision to recognize 19 local organizations with the Community Impact Award,” read the statement. “These grassroots groups and charitable organizations are taking the lead in helping rebuild communities, lives, homes, schools and businesses devastated by the January fires.”
The award was accepted by LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, Councilmember Traci Park and California Community Foundation CEO Miguel Santana.
“It has been inspiring to work alongside so many committed Angelenos who are proving that no matter how difficult this recovery may be, it will be community-led and government supported and achieved through broad collaboration,” Park said.
Additional groups that were honored include Steadfast LA, California Community Foundation, Altagether, Clergy Community Coalition, Eaton Fire Collaborative Leadership Council, Eaton Fire Survivors Network, PostFire, UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, LA Unified School District, Department of Angels, Altadena Rising, Community Women Vital Voices, Eaton Fire Residents United, Project Passion, and Legacy Land Project.
This year’s Architectural Award Grand Prize went to Los Angeles County Museum of Art for its David Geffen Galleries, with the Chairman’s Award going to LAX/Metro Transit Center and Intuit Dome.
“Keynote speaker Andy Cohen, global co-chair and former co-CEO of Gensler, was honored with the Legacy Award,” the statement read. “Over his remarkable 45-year career, Cohen has led award-winning projects that have reshaped skylines and strengthened communities from Los Angeles to Shanghai.”
More than 500 architects, designers, building owners, developers, and city and state officials attended the awards ceremony on November 21 at Beverly Wilshire.
Palisadian Renee Miller, founder of The Miller Group, was among more than 2,000 small business owners who traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices Summit: a “national advocacy effort that convened entrepreneurs from every state to advocate for policies that provide stability and certainty, increased access to affordable capital, and bipartisan solutions that support small-business growth.”
“At the largest-ever gathering of small business owners, we’ll be urging lawmakers to work together on policies that give California entrepreneurs the certainty to plan, hire and grow.” Miller said.
The two-day summit included over 200 California participants who met “directly with members of Congress to discuss rising costs, workforce shortages and uncertainty over future policy.”
Photos courtesy of Renee Miller
Habits of Waste and Crayon Collection—two nonprofits founded by Highlands resident Sheila Morovati—hosted a Community Dinner on November 6 in partnership with Foodshop, which honored Build Back Pali and Pali Moms for Recovery.
Build Back Pali Co-Founders Mason Cohen, Dylan Fullmer and Jake Yoon, all high school students, were honored with the Youth Hero Award. Founded after the Palisades fire, Build Back Pali is “committed to restoring our community by supporting the rebuilding of local businesses for a stronger future.”
Pali Moms for Recovery (Rachelle Barrack, Catherine Bowen, Natasha Croxall, Carrie Dalton, Krystyna Houser and Allison Wise) were presented the Hero Award for being “instrumental in healing and rebuilding our community,” putting in “countless hours and effort,” Morovati wrote: “Now it’s time to come together to honor and shine light on their incredible work.”
The evening included a meal prepared by “renowned chefs” Zach Bruell and Hyejin Cho, served on communal tables at Foodshop in Venice.
“Our honorees moved so many of us to tears,” Morovati said. “In moments of crisis and tragedy, they showed what courage, compassion and unity can do by transforming hardship into hope.”
Photos by Jennifer Fujikawa
Photos courtesy of City of Santa Monica
The city of Santa Monica and U.S. Army hosted a Veterans Day ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, at the Santa Monica Pier, which included a presentation of awards to Palisades fire recovery heroes: American Legion Ronald Reagan – Palisades Post 283, Coulson Aviation, United States Army Corps of Engineers and California National Guard.
The event, now in its sixth year, featured a helicopter flyover, as well as remarks from senior military leaders and local elected officials. The keynote speaker was General Bryan P. Fenton, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Palisades-founded nonprofit Know The Glow—which operates with a mission to “eliminate preventable childhood blindness” through raising awareness of leukocoria (“an abnormal reflection from the retina of the eye” seen in photographs)—hosted a fundraising Sip and Shop event in October at Jenni Kayne Brentwood. Know The Glow was founded by Palisadian Megan Webber.
Photos courtesy of Caitlin Villante
“Thanks to Jenni Kayne’s tremendous generosity, the night was a success and a warm gathering of the Palisades community and friends who support Know The Glow,” Partnership Liaison for Know The Glow Caitlin Villante wrote. “As we approach the holiday season and many parents are taking photos, it’s a great reminder to look at your family photos, know how to look for the glow and start early with periodic eye checks with a specialist.”
The glow can indicate more than 20 different eye diseases and conditions, according to Know The Glow, including Coats’ disease, congenital cataract and retinoblastoma.
Lifelong Palisadian Phil Pecsok Details His Experience Fighting Flames on January 7
By CAMILLE CORNELL | Intern
Lifelong Palisadian Phil Pecsok did not hesitate to swiftly react when flames surged over the ridge and onto the upper part of Bienvenida, where his home is located.
On January 7, Pecsok worked across his property and his neighbors’—pulling multiple hoses onto roofs, clearing burning brush and putting out embers to protect homes that were in imminent danger.
“I go up on my roof,” Pecsok said. “I then go to my neighbors’, and for five hours, until 6 p.m., I’m just going to the neighbors’, the roof and backyard.”
Pecsok recalled the details of the day, that he concentrated on fences, any wooden surfaces and a backyard gazebo, which would have been most likely ignited the fastest and spread the fire.
Pecsok with family
He rotated without breaking from house to house to keep hot spots from reigniting. At one point, three water-dropping planes passed over his street, he described, without providing aid to suppress the flames.
Pecsok said he was the only source of defense for several homes. As conditions worsened and water pressure started decreasing, after hours of efforts to prevent the flames from overcoming his neighborhood, he made the difficult decision to evacuate.
Through heavy smoke, exhaustion and maneuvering fallen trees and debris, Pecsok was able to reach safety. In the following days upon his return to the Palisades, Pecsok discovered he had ultimately been successful in defending his home from the fires and in keeping the fire from spreading to other structures nearby.
As a deep-rooted Palisadian, Pecsok has a long history of being a resident in the town he loves and identifies so closely with. Since 1970, he has been an active member of the community, starting with attending Marquez Elementary Charter and Paul Revere Charter Middle schools.
He said his lifelong involvement in local sports shaped his belief in community, service for others and leadership roles he still carries with him today. As a teenager, he became head of the umpire program at the park, worked at Palisades Recreation Center and volunteered, coaching younger athletes in AYSO soccer, baseball, football and girls volleyball—roles he continued well into adulthood.
Pecsok later helped support improvements to a variety of recreational facilities throughout the Palisades, including Revere’s fields and Calvary Christian School, in the Highlands and at Palisades-Malibu YMCA.
Pecsok fights flames.
Professionally, Pecsok is the founder of Anacapa Advisors, an equity/hedge fund investment firm headquartered in the Palisades. Just four days before the fire, Anacapa opened a newly built office at 881 Alma Real Drive. The space was destroyed, but the firm continued operating without interruptions while supporting its staff and clients through the transition.
With over 25 years of experience and a background on the Pacific Stock Exchange, he has developed an approach that combines data and disciplined risk management to inform investment decisions. Anacapa’s strategies have garnered national industry recognition from hedge fund and quantitative finance industry groups. The firm emphasizes an investor-friendly approach when working with its clients.
Pecsok called the loss of the office “material,” but said the safety of residents and the future of the Palisades are his main focus.
“Recovery remains ongoing for many families across the Pacific Palisades,” Pecsok said, adding that due to his experience, it has reinforced his appreciation for the community he has always called home.
“This is where I grew up,” he said. “The Palisades has always stepped up for each other. We’ll rebuild the right way.”
Justin and Haley with Rick Steil at Pali High's temporary campus in Santa Monica Photos courtesy of Palisades Forever
Palisades Forever Gives $12,000 to Replace Palisades Charter High School Yearbooks
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Justin Howard with Will and Haley’s dad, Bill, at a Palisades Forever booth during the earlier Beachside Benefit.
Yearbooks have long been a resource that students use to remember their school days. No one knows that better than the Palisades Forever team—all of whom were born and raised in Pacific Palisades and each of whom graduated from Palisades Charter High School.
Created by four childhood friends in the aftermath of the Palisades fire in January that inflicted so much damage to their community, Palisades Forever’s mission is to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Palisades and revitalize community spaces, schools, businesses, parks and landmarks that make the Palisades a special place to live.
The foursome consists of 2017 Pali High alums Will and Haley Holbrow and Spencer Howard and 2019 alum Justin Howard, Spencer’s younger brother. The nonprofit has collaborated with numerous entities in the last 10 months to provide financial assistance and hands-on aid, with 100% of the proceeds going back to the community.
Its latest project is near and dear to each of the founders’ hearts: They are donating $12,000 to their alma mater to replace yearbooks students lost in the fire. In collaboration with longtime Pali High faculty member Rick Steil, the team is excited to be part of the process to bring cherished memories back to so many of their fellow graduates.
“We’re excited to support a small but incredibly meaningful step in our community’s recovery with a $12,000 gift to Pali High,” Justin Howard said. “After learning about the commitment that longtime photography teacher and yearbook advisor Rick Steil made to replacing more than six decades of yearbooks lost in the wildfire, we felt compelled to help.”
Steil, who has been the charter school’s photography teacher for 18 years, 13 of which he also spent as the yearbook advisor, is aware of the vitally important role yearbooks play in preserving any institution’s historical record and its passing on to future generations.
“I know firsthand how meaningful these yearbooks are in keeping our school’s history alive,” Steil said. “After the Palisades fire that became even clearer—my own collection of yearbooks was lost, as were those of my two sons. With [school librarian] Andrea King’s help, we worked hard to make sure these memories weren’t gone forever. Thanks to the support we’ve received, anyone who lost their yearbook will now have the chance to have it reprinted and delivered, no matter where life has taken them. For me, this isn’t just about the books, it’s about giving our community back a piece of its story.”
In the weeks after January 7, Steil salvaged a collection of yearbooks from campus and, assisted by production partners, has been digitizing each page of every book one by one.
“Our donation covers the cost of digitization and production, allowing alumni to easily purchase replacement yearbooks,” Spencer Howard said. “This project not only gives countless alumni renewed access to cherished memories but it provides Pali High with a lasting archive of images for reunions and school celebrations.”
Haley Holbrow, a 2021 graduate of Northeastern University who now serves as a business development associate, shared her thoughts on the donation.
“As a team of Pali High alums we all know the Pali High yearbook is more than photos, it’s also a time capsule of friendships, milestones and what makes Pali, Pali,” Haley Holbrow said. “In keeping with our mission to preserve and revitalize the town that we call home, we’re proud to help bring back this piece of Pali High history for students, alumni and the wider community.”
Palisades Forever previously partnered with Steve Morris’ Summer of Fun Camp, hosting a movie fundraiser event in February at AMC 7. Alongside CAL FIRE and Pasadena Humane Society, Palisades Forever went to Perry’s Beach Cafe in March for an afternoon at the ocean featuring a volleyball clinic by 2024 Olympian and Palisades resident Miles Partain. The event supported fire victims and recovery efforts. In April, the group joined in the celebration of the reopening of Palisades Garden Cafe.
To make a donation or for more information about how to contribute, visit palisadesforever.com.
Falcons Patrol helps with fire relief efforts. Photos courtesy of Phineas Hsiao
Alanna Morera Owls Patrol
The Owls Patrol completed a heartfelt community service project at Westside Food Bank for its Good Turn Trip, spending the day on November 9 assembling Thanksgiving food boxes for families experiencing food insecurity in Los Angeles. The experience showed us that even small hands can make a big difference, and that kindness is strongest when it comes from the heart.
When we arrived, Shaun Dyer, Community Engagement Manager, welcomed us into their warehouse and explained how donations are sorted, inspected and carefully packed before they reach the families who need them most. We learned that Thanksgiving is one of the most important times of the year for the food bank, because families deserve to feel supported, cared for and celebrated during the holidays.
Before anything else, we sat down together to create handwritten cards for the families who would receive the Thanksgiving boxes. The cards were filled with love—drawings of hearts, smiling turkeys, pumpkins, fall leaves and messages like “You matter,” “Happy Thanksgiving” and “We hope this makes you smile!” Each card was unique, colorful and personal, because we wanted every family to know that someone was thinking about them.
Once the cards were finished, we started packing the Thanksgiving boxes assembly line-style, like a moving conveyor belt of kindness. Each scout had an important job. Avery packed the Jiffy mix. Juniper packed the cornbread mix. Sophie packed the canned cherries. Caroline packed the canned pumpkin. Grace packed the canned green beans. Olive packed the turkey gravy.
After each box was filled, other volunteers gently placed our handwritten cards on top—so when families opened their boxes, the first thing they would see would be love, art and care.
While the boxes moved down the line, I jumped in wherever help was needed, keeping things organized and making sure every box was complete. When we finished each batch, I broke down the cardboard and recycled it, helping keep the space clean and moving smoothly.
As we worked, we started imagining the moment these families would open their boxes—seeing ingredients for their meal, then pulling out a handmade card and smiling at the drawings. Maybe the turkey doodle would make a little kid laugh, or a heart drawing would make a parent feel seen. We realized we weren’t just packing food—we were delivering hope, comfort and a reminder that someone cares.
We want to send a huge thank you to the adults who supported us. Thank you to my mom, Carolina, for bringing donuts and fresh fruit as a reward for all our hard work. And an extra special thank you to Kate, Sophie’s mom, for staying by our side all day, guiding us, encouraging us and supporting the Owls Patrol with such kindness and leadership.
By the end of the day, we helped pack more than 150 Thanksgiving boxes, each one holding more than just food—each holding warmth, support and love from our patrol. As we walked out, we realized something important: Service doesn’t just change the community. It changes us, too.
The Owls Patrol will continue to serve, lead and help others with open hearts. Because kindness isn’t just something we do—it’s who we are.
Phineas Hsiao Falcons Patrol
My name is Phineas Hsiao, and I am a scout in Troop 223, based in Pacific Palisades. I am the patrol leader of the Falcons Patrol out of eight patrols in the troop.
I recently planned a Good Turn Trip for my patrol, in which we help out in the community. For our Good Turn Trip, we helped the American Legion Post 283 with fire relief efforts at their distribution center.
Falcons Patrol scouts
The trip was on Saturday, October 11. Rev. Dr. S T Williams Jr, American Legion Post 283 chaplain, is in charge of the distribution center, and assigned us four rooms to organize and clean, making it easier to find things. The rooms had travel supplies, bags, baby supplies, furniture and household supplies.
I led the patrol, but everyone was very motivated to help out. We worked all morning and early afternoon. The patrol also really liked the mop, which could spin like a salad spinner helicopter to dry the mop.
The American Legion Post 283 Distribution Center is a place where families in need can get supplies, such as toiletries, bags, household goods, furniture, etc. They are also open to donations. It is located at 6221 Bristol Parkway in Culver City, and will remain open through the end of 2025.
Chaplain Williams was super nice and showed us how we were able to help. He also mentioned that he can use a lot more help at the distribution center, as it’s still very active and people are coming there all the time.
I am a 13-year-old at Paul Revere Charter Middle School. In Troop 223, I was elected the patrol leader of the Falcons, and I learned many valuable leadership skills with the amazing leadership program the troop has. These skills include managing a budget with spending money on patrol expenses, organization, planning trips and campouts, sending out many emails to adults, and leading a group of eight boys.
For more information about the distribution center, visit alpost283.com/news/2025/9/10/post-283-distribution-center-grand-opening.
Owls Patrol at Westside Food Bank Photos courtesy of Alanna Morera
Alanna Morera Owls Patrol
On November 18, the Owls Patrol visited the Santa Monica Police Department for a special Career Trip centered on forensic science.
Officers Samuel Cobar and Jacqueline Aguilar welcomed us and led us on a guided tour of the building, showing us various parts of the station and explaining how the forensics team operates. We learned that forensic science plays a significant role in solving cases, and the officers explained how small pieces of evidence can lead to big discoveries.
The main focus of our visit was on fingerprinting and shoe print analysis. We learned how officers dust for fingerprints, how prints are lifted from different surfaces and how each person’s fingerprints have unique ridge patterns that can be used to identify them.
During the hands-on activity, we divided into three groups. One group was Sophie, Olive and Grace. The second group was Alaia, Avery and I; lastly, the third group was Juniper and Caroline.
Owls Patrol Career Trip at Santa Monica Police Department
We examined real fingerprint samples and practiced matching them by comparing whorls, loops and arches. We also looked at shoe prints and learned how the pattern on the bottom of a shoe can connect a person to a location.
The activities gave us a better understanding of how science is used as a tool to solve crimes. The visit was exciting because we weren’t just told about forensic science—we got to try it ourselves. We also saw police cars and equipment used during investigations.
Thank you, Juniper, for bringing cookies. They were amazing! The trip helped us understand how much science is involved in police work and how evidence helps uncover the truth. We are very grateful to Officers Cobar and Aguilar and to the Santa Monica Police Department for taking the time to teach us and show us what real forensic work looks like.
Parents of fifth- or sixth-graders who want to learn more or visit a 223 Troop meeting can contact Greg Frost at frostfamily@frostinvestigations.com (boys) or Scoutmaster
Larry Kirven at lkirven@gmail.com (girls).
