Members of the Caltech community who are keen on volunteering to assist with recovery efforts from the Eaton fire can effortlessly connect with opportunities via the Caltech Y.

Registration tables for Make a Difference Day will be stationed adjacent to the Bechtel Residence and Avery House, as well as near the South Houses during the lunch hour on April 4. Make a Difference Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 12.

Offering numerous chances to engage and collaborate, this yearly day of service honors civic involvement, a core tenet of the student-led Caltech Y. All members of the Caltech community are encouraged to enroll in student-led service initiatives, which range from 3.5 to six hours in duration. Transportation and site selection will be prioritized for student participants.

This year, student volunteers are spearheading three projects for Make a Difference Day that will benefit organizations playing critical roles in recovery: Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Friends InDeed, and the Boys & Girls Club.

The Caltech Y additionally promotes opportunities for individuals who wish to volunteer outside of Make a Difference Day:

• Coordinate and distribute vital supplies at the Carrows distribution center in South Pasadena with Day One (register here).
• Deliver household items in Hastings Ranch with Reach Out Worldwide (register here).
• Contribute to a fire-relief fund designed to assist long-term planning, transportation, and supplies for volunteer initiatives led by students (further details will be provided on the Caltech Y’s fire relief webpage) and other volunteering avenues with local partner organizations.

The Caltech Y collaborates with the Eaton Fire Collaborative, a coalition of over 90 local organizations, including community groups, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. Through this collaborative effort, these partners synchronize their actions and enhance communication to ensure that assistance and vital information reach those in need following the January 2025 fire.

Caltech Y senior project manager Maya Rosental Saporito anticipates that Caltech students and other community members will have even greater opportunities to assist once the fire-impacted areas are deemed safe for rebuilding and replanting projects facilitated by collaborative partners.

For more than a month prior to the collaborative’s announcement on March 6, Rosental Saporito took part in its initial meetings, focusing on immediate and long-term recovery strategies.

Upon its launch day, the collaborative expressed its commitment to safeguarding the vibrancy and resilience of Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, positioning itself as an organizing body that prioritizes the voices and needs of those affected by the Eaton fire. In addition to planning recovery efforts, the collaborative has established a centralized calendar, a hub for sharing and discovering volunteer opportunities, as well as a repository for forms and recovery information.

Through the leadership displayed by the Caltech Y in service and its involvement in the collaborative, members of the Caltech community and their neighbors, family, and friends, deeply impacted by the LA Fires, now possess a renewed pathway for aiding one another in recovery and rebuilding efforts.