BHB x KSP: At a Loss for Words
Community Support Pours in for Koreatown Educator
By Urja Parekh and Lazar Johnson
Jeffrey Sapin was at his kids’ dance class when his wife called, urging him to look outside towards the rapidly approaching fire a few miles away. The blinding glow of the Eaton Fire, sparked just hours earlier in the hills above Altadena, was visible in the distance. By the time they reached home, the unforgiving winds, falling branches, and haze of smoke rendered their evacuation a frantic escape, with barely time to grab important documents and mementos. Days later, when the smoke cleared, Sapin and his family returned to find little more than ashes and debris.
“So we drove back into Altadena, [...] and things were actively burning. All of a sudden, it’s like, this house is gone, this house is gone [...] and eventually we get there, and see that our house is gone,” said Sapin, a longtime Altadena resident, and beloved local teacher at Larchmont Charter School in Lafayette Park.
Sapin grew up in Eagle Rock, California, and spent his childhood at Camp Summerkids, an outdoor summer camp in Altadena , which was damaged by the Eaton Fire. In 2019, he and his wife found a house in Altadena where they had two children and soon became involved in the community.
Sapin is one of thousands of residents who lost everything to the flames. Despite the devastation to Altadena’s residential neighborhoods, its aftermath revealed a community of resilience and support in the face of such overwhelming loss. As priorities shifted toward rebuilding in the days following the fire, swells of community support manifested in large GoFundMe campaigns, disseminated largely through social media.
“The Larchmont community has really been incredible. My brother-in-law set up a GoFundMe for us, and within 24-48 hours, our initial goal of $25,000 was definitely going to get met, and people were still contributing.” As Sapin looked through the list of contributors, he noticed his former and current students, parents of the Larchmont community, and neighbors. “I don’t have words to describe it. It’s been incredible.”
The GoFundMe campaign for Sapin’s family, as well as similar campaigns for other affected families and educators in the Altadena community, allowed contributors to donate quickly to those in need and proved an indispensable tool for disaster response. Within weeks of the fire, social media was flooded with GoFundMe campaigns, wildfire updates, donation center information, and volunteering opportunities. This outpouring of support was enabled by social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, whose rapid dissemination of campaign information made such platforms active facilitators of the recovery process. For many, this digital network provided a sense of tangibility and action in the face of such devastation, and those who might not have otherwise known how to help could donate or direct victims to available resources.
As Sapin and his family begin the long process of rebuilding, the support they’ve received stands as a reminder of the power of social media in fostering and uplifting community efforts.
If you’d like to contribute to this wonderful Koreatown educator, here is a link to the Sapin Family GoFundMe.
*This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Photo Credits: Lazar Johnson
This article is part of a hyperlocal journalism project between Boyle Heights Beat and the Koreatown Storytelling Program.