by Megan Garcia
The echoes of applause and laughter filled the Robinson Recreational Center in Pasadena as Dodger pitchers Kyle Hurt and Gavin Stone mingled with a Zumba crowd. Their bashful gazes elicited more cheer from the group of senior citizens who danced alongside them.
Less than a month ago, that feeling of joy was distant. The Eaton Fire had decimated the places that provide life — grocery stores, pharmacies, schools and homes.
But Friday was a stark contrast to the difficulties caused by the wildfire. Laughter rang through the corridors and smiles didn’t fade while Pasadena senior citizens shared a meal with Dodger players.
The senior luncheon was the first stop for Dodger players Ben Casparius, Michael Conforto, Hunter Feduccia, Michael Grove, Hyeseong Kim, Landon Knack, Emmet Sheehan, Tanner Scott, Blake Snell, Alex Vesia, Hurt, Stone and Anthony Banda on the final day of the annual Dodgers Love LA Community Tour presented by Bank of America.
“People would talk about their losses and everything that was affected by the fires,” said Banda. “But I would always tell them, ‘The beauty about all this is that you’re here, you’re safe and sound, and you can keep moving forward and stay strong.’”
The final stop to wrap up of the weeklong community tour was a visit to firefighters and forest rangers at Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 2.
When the Eaton Fire broke out on Jan. 7, Camp 2 personnel were in the midst of fighting the Palisades Fire when they received the call to save their community in Altadena. They sprang into action yet again, creating barriers with axes and shovels to prevent the fire from spreading.
As these communities begin to rebuild, the Dodgers have provided support. They presented two $10,000 checks during their stops on Friday to assist in the fire recovery.
“We’ve tried to make it clear at every location we went to is that when it comes specifically to these recent wildfires that this is an ongoing community effort,” said Kristin McCowan, Dodgers vice president of government and community affairs. “This is just the beginning. They will see certain aspects of our community programming that will be modified to really focus on wildfire victims and those impacted as a result of the wildfires.”
The Dodgers pivoted their efforts for the Dodgers Love LA Community Tour to support communities affected by the recent wildfires. Dodger front office staff worked quickly to contact local organizations and schools to assess how the Dodgers could provide support.
On Monday, Dodger personnel — along with Knack — volunteered at the East Valley Animal Shelter to help clean the facility to give the shelter staff a break while they enjoyed a catered lunch. Tuesday involved Dodger broadcasters Luis Cruz and José Mota spending the morning with Dodger front office staff preparing packages at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank for victims of the wildfires.
The night capped off with Dodger Alumni Billy Ashley and Dennis Powell hosting a Worthy of Love birthday party at Dodger Stadium. Over 250 guests who were experiencing homelessness and displacement due to the fires had the chance to hit pause on reality and celebrate life for a moment.
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“Everyone was so excited and wanted to have fun and let loose,” McCowan said. “We heard from the kids, ‘Did you see all the food? Did you see the amazing cake? And it’s all for us.’ It’s remarkable that not everyone gets to experience things like that.”
Supporting children was a key focus for the Dodgers during the community tour. Chris and Mary Taylor helped give away Nuna strollers at the stadium while Tony Gonsolin and Cruz participated in a reading event at the El Nido Family Center in Pacoima on Wednesday.
Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman visited the Brentwood Science Magnet School on Thursday, which currently houses its students along with kids from the Palisades Elementary School that was decimated in the wildfires.
Later that same day, Shohei Ohtani, Sheehan and Casparius gathered at Fire Station 69 in Pacific Palisades to meet with firefighters who battled the Palisades Fire.
Communities start anew with the help of the Dodgers Love LA Community Tour was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.