The Thomas Fires, the largest wildfire in California’s modern history, ignited late last year and blazed throughout Southern California for more than a month, leaving hundreds of homes and buildings in ash. Real estate professionals who lived near the affected areas have been quick to respond to families who are still struggling to rebuild.
The magazine for the Ventura County Coastal Association of REALTORS® recently featured several stories of real estate professionals who stepped in to help with community rebuilding after the wildfires. The aid ranged from clothing boutiques for victims to organizing benefit concerts to raise funds.
Armani Amezcua, a REALTOR® Associate and director of Real Estate Operations for VC Property Shoppe, prioritized firevictim awareness in the Canyon Mobile Home Park after the wildfires. Fourteen homes were destroyed in the community during the Thomas Fires. He posted video of the destruction on social media and helped gather donations for the farmworker families who lost their homes.
Ariel Palmieri, a Coldwell Banker Residential agent, helped to coordinate clothing drives for fire victims. She turned her home into a clothing boutique where victims could come and receive new or gently used clothes. She helped to organize donations through companies and her network. Just two days after the fires first broke out, Palmieri had already arranged for clothing donations for families in need. Her clothing exchange helped more than 50 families.
Kim Ledesma, an agent with Keller Williams, helped band together Ventura High School football team families to make T-shirts featuring the slogan “Ventura Strong.” They sold the shirts to raise $11,000, which was donated to local families who did not have insurance and whose homes had been destroyed.
Liz Selleck, a real estate professional and an accomplished performer, served as the musical director for a benefit concert created by the Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo to aid Ventura Unified School District families who lost homes in the wildfires. The event, held on Jan. 27, raised nearly $17,000 from ticket sales, a silent artwork auction, and an online funding campaign. Proceeds went to students at the school who had been affected by the fires.
After the fires broke out, Karen Campbell, an agent with Century 21 Troop, was quick to reach out to the Housing Authority and the Red Cross to serve as a partner in helping fire victims find rentals. She created a list of rentals that eventually became a public page on the MLS that let fire victims know what rentals were available. She also raised donations for wildfire victims.
“I’ve been selling real estate in Ventura County for 29 years, and I think REALTORS® should step up when we’re needed,” Campbell told Ventura County Coastal magazine. “I will continue to help as long as people keep calling. I don’t always know the path to help them, but I have a lot of people around me and together we can figure out a way.”
Read more about their stories in the latest issue of
Ventura County Coastal.
Source: “After a Disaster, Area REALTOR® Lend a Hand,” Ventura County Coastal (March 2018)
