Local Student and Family Lose Everything in Fire; School Appeals to Public to Help Family

 

A student at Learning Works Charter School and his family are picking up the pieces after a fire destroyed their home in Pasadena last week.

The juvenile studemt, Leonard, lives with his mother and older sister, who is confined a wheelchair and mentally disabled. The fire, which is believed to have started at a battery charger plugged into an electrical outlet, destroyed the family’s rented home, where they had lived for the past 13 years.

Dr. Mikala Rahn, president of the educational nonprofit Public Works, Inc. and former member of the Pasadena Unified Board of Education, is reaching out to the community in hopes of helping this family to recover from the unexpected disaster.

While the family is in need of everyday necessities – socks, clothes, blankets, etc.,- the big concern is to find Section 8 housing.

“The biggest problem right now is that I can’t find Section 8 housing. If I can secure housing, then I can be more specific in our needs,” Rahn said. “When they walked out of there, it was just with the clothes on their backs.”

Until Section 8 housing can be secured, the family is living in a motel and this is hardly an ideal situation, Rahn said. Leonard is just eight credits shy of graduation, and is attending school every day, trying to stay focused.

“The less energy he uses stressing over where his next pair of socks or shirt is coming from, the more he’ll be able to focus on graduating,” she said.

Leonard’s sister attends the day program at Villa Parke each day and loves to complete puzzles; Rahn said that the young woman completes jigsaw puzzles, which the family saves, and these were among the items lost in the fire.

The fire is believed to have started in Leonard’s bedroom, where a charger for his battery-operated car collection was plugged in, and a vehicle charging. The battery charger shorted, and the house went up in flames in just a few minutes, Rahn told Pasadena Now.

“We don’t know why this happened, but I think something good is going to come of it,” Rahn said. “His mom’s been just lovely with him, but this is a very very heavy situation.”

Public Works Inc. is accepting donations to help the young man and his family get back on their feet. Donations can be made through the organization’s Paypal account or to Learning Works with designation to go to Leonard and his family. For more, click here.