Crossroads Community Rallies To Support Those Impacted By LA Wildfires

In the wake of the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires, the Crossroads community jumped into action. The Parent Association leadership team assembled care packages, including toiletries, snacks, clothing and gift cards, for community members who lost their homes. Elementary Schoolers created banners thanking firefighters for their bravery. The Upper School Student Council hosted a letter-writing campaign with community members filling out postcards featuring words of gratitude and encouragement for first responders. This ethos of community care inspired some students, including 11th grader Anna Rose Barker, to start their own service initiatives outside of School, too.

During her free time, Anna enjoys curating clothing for her store on Depop, an online fashion marketplace which allows users to buy and sell gently worn and vintage clothes. The site has become popular with many teenagers who are increasingly looking to make sustainable fashion choices by thrifting clothing and accessories as an alternative to fast-fashion. Anna decided to turn her passion for fashion into an opportunity to give back to teenagers impacted by the fires. When the wildfires first broke out, Anna put the clothes she was planning to sell to good use by creating an opportunity for teens impacted by the wildfires to “shop” her store for free. 

“What was important to me was that these were clothes teens would want, not just clothes to have clothes,” said Anna. “For the people that I'm friends with, clothes are an important part of self-expression. That's important, and I'm really glad that we could help others feel like they can express themselves and still feel cute even with all that’s happened.”

Anna reached out to several other sellers on the app, as well as friends who sell clothing at flea markets, and asked them to donate items to the cause. Once she received enough donations, Anna chose a date for the pop up, telling friends and advertising it on her social media pages. 

In order to make the event feel like a true pop-up shopping experience, Anna and her mom baked cakes and prepared tea for guests to enjoy while perusing the selection of clothing. They reached out to local businesses for support, including Susie Cakes bakery who donated cupcakes for the event. 

On Jan. 12, around 50 middle and high schoolers showed up to the Barker’s home, where the clothes had been organized and displayed with care. In the face of such devastating loss, Anna’s goal of providing teens a space to connect and find a sense of normalcy by “shopping” for clothes resonated. The teens were grateful for a sense of community and for the chance to find clothes that spoke to their personal style. Anna encourages other teens looking to make a difference to start by considering what brings them joy and thinking of how they can share that with others.

“I gave my friends some posters I was going to put up in my room, but I didn't need. I try to think of things that will make people happy,” said Anna. “Instead of giving them resources for things that are necessities, which parents are the ones dealing with, teenagers can give to other teenagers by helping them have some sort of joy and normalcy in their life.”