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Recovery Mode

PEER SUPPORT Avery Colvert, 14, prepares to give these clothes to teen wildfire victims. DUNJA DUMANSKI AT SMALL GREEN DOOR

The Eaton Fire is one of the wildfires causing destruction in Los Angeles County, in California. Avery Colvert, 14, created Altadena Girls, a recovery fund for teens affected by the fire. Avery never thought the fund would go viral. But less than 24 hours after its creation, it did just that.

Celebrities started posting about Altadena Girls on social media. The donations started coming in by the truckload. “Holy cow,” Avery told TIME in an email on January 11. “It’s bonkers here.”

Taking Action

Avery’s family home survived the Eaton Fire, but most of her friends lost everything. “There’s maybe a small handful of people I know whose houses are spared,” she says, during a FaceTime call.

Many of Avery’s friends had to evacuate in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their back: pajamas. “I envisioned my own bedroom, and I was thinking about how my clothes, makeup, and shoes—everything—is my identity and it’s my sense of self,” she says. “It’s the same thing for all of my friends.”

Avery knew her friends would be given necessities, such as food and water. She decided to collect and distribute items that would help girls “get their confidence back.”

On January 10, Avery and her stepdad designed a logo and started an Instagram account. The next day, Avery posted about the project. The page took off. Trucks loaded with donations arrived at the place where Avery and her family are staying until air quality improves. Volunteers showed up, ready to work. By the end of the day, several clothing brands had reached out to help.

“When I had this idea, I couldn’t even think about how big this would be,” Avery says. “While I’m grabbing donations, organizing items, my phone is just completely blowing up.”

“It all came in so fast,” says Avery’s stepdad, Matt Chait. “But once these girls start coming . . . it’s going to go really fast. So although we’re overwhelmed with donations right now, we will need more.”