Steps away from the foothills burned by the Eaton Fire three weeks prior, the city of Arcadia raised $100,000 during their Lunar New Year Festival on Feb. 2. Downtown Arcadia President Erik Whal says it was not just about welcoming the Year of the Snake but celebrating with a purpose.
“This year has special emphasis on those that were affected by the fires in Altadena, Pasadena, even Pacific Palisades,” Whal said. “Really, it’s anybody that was affected by that because the community extends far beyond just those burned areas.”
The Arcadia Education Foundation, Performing Arts Foundation, Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD), and Downtown Arcadia hosted the Big Red Envelope Donation Drive. The money raised will go to 25 AUSD teachers, staff and families who lost their homes in the fires. Individuals who donated were entered into a raffle for community-given prizes.
“This is all volunteer-based. And those individuals are providing tickets to not only Kendrick Lamar, but I’ve seen Dodger tickets,” Whal said. “The people just provide these things, and if there’s anything we can do to help support what’s going on though, that’s the idea.”
Among the supporters was Pro Tempore Mayor Sharon Kwan, who posed for photos with donors and handed out tickets for the opening weekend of the action film Love Hurts, starring her brother Ke Huy Quan.
Kwan is set to become Mayor in April, making her one of the first Asian-American women to hold a City Council seat in Arcadia. She says her goal is to cultivate a community that lives in harmony.
“We still have, you know, about less than half [the community] that are non-Asian. I want to do a good bridge,” Kwan said. “I would like to see more – like in this event – more diversity showing. It’s not just the Asian. Any ethnic background can come and experience the different cultures.”
According to the California Census, over 57% of Arcadia’s community identified as Asian. Despite the sizable representation, this is only the city’s second time hosting a Lunar New Year celebration.
“For many, many years, it just – it just bothered me,” Steve Rhee said, Chair of the Lunar New Year Festival. “I took it upon myself to bug our team members over there for 4 or 5 years. Finally, we fundraised enough money, got enough sponsors, got enough support throughout the city– including the city of Arcadia – to host its event.”
No structures were lost or damaged in the fire in Arcadia, but Public Works Services reported that 133 trees and at least 150 tree limbs were downed. While the city sustained minimal damage, some in the community living in the neighboring areas lost everything.
“We have a lot of teachers, staff, city staff and a lot of residents. They also have families that live in Altadena,” Kwan said. “We want to raise money to help them so that they can overcome the problem that they have.”
The donation drive has been extended until the end of February. The Downtown Arcadia website has more information.
“Read up about our efforts and there’s a donate button,” said Rhee. “If you could please dig deep and think of the family members who lost everything. They have no homes. They have to start this rebuilding journey. I couldn’t imagine going through what they’re going through and it breaks my heart. ”
