More than 200 youth impacted by the Eaton fire sketched, drew pictures and practiced mindfulness Wednesday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The collaboration with L.A. County Parks was intended to help the children relax and feel a sense of normalcy.
“They are really enjoying sketching, doing drawings…so just that kind of an opportunity to slow down and connect with each other,” Elizabeth Gerber, a senior educator of programs and engagement, said. “It’s been our goal for today.”
Gerber, who led breath exercises and mindfulness walks around the museum, recalled a memorable moment that happened while she was wrapping up lunchtime.
“He said, ‘I’m going to take a mental picture of this and keep drawing during lunchtime, if that’s OK,’” she said. “I was like, ‘That is absolutely OK.’”
The Eaton fire started January 7 and burned more than 14,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The fire displaced thousands of residents and forced the closure of community programs in and around the Altadena area.
Mika Yamamoto, regional operations manager with the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation, met with Director Norma García Gonzalez to discuss ways they could help the community and children displaced by the wildfires. Their solution was to create “Care Camps,” supportive spaces for kids from wildfire-affected communities.
In just 48 hours, Yamamoto said they coordinated a program that included five Care Camps located outside of the Altadena area, providing children with safe spaces to play, do arts and crafts, participate in mini-sports and take field trips.
Yamamoto said the Care Camps serve as a source of relief for parents as well.
“We were hoping to also take a little bit of that stress away from the parents, letting them know their kids are in a safe place, having a great time, allowing the parents to do the business that they had to do,” Yamamoto said.
After hearing about the Care Camps, Naima Keith, the Senior VP of Education and Public Programs at LACMA, reached out to Gonzalez to see how LACMA could help.
Gonzalez responded, “Field trips. We need field trips.”
“In two weeks, we pulled together 17 buses, hundreds of kids and four different stations throughout campus, all to show kids that the museum is a space for them, and can be a space where you could see creativity,” Keith said.
As the Care Camps continue, L.A. County Parks and other officials hope to offer a supportive environment for those displaced by the fires.
“It’s important to remember that at the very basic we’re all human beings,” Yamamoto said. “And we should be able to take care of each other.”
LACMA is just one of the locations around Los Angeles hosting Care Camp field trips. Others include the L.A. County Natural History Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits and Dodger Stadium.
The program runs Monday to Friday from January 13 to January 31. For more information on the program and registration, visit https://parks.lacounty.gov/care-camps/.