Thrift Local at the Community Closet raises money and provides fire-affected teens with clothing and support
Two Malibu High School siblings helped raise more than $2,400 for MHS programs, all while helping local teenagers affected by the Palisades Fire.
Rylan and Levi Borress took initiative leading a festive event just for teens last Friday called Thrift Local. The siblings invited area teens to the fun shopping party hosted at the Community Closet where they were able to replenish their clothing and belongings lost in the fire. In the spirit of community, those teens who lost their homes were invited free of charge. Others paid just $20 admission and could shop for curated thrift items and new clothing donated by local favorites Aviator Nation, Nati Boutique, Submarine Swimwear, and Les Tout Petits. Gifts were also provided by Sonny Angels, Gorjana Jewelry, Brandy Melville, and Amazon.
A DJ set the tone with dance music while more than 80 kids munched on Irv’s burgers and shakes and Sweet Bu candy bags provided courtesy of donors Monette de Botton and Tara Mercurio for a party atmosphere. Young shoppers filled their bags with clothing and items including rock and roll posters and T-shirts donated by Perryscope Productions and Sir Paul McCartney.
One 15-year-old at the event who helped his family save a home in the Franklin Fire using garden hoses unfortunatelywasn’t able to help his own family save their home in the Palisades Fire. The teenager lost everything and so did most of his friends, especially in the Palisades. While enduring the loss of his childhood home, he also mourns the loss of the Palisades where he and his friends would hang out most Fridays after school. He sadly reminisced piling into a car with Malibu friends and then driving to hang out in the village with Palisades pals, which can no longer happen since the Palisades was decimated in the fire, his friends are also displaced, and the drive out of Malibu is nearly impossible now on Pacific Coast Highway.
Even at his young age and already a veteran of fighting one fire, the boy, who asked not to be named, tried his best to help fight the Palisades Fire.
“We were tracking the Sunset Fire and then we got notification about the Palisades Fire and we thought, ‘Oh, they have to get this fast, otherwise it could be bad,’” he said. “Once it jumped Palisades Drive, I had a feeling it was just going tokeep spreading and spreading. I was listening to radios for hours, talking to people who were in the Palisades for hours. I was like, ‘I don’t think they’re going to be able to stop this.’ When I heard the radio say, ‘all aircrafts have to ground,’ that’swhen I knew this was going to just wipe through everything.” The teen said he knew his house was gone when he stopped getting notifications from WiFi-connected sensors.
Rylan Borress, 17, who co-led the event with her brother Levi, didn’t lose her home, but wanted to help her fellowclassmates affected by the fires. As the co-captain of the MHS girls’ tennis team, she and other organizers were able to getfunds raised matched by the Malibu Racquet Club. Half the funds will go to the MHS tennis team and the rest will go to the MHS ceramics studio where Levi and other students can be creative, which is helpful to a lot of students who have endured so much loss in the last six years in Malibu with two major fires, mudslides, power outages, missed school days, online learning and displacement. “Just seeing people smile and super happy is great, people who have lost their homes get gift cards and just seeing everyone so lit up, it’s making me really happy,” Rylan said. “And to know that I’m also contributing to a team that I’m on … they’re a really great group of girls and they deserve to have everything for tennis.”
Rylan knows at least seven friends who lost their homes, but said her brother knows many, many more who lived in Big Rock and the Palisades.
“I just think it’s great that people can experience some good things while having such hard times and going through this whole fire and just being able to do something fun with their friends and also receiving things that they lost,” she said.”And it’s just a great event. I’m really happy we’re doing something good.”