TEAMMOLLY Community Space
Immediately after the devastating LA fires in January 2025, the Molly Steinsapir Foundation leapt into action. We didn’t wait for someone to tell us what to do. From our inception, the Foundation has followed the motto coined by Arthur Ashe - “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Within days of the fire, Kaye Steinsapir distributed over 500 TEAMMOLLY sweatshirts to Angelinos who needed clothing. As it was January, and cold (for LA) outside, appreciative fire survivors immediately pulled them on. The Steinsapirs were living in a small apartment at the time, with no more than their toothbrushes and a change of clothes each. The sweatshirts had been ordered months earlier, and happened to be sent the day after the fires. Fortunately, Kaye was able to reroute the delivery to their rental and bring a bit of comfort and warmth to our shell-shocked community when it was desperately needed.
Kaye thought about what else she and the Foundation could do to help in that surreal moment, when over 16,000 homes in LA had been destroyed and countless others had become uninhabitable. As thousands of families dispersed throughout Southern California and beyond, with former community gathering spaces gone up in smoke, she set about finding a new place to bring people together.
By the end of January, the TEAMMOLLY community room at Santa Monica's Colorado Center was up and running!
By the end of January, the TEAMMOLLY community room at Santa Monica’s Colorado Center was up and running. The Foundation secured the use of the public room for four hours per week. Our message was simple - if you need help, come. If you can offer any type of help to others, come. We’ll figure out the details when we get there. After the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, our focus was on bringing the community physically together. The response was overwhelming! We hosted roundtables with residents and community leaders, where we listened and provided space for the complex set of emotions people were feeling. We served drinks and food. We offered hugs and shoulders to cry on.
World Central Kitchen generously served free meals at the TEAMMOLLY community room. Kaye got to know some of the WCK volunteers. WCK was approached by a nonprofit called the Goodness Tour with the idea to paint a mural in Pacific Palisades, after the two groups had collaborated on one in Altadena. WCK introduced the Goodness Tour to Kaye, who led a small group of volunteers from both organizations through the Palisades in search of a suitable location. In under a week, the Goodness Tour painted a vibrant mural on the wall opposite Pali High, just down from where Molly’s mural at Theatre Palisades and the theatre itself were tragically consumed by the fire. The Goodness Tour, WCK and TEAMMOLLY hosted a special community event to unveil the new mural, where families added finishing touches of their own. The mural is replete with symbolism unique to the Palisades. Amidst so much devastation and loss, it reminds us of the beauty that remains. Families who hadn’t brought their kids home yet returned for our event because the mural, music, food, drinks and togetherness made the difficult first step more bearable.
Word of the TEAMMOLLY community room traveled fast. We were approached with generous offers of clothing, personal care items and home goods to be distributed to fire survivors. As we only had the use of the community room for a few hours a week, we could not store anything there. Kaye accepted the donated items anyway, determined to get them to those in need. She temporarily rented a storage unit and filled it to the brim.
A few days later, a friend asked Kaye if she knew anyone who might be interested in subleasing office space. It would be a big step for the Foundation. We’ve always operated with almost no overhead. We have no paid employees. Our work is powered by volunteers. We used to operate out of the Steinsapir residence and places like Kehillat Israel synagogue and Marquez Charter Elementary School when we needed larger spaces. Marquez did not survive the fire. It burned on the second day, as helpless firefighters without any water looked on. 90 percent of the Steinsapirs’ neighborhood burned down. Although their home is standing, it sustained damage and most of their possessions could not be salvaged. Similarly, Kehillat Israel (home to the Molly Steinsapir Early Childhood Center) is undergoing major remediation and is not currently operational in the Palisades.
The Foundation took a leap of faith and established the full-time TEAMMOLLY Community Space.
The Foundation took a leap of faith and established the full-time TEAMMOLLY Community Space. The rent alone would more than exceed the reserves of our small nonprofit, but the Steinsapir family committed to making up the difference, if additional funds couldn’t be raised through donations and grants. They understood the magnitude of the moment facing the community and that the Foundation was well-positioned to help.
The TEAMMOLLY Community Space was established during spring 2025. Grateful residents have turned up by the hundreds to “shop” our donation room, reconnect with neighbors, and strategize about rebuilding efforts. Particular streets, neighborhoods and groups use the space to gather and work on recovery projects. The Foundation is generous in allowing other local nonprofits and other organizations to host events.
There’s a special room for kids to have fun in while their parents pick up essentials, attend free events or commiserate with other adults who’re facing similar challenges. We’re proud of the fact that we successfully bring Palisades and Eaton fire survivors together.
Upcoming programming includes yoga classes, a flower arranging class, a blood drive with the Red Cross, an event with Beverly Hills Fire Department Engine No. 1 which helped to save some homes in the Palisades), a visit from Councilwoman Traci Park, and more!
The TEAMMOLLY Community Space is bright, cheerful and youth-focused. We recently hosted low-cost weeklong cooking classes for kids, offering scholarships to anyone whose family lost their home. Our incredible Youth Board brings together high school students from Pacific Palisades and Altadena to help their communities recover and grow stronger in the aftermath of the fires.
Led by students, for students, the Youth Board empowers youth ages 13–18 to take action on the issues they care about most, starting with mental health, community connection, and long-term recovery.
Youth Board members are trained in leadership, peer research, and project planning. They will conduct interviews with community members to identify real, solvable challenges facing them. The Youth Board then works together to design and implement community-based projects, supported by adult mentors but driven by their own vision.
This summer, the Youth Board is focused on:
- Supporting youth mental health and resilience through peer-led initiatives.
- Rebuilding local connection and belonging in fire-impacted areas.
- Launching youth-designed projects with measurable impact by fall 2025.
The Foundation is proud to support this next generation of changemakers, with the belief that when young people are given tools and trust, they don’t just recover, they lead.
If you can, please support our efforts. No donation is too small and every cent makes a positive difference. We know Molly is proud, as she inspires us to help our community heal and rebuild.
