Disasters prove to bring the community together, and in the case of the Thomas Fire, this couldn’t be more true as students and adults from all over the district gathered at Skating Plus to raise money for the victims of the fire.

Organized by Foothill’s Environmental Club in collaboration with Skating Plus, the fundraising event raised a total of $3,555.

Teacher and Environmental Club advisor Josiah Guzik stated that “after something tragic, it’s important to spend time with each other.”

“A lot of these kids haven’t seen friends in a week and all of these crazy things have happened,” Guzik said. “It seems like everyone’s first priority is to check in with friends and make sure everyone is okay.”

After the first 45 minutes, Guzik made the estimation that about 150 students and adults showed up, but by the end of the event there was a total head count of 395 people.

Many kids took a break from skating to visit the separate room where they could make cards to thank the firemen, an activity organized by Morgan Stevenson ‘19.

“I think we should really appreciate the firefighters. […] My family friend is in firefighting and I know his station, so I was going to just bring some cards down to him, but I’m like why don’t we [give them] to everybody,” Stevenson explained. “Everybody can do something.”

The afternoon gave everyone a chance to escape from the smoke while helping people in need.

“We are strong and ready to help each other in a time of weakness,” Guzik said.