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<v Speaker 1>Let's say good morning now to SOLA Foundation's founder, Sherry Francis.

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<v Speaker 2>Good morning, Sherry, Amy, thanks for having me on.

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<v Speaker 1>So so happy to have you here, because you guys

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<v Speaker 1>are doing some great work. Before we dive into the

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<v Speaker 1>event that's happening this weekend called Together We Rebuild, can

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<v Speaker 1>you tell people a little bit about what SOLA Foundation

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<v Speaker 1>is and does.

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<v Speaker 2>SOLA Foundation is the affiliated nonprofit of Sola Impact, which

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<v Speaker 2>is an affordable housing developer throughout La And essentially we

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<v Speaker 2>work towards providing access to education, to opportunity to jobs

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<v Speaker 2>to really just elevate and assist with overall wellbeing of

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<v Speaker 2>the communities, the most vulnerable communities rather in La.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so you're already doing great work and have been

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<v Speaker 1>doing it for several years, and then the wildfire's hit,

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<v Speaker 1>and so while you continue to do all of that

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<v Speaker 1>great work, you're also shifting focus to help the people

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<v Speaker 1>who've been affected by the wildfires. So tell us about

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<v Speaker 1>what you've been doing and then what you're doing this weekend.

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<v Speaker 2>To help out well through the campaign Together We Rebuild.

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<v Speaker 2>We feel that we need to be committed to working

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<v Speaker 2>to help rebuild La. We started unanticipated with a phone

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<v Speaker 2>call from a Altadena school called Rosebud Academy that was

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<v Speaker 2>desperate to find a home temporarily after the devastation of

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<v Speaker 2>losing their school. They called us and said, hey, we

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<v Speaker 2>hear that you have a tech center at the Behad campus.

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<v Speaker 2>Is there any way that you could house us for

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<v Speaker 2>a while. And we took in one hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 2>kids transform the space and overweeken and from pre k

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<v Speaker 2>all the way through eighth grade, and we had the

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<v Speaker 2>kids in the space for a little just about two weeks,

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<v Speaker 2>and fortunately they were able to find a more permanent

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<v Speaker 2>home closer home. But that really ignited the idea that

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<v Speaker 2>we should be and could be doing a lot more.

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<v Speaker 2>We are still standing, and so we decided that this

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<v Speaker 2>weekend we would put out an SOS So tomorrow we're

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<v Speaker 2>bringing together over sixty partners who including the Red Cross,

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<v Speaker 2>BMO core Master. It's bigger than us, and we're providing

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<v Speaker 2>a day for folks who've been affected by the fires

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<v Speaker 2>to come to the Behive campus not only to have

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<v Speaker 2>a good time with all the experiences for adults and kids,

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<v Speaker 2>but also take home both tangible really needed resources like

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<v Speaker 2>brand new clothes, essentials, gift cards, furniture, but also what

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<v Speaker 2>I think vital is education and information on how to

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<v Speaker 2>navigate and receive financial assistance and how the support. So

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<v Speaker 2>we have housing housing providers who are ready to sign

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<v Speaker 2>people up. We have organizations like the Red Cross and

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<v Speaker 2>Better Angels who are going to be on the spot

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<v Speaker 2>providing financial assistance, checks, gift cards. And we really wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to be a holistic experience, so we've were setting up

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<v Speaker 2>a spa for massages and haircuts and beauty treatments, a

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<v Speaker 2>kid's carnivals so kids can come and win great prizes.

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<v Speaker 2>We have toys for tots and Mattel donating a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of toys for kids, and so we really expect the

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<v Speaker 2>day to be a day of reprieve, a day of recovery,

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<v Speaker 2>a day of resources, and we invite any families or

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<v Speaker 2>individuals who've been impacted by the fires to come to

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<v Speaker 2>the behive. It takes place from ten am. We're kicking

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<v Speaker 2>it off with a gospel brunch, which is a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of fun, and then the vendor villages and the shopping experiences,

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<v Speaker 2>the food court, all of that opens at eleven o'clock

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<v Speaker 2>four and at four for those that want to stick around,

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<v Speaker 2>we have a benefit show that includes comedians, artists, musicians

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<v Speaker 2>to wrap up the day.

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<v Speaker 1>I love that, So not only are you having a

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<v Speaker 1>productive day, but also maybe a break because again we've

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<v Speaker 1>said several times that it feels like a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>us are moving on who weren't directly affected by the fires,

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<v Speaker 1>but for you know, ten twelve, thirteen thousand homes, their

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<v Speaker 1>lives are not back to normal and won't be for

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<v Speaker 1>a very long time. And I'm imagining that it's incredibly

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<v Speaker 1>stressful trying to navigate where you go and what you do.

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<v Speaker 1>Even though we're a month and a half out. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a long road.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a long road and years right for that matter.

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<v Speaker 2>But if we can provide this day, one of the

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<v Speaker 2>things that we've heard from multiple people, it's been a

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<v Speaker 2>while since I've smiled. We want to bring smiles to

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<v Speaker 2>their faces, to the kids' faces, and this is the

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<v Speaker 2>first mini we plant. We've got. It's a good problem

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<v Speaker 2>to have, but we've had so many partners who want

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<v Speaker 2>to come out and help throughout LA and so we

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<v Speaker 2>know that we have to continue this because there's a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of opportunity and a lot of work to be done.

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<v Speaker 2>Quite frankly, Okay.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's a day of recovery and resilience. Together we rebuild,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's tomorrow starting at ten am from ten to

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<v Speaker 1>four at the Beehive, which is at one thousand East

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<v Speaker 1>sixtieth Street in La So, if you know anybody affected

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<v Speaker 1>or if you are directly affected by the fires, what

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<v Speaker 1>a great place to go and spend your Saturday. And

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<v Speaker 1>then I also wanted to ask you real quick, Sherry,

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<v Speaker 1>what do you guys still need and how can we help?

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<v Speaker 2>We would love more volunteers. We've got a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>great folks who are signed up on our website Thesolo

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<v Speaker 2>Foundation dot org. Anyone who's interested in volunteering or supporting,

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<v Speaker 2>it's all there, but we really want to make sure

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<v Speaker 2>we get the word out and get to them that

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<v Speaker 2>have been most affected. And we also are providing free

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<v Speaker 2>transportation from the Alpadina and Pasadena areas. So all of

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<v Speaker 2>that information lives right now on that website, the Solo

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<v Speaker 2>Foundation dot org.

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<v Speaker 1>Doing great work. Solo Foundation founder Shery Francis, thank you

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<v Speaker 1>so much for coming on and tell your friends because

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<v Speaker 1>it's a day of recovery and resilience and a whole

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<v Speaker 1>lot of fun too. Tomorrow ten to four.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you Amy, Thanks Sherry,