DDM Los Angeles Center Made Donation to Schools Affected by Southern California Wildfires

In early January 2025, a severe wildfire broke out in Altadena, an area near Los Angeles, destroying more than 10 thousand buildings and displacing more than 100 thousand residents. Through Ken, a volunteer, Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Los Angeles Center learned that a private school named St. Mark's was burned to ashes.
 
Ven. Chang Tong (常統法師), Director of the Los Angeles Center, and volunteers all hope to lend a helping hand to families or educational institutions that need support after the fire. DDM Los Angeles Center thus developed a donation plan to help students. While initiating the disaster relief plan, the Los Angeles Center also held an online recitation of the Great Compassion Mantra to pray for peace in the disaster-stricken areas.


On April 10^th, Ven. Chang Tong, together with the volunteers of the Center, visited St. Mark's temporary portable classroom to present donations on behalf of DDM in order to help the reconstruction of their campus. DDM Los Angeles Center hopes that teachers and students can return to a good learning environment as soon as possible.

According to St. Mark's, the school had relocated three times in the past three months, and their 300 students are continuing their learning in other schools at the moment. The principal indicated that about 30 students' families were also affected by the fire, losing their homes and basic living resources. St. Mark's is grateful to kind-hearted people from all over the world for donating desks, chairs and books, as well as helping to repair equipment that was not destroyed during the fire and maintain educational operations during such a difficult time.

DDM Los Angeles Center stated that their visit to the school is intended not only to provide material assistance, but also to hearten the people in the disaster-stricken areas, lighting up the children's future with love and care on the school's journey to reconstruction.



Original Chinese text / Ma Hau-ran (馬浩然)
Photos / Dharma Drum Mountain Los Angeles Center
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL