STANDARDS

NCSS: Culture • People, Places, and Environments • Individual Development and Identity • Power, Authority, and Governance • Production, Distribution, and Consumption • Science, Technology, and Society • Global Connections • Civic Ideals and Practices

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.3, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.1, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.5, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.1, W.6-8.4

Article Options

Presentation View

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Teens browse donated items in Los Angeles, California, on January 14, 2025. 

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Civics | Inspiring Teen

Restoring Hope

Avery Colvert, 14, started a free pop-up shop for California teens affected by wildfires. Even Ariana Grande chipped in.

Tony Valentino for Altadena Girls

Avery Colvert

In early January, as wildfires burned across Los Angeles, California, a local photography studio buzzed with activity. Teenage girls browsed piles of makeup, graphic T-shirts, and more. Everything was free to teens whose homes were destroyed by the fires.

The effort was led by Avery Colvert, an eighth-grader whose neighborhood was affected by one of  the wildfires that devastated large parts of Los Angeles earlier this year. The blazes killed at least 29 people and tore through more than 16,000 structures, making them some of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

Avery’s home is still standing, but her middle school and many of her friends’ homes were destroyed.

“The group text with my friends was really sad,” Avery says. “Every few hours for a few days, another girl’s house was gone.”

Nic Coury/AP Images

A wildfire blazes in Avery Colvert’s California community on January 8., 2025

Evacuation shelters provided necessities like food and water—but what about things like clothes and makeup? Avery knew those items could help girls regain a sense of normalcy.

Avery created the Altadena Girls Instagram page and asked for donations of new clothing, beauty products, and other items for teen girls. Then she created the free “store.” Within a day, the space was filled with donations. Charli XCX called the fundraiser “the coolest” on Instagram. Shipments arrived from Ariana Grande’s makeup brand. Cars filled with teens lined the streets outside.

“The vibe was fast, fun, inspiring, warm, loving, sometimes a little sad or a little scary,” Avery says. “We were afraid that we wouldn’t have enough for everybody, but the donations just never ended.”

After a few fast-paced days, Avery had to return the studio to its owners. She put the donations in storage and began searching for a permanent home for Altadena Girls. Her goal is to grow the project into a community space with homework rooms, music rooms, and mental health resources for teen girls affected by the fires.

“This was so much more than just free stuff,” Avery says. “This was a tiny bit of closure, a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll never forget the faces and hugs, and people that we helped those first few days.”

—Shay Maunz

U.S. News
Teens, Civics

Teaching Resources
Text-to-Speech