L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 4 P r o c e s s i n g , r e s i l i e n c e , rebuilding. That's what thousands of people in Los Angeles are striving for after the devastating wildfires that, in January, scorched more than 50,000 acres, reducing homes, public buildings, and businesses to ashes. Now, they are left to make sense of what remains. After a frantic escape, days of fear and anxi- ety, and the shock of return- ing home to see the devasta- tion, they are left with the trauma of finding nothing but ruins. Closets once full of c l o t h e s , t h e l i v i n g r o o m , paintings on the walls, photo albums, family heirlooms, the kitchen table, children's toys, schoolbooks, wedding gifts, the garden where young plants had just begun to grow — gone. Wiped out, lost, dis- solved, stolen forever. The painful realization that their n e i g h b o r h o o d n o l o n g e r exists, that life will never be t h e s a m e . T h e p r o f o u n d trauma of waking up every day in uncertainty and depri- vation, not knowing what to do, where to go, or how to start over. Rising from the ashes, like a phoenix. Every Angeleno who lost everything in the fires knows the road ahead will be long and difficult. Not everyone has the financial means, the family support, the social network, the job security, or even the energy to rebuild. E v e n f o r t h o s e w i t h t h e strength and determination to start from scratch, the sheer number of obstacles, t h e o v e r w h e l m i n g c h a l - lenges, can make it easy to break down, give up, or burst into tears: those who worked their whole lives, hoping to f i n a l l y e n j o y r e t i r e m e n t ; those who no longer have age on their side; those with- out savings to fall back on. But even the youngest, the strongest, and the luckiest will never forget what hap- pened. T h e v o l u n t e e r s w h o rushed to help understood this immediately. A shelter bed, clean clothes, and basic n e c e s s i t i e s a r e j u s t t h e beginning. The lives of hun- d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s h a v e been upended, and they now face enormous daily strug- gles. I w U s a r e c o g n i z e d t h e profound trauma left in the wake of the wildfires and t o o k a c t i o n . F o u n d e d i n 2 0 1 9 b y e x p a t C o r n e l i a Pop, the community Ital- ian Women USA was cre- ated to foster networking among Italian women in the US, supporting their person- al and professional growth by sharing expertise. Today, it is playing a crucial role. The Consulate Gener- al of Italy in Los Angeles has highlighted the initiative on its homepage, noting that this network — now count- ing more than 8,000 Italian women living and working in the US — is providing free mental health and emotional support. Designed to help the community navigate the stress and uncertainty fol- lowing the fires, the initiative offers tangible support in a difficult time. A simple email is all it takes to be connected with a psychologist, a reas- suring voice to help guide the recovery process. Italian p r o f e s s i o n a l s l i c e n s e d t o practice in California who w i s h t o c o n t r i b u t e a r e encouraged to reach out via the same email: info@ital- ianwomenusa.com. Originally founded as a space for Italian women in the US to meet, network, and share experiences, IwUsa quickly mobilized when disaster struck, distribut- ing more than 7,000 essen- tial items to those in need. But as the crisis unfolded, they realized that material aid alone wasn't enough. L ' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o extends its gratitude to Cor- n e l i a P o p , f o u n d e r o f IwUsa; Roberta Sparta, A m b a s s a d o r o f t h e L o s A n g e l e s C h a p t e r ; a n d Tiziana Triolo, Lead of IwUsa's Charity Initiative. We reached out to them to l e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e i r e f f o r t s , a n d j u s t a s t h e y didn't hesitate to load up their cars with supplies for evacuees, they responded without hesitation. Cornelia, who grew up in Turin, began her career in Milan after earning a degree in Economics, working in HR transformation consult- ing. She moved to the US six years ago and now lives in Jersey City with her husband and two daughters, aged four and six, while continuing her work in HR strategy for a major consulting firm. Six y e a r s a g o , s h e f o u n d e d IwUsa, gradually shaping its growing together philoso- phy. Today, she coordinates its various initiatives along- side a team of 45 volunteers. Roberta, born and raised in the province of Vicenza, moved to the US to study acting at the Los Angeles Stronger together: how IwUsa is helping rebuild Los Angeles BARBARA MINAFRA NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 IwUsa members during a networking event in LA. The community organizes meetings such as these every month (Photo courtesy of IWUSA Community)

• Cover