How 15-year-old Avery Colvert and her mom built a nonprofit that supports thousands of Southern California girls with resources, events, and community.
When the Altadena fires broke out on January 7, then 14-year-old Avery Colvert, who moved to the community in 2021 after her family lost their home to floods in Tennessee, knew she had to do something to help her friends and other teens going through the same kind of loss she had recently experienced. In the days following the fires, with her friends and family, she created a pop-up called Altadena Girls for clothing and toiletries donations. With an Instagram account and by word-of-mouth, community interest skyrocketed, and Altadena Girls was met with an overwhelming response, attracting massive numbers of donors, volunteers – and attention from local and international media, and from major brands and A-list celebrities.
With her mother, Lauren Sandidge, the young activist, who turned 15 in August, cofounded Altadena Girls as a fiscally sponsored nonprofit. Within a month of the fires, Avery was honored as the youngest recipient of the TIME 100 Impact Award, and gave a speech at the awards event, held in Los Angeles.
Most important to Avery and Lauren since it began: Altadena Girls has helped more than 5,000 girls and their families across the Southland in a variety of ways – from holding an all-girl prom for 400 girls last spring to its free back-to-school “shopping” event welcoming more than 400 girls this August and more. This fall, Altadena Girls will open its new community space in Old Town Pasadena. The center will feature a music and podcast studio in partnership with Fender, a dance and movement space supported by Alo Yoga and a “Sliving Lounge” gifted by Paris Hilton, among other empowering programs and services.
Below is my chat with Avery and Lauren about life since the wildfires, the beginnings and successes of Altadena Girls and what’s next for the nonprofit – and for Avery in her first year of high school.
It’s been more than nine months since the fires. Can you take us to the start of Altadena Girls? What made you want to help teens?
Avery: After the fires, we met up with so many of our friends and their families, teachers and people in the community of Altadena who had lost everything. Some lost homes, many of us lost our routines, our schools, places we would hang out, all the things that made us feel like ourselves. I remembered when I lost my home in a flood, and I thought about what was important to me and my friends. Things like my friends’ hair routines, their makeup, their favorite books or records, the posters on their wall – these are the things that make us, us.
As her mother, how did you support Avery and Altadena Girls in the early stages?
Lauren: When this started, we were just a family. We evacuated out of an abundance of caution, and we grabbed a few things, our pets and a box of photos. When Avery came up with the idea, we didn’t know it was going to get this big. Within 24 hours, we were running a store, surrounded by people who saw how overwhelmed we were, and who also felt a sense of urgency and wanted to help. Those people supported us, and that gave me the strength to continue to support Avery and help our community. I did whatever I could, from unpacking and organizing donations to helping people shop. I always made sure Avery was OK and that she was rested. If I asked, “Is this too much?” her answer was always, “No, let’s keep going!”
Were you surprised by the response from celebrities?
Avery: Lots of people supported us locally and nationwide, and lots of girls sent cards, letters and care packages. It was like girls everywhere were saying, this is important, not just during the fires, but always. I couldn’t believe celebrities like Charli XCX and Ariana Grande knew about us. Meghan Markle actually came to volunteer, it still feels unreal.
How did it feel to be named the youngest recipient of the Time100 Impact Award?
Avery: The award came so fast after starting Altadena Girls, but it was the reassurance I needed that we were doing the right thing. The award shined a light on our mission and the community of Altadena. It definitely helped us reach so many more girls and organizations, and even opened doors to relationships we never could have imagined.
Has Avery always been a leader?
Lauren: Avery has always had the heart for Altadena Girls. She’s a natural leader. That quality isn’t always celebrated in young girls; in fact, it can sometimes be misunderstood. As a parent, it’s not easy to encourage your daughter to lead when you know the world doesn’t always welcome it. You want to protect her. But we need female leaders, and I believe so many young women have that spark — they just need the opportunity to step into it. For Avery, Altadena Girls is that opportunity, and I couldn’t be prouder. My hope is that it becomes a place that nurtures that same spirit in other young women. Watching her step into this role has been deeply inspiring. Honestly, she’s taught me so much myself.
What are you most proud of having accomplished with Altadena Girls?
Avery: I’m so proud that in less than a year, we’ve been able to reach more than 5,000 girls, but the need keeps growing as we reach more girls who need that support. Our first-ever Altadena Girls Prom in May was incredible: 400 girls who lost their schools or homes came together for one of the most fun and freeing nights. We even had appearances by Miranda Cosgrove, Julia Fox, Alix Earle and Zoe Saldaña!
What do you see as the biggest challenges for girls and teens in the new school year?
Avery: On your first day of school, you want to walk in and feel confident and like your best self. That’s why we had our back-to-school pop-up in August. This community is so amazing and deserves to feel supported as we continue to recover. It’s not always easy being a teen girl in this generation. I think we can feel a lot of pressure to act or look certain ways, especially with the new school year because more trends come up. It’s hard to always keep up! I’m so excited about our girls’ space opening this fall — it’s going to have therapy services, dance classes, and be a safe place for girls to feel comfortable, explore and thrive.
How has life changed for your family since the rise of Altadena Girls? What are your hopes for Avery?
Lauren: One of the biggest shifts has been how public everything suddenly became. Overnight, I went from being a mom with two kids in this community to being in the spotlight and leading an organization. It’s been a lot to take in, but also incredibly moving to see the way people have rallied around Avery and our mission. My hope for Avery this year is simple: that she keeps learning, keeps growing and becomes the woman she’s meant to be, whatever shape that takes. Most of all, I want her to experience the joy and discovery of being a teenager, exploring who she is, deepening her passions and dreaming big. It’s a delicate balance nurturing her role with Altadena Girls while also making sure she gets to just be a kid.
What are you most excited about for this year?
Avery: Personally, I’m most excited to see what comes next. I just started high school. I have amazing old friends and have met so many incredible girls through Altadena Girls, and this feels like the perfect time for a fresh chapter. For Altadena Girls, I can’t wait for our space to come to life!
Michele Raphael is acting editor of L.A. Parent. An L.A.-based culture, health, lifestyle and travel writer and editor, she can be found on Instagram at @michelebraphael.
