Tournament of Roses, its own team hit hard by January wildfires, steps up to buoy recovery ...Middle East

On Jan. 1 2025, the streets of Pasadena were once again filled with hope and delight, as the Rose Parade marched along under its jubilant theme, “Best Day Ever.”

Mere days later, the worst days ever arrived for the community. The deadly Eaton and Palisades wildfires destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and killed at least 31 people.

No fewer than 48 staff members and volunteers from the Tournament of Roses were personally impacted by the fires, according to tournament officials.

“It was a really quick pivot from a really joyous time with the 2025 Rose Parade,” said Reese Rosental Saporito, a marketing and communications assistant for the organization and an alumnus of the 2020 Royal Court, “and then shifting into something of such mass tragedy.”

Saporito was forced to flee from her home during the wildfires and witnessed firsthand the destruction in her hometown of Altadena.

“Personally, this year has been extremely rough,” she said. “Earlier this year, we evacuated and lost most of our community. My house is still standing, but everyone else on my street is gone and my grandparents’ house burned down.”

“The Tournament of Roses is a beacon of hope, positivity, and light during such a brutal time for so many people,” she said. “So I think this year’s parade means so much more than I think it has in the last few years, because of the tragedy that struck 11 months ago.”

Candy Carlson, director of communications for the Tournament of Roses, lost her Altadena home in the mammoth Eaton fire.

“It was the most significant, tragic thing that’s happened in my life,” said Carlson, now a resident of South Pasadena.

“The (tournament) staff, the volunteers, they were the first to come toward me with, how can I help? What do you need?” she said. “I really want to thank all of them for just offering me some hope when I needed it most.”

One of the tournament’s efforts in fire recovery was organizing clothing donations around their parade float barns.

Shortly after the fires, Carlson attended a donation site and said that for the first time, she was able to give back.

“That was a real healing time for me, believe it or not, sorting clothing, because I was part of helping instead of just receiving,” she said.

For Carlson, this parade spurs a sense of appreciation, especially for the little things in her life.

Having lost everything she owns, she emphasized the care she felt from her community and even strangers, who became friends.

“The parade is a beautiful expression of Pasadena and how as a community, as even a region, we take care of each other, but also the show must go on,” she said. “It’s our joy to bring the parade to Pasadena, and so if we can make just one person affected by the fires, one survivor, get just a glimmer of hope, then everything we’ve done will be worth it.”

This year, the parade’s theme is “The Magic in Teamwork” – a statement that has grown into a tribute to first responders, volunteers and everyday triumphs, struggles and perseverance in wake of the fires.

“The magic in teamwork is really something we’ve seen come to life over the last 11 months, whether that’s with local community groups coming together to provide resources and support for people who need it the most, or who lost everything, it’s been something really beautiful to see,” said Saporito.

“What the fires really did for me personally is make me realize how deeply ingrained the spirit of Altadena, and the spirit of our community is,” said Saporito, whose family’s roots in Altadena trace back four decades, not uncommon for those with deep ties to the community.

“It broke my heart because of how much I love Altadena, and that wasn’t a love I necessarily had fully realized until it was lost and taken away,” she said. “I feel like it’s rebuilding my love because the city is starting to rebuild.”

The aftermath, Saporito added, helped her identify with her community’s strengths — among them resilience and unity.

“I actually had the opportunity through my law school to volunteer with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles at the Disaster Recovery Center and provide legal aid and services to people in my own community,” she said. “Being able to use what I’m doing and the degree I’m getting, for good in the community, has made me who I am.”

For those in their own stages of healing and recovery, Saporito emphasized the parade’s welcome to all who seek joy.

“It really is a celebration of who we are, as Pasadena, as Altadena, as this kind of this big team,” she said. “I hope this can be a point of joy, happiness and spirit for people to set the year off in a positive light.”

Mark Leavens, who has served for the past year as president of the Tournament of Roses after serving with the organization for more than three decades, found himself in a pivotal role as the community inched toward recovery.

“It’s really an honor to represent the association at different events this year, particularly in light of some of the things that our community has gone through,” he said.

After the wildfires, the tournament established a fund to help those affected, including their own members and supporters who directly lost their home or business.

“We really look at this year as being especially relevant to the people that have gone through so much, not only in our community here in Pasadena and Altadena and Sierra Madre, but also the people down in the Palisades and Malibu,” said Leavens.

Leavens reflected back to the tournament’s mission statement, which celebrates joy and the hope of new beginnings.

“The theme celebrates that collaborative spirit and how we can achieve so much more when we work with others, and have such richer experiences than we could ever achieve when we’re working alone or as individuals,” he said.

Leavens said the tournament also wanted to pay tribute to wide scope of artwork that has been created in the aftermath of the fires.

One thread of the artwork effort was collecting patches from partner organizations – including the Pasadena Fire and Police departments and others agencies on the front lines during the fires — another effort embracing the teamwork theme.

“We hope that this year’s celebration will be uplifting and positive,” he said, “and while we want to pay tribute to those lives that were lost and remember all of those people, we also want to look forward and show the resilience that our community has displayed since the fires and and how people are moving forward with with rebuilding and their recovery.”

Related Articles

Isabel Umekubo is a correspondent for the Southern California News Group.

Hence then, the article about tournament of roses its own team hit hard by january wildfires steps up to buoy recovery was published today ( Wednesday 31/12/2025 - 10:13 PM ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Tournament of Roses, its own team hit hard by January wildfires, steps up to buoy recovery )

Also on site :

• Road over canal in Penkridge closed as bridge reportedly collapses
• Russian MOD shows map of Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s residence
• From collapse fears to resilience: How Russia reshaped its economy by the end of 2025