As he waited with his wife to find out whether their evacuated Shaver Lake home had survived the Creek Fire, Dylan Johnson found himself in an interesting position.  Johnson was the president of the Shaver Lake Visitors Bureau, which until then had served primarily to promote tourism and organize events such as the annual Fourth of July fireworks show.  He had moved his family back to Shaver Lake, where his wife Kaelin’s family owned a real estate business and near Huntington Lake where his parents had met, a few years earlier.  Now, as he watched the fire race through the area from afar, he thought of the large-scale recovery effort that would need to come, and of the unique position he was in to help lead that effort.  The Visitors Bureau’s structure as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization meant it could quickly pivot into a fundraising vehicle for fire recovery.  Along with Kyle Lee, another evacuated community member inspired to help, Johnson began to look into what needed to be done to leverage the Visitors Bureau for the relief effort.

Meanwhile, in Fresno, Michele Meisch watched the fire spread and knew she needed to do something.  The Tollhouse native had planned on spending Labor Day weekend camping at Huntington Lake, as she had been doing at least twice a summer for the past 13 years.  But like everyone else there that Saturday morning, she’d been hastily evacuated due to the oncoming fire.  Now, she thought about the long road to recovery the area faced, and the work that would be needed.  As a marketing professional with over two decades’ experience, she knew her skills in promotion and engagement could play a big role in organizing the effort.  If she could start a non-profit, she thought, she could really make a difference.

So, when Johnson and Lee got in touch with JP Marketing, Meisch’s firm, looking for help with their fledgling fundraising effort, it seemed like a perfect match.  Meisch told the two her idea of how a branded non-profit could engage the community and lead the recovery effort, and Johnson and Lee told her they had the non-profit she was looking for.  The three decided to collaborate.

The result of this collaboration is Rebuild Our Sierra, a restricted fund intended to support and help rebuild communities impacted by the Creek Fire.  Though small in number, the group behind Rebuild Our Sierra has no small plans either in terms of scope or impact; while based in Shaver Lake, they will be considering projects from throughout the area affected by the fire, and they have a goal of raising and dispersing $1 million within their first year.

The trio got right to work alongside Visitors Bureau treasurer Suzanne Motte, and within three weeks the effort had a name, logo, website, and Facebook and Instagram pages.  “I believe a higher power brought the three of us together,” Meisch told us.  “We instantly clicked and have been in lock step dedication to our cause. You’d think we had been working together for years.”

With the initial work of launching the effort done, and Johnson and Lee’s homes spared by the fire (though Lee lost his shop and carpenter’s tools), they’ve moved on to building out an organization that can match their lofty goals.  An effort such as this requires strict oversight from a full Board of Directors; as the Visitors Bureau has never had enough volunteers for a full board, they are recruiting new members to fill out a seven-person board.  They have also engaged pro-bono legal counsel and are working to update their bylaws to properly support the effort.  While the organization-building goes on behind the scenes, their primary public-facing effort has been initial fundraising rather than providing immediate relief.

“We are not equipped as a first response disaster relief team,” the group told us in an email interview.  “There are organizations and individuals out there meeting these needs.  We are here for the long haul.  We are here for when the Red Cross moves on, the churches turn back to their congregations, and the families and workers of the Greater Shaver Lake area begin the years of cleaning, building and picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.”

So far, the fundraising is off to a good start, the group having raised over $26,000 within just a few weeks of the fire.  “We are actively raising money through our largest platform which is our website and social media presence, through donation letters, as well as public media and community outreach,” the group wrote.

While the group hopes to raise and disburse $1 million in their first year, they haven’t yet narrowed their focus to any specific project or type of project.  “As this campaign develops and the needs of the people arise,” the group told us, “we will remain dynamic and flexible in our approach to aid them.  We will meet and work with the other non-profits and form a joint task force to best separate goals, areas of focus, and public awareness… We are moving forward with caution; we are thoroughly researching and vetting all other organizations that may wish to align and assist with our purpose.

“While keeping all the families, neighbors and friends in our hearts and minds, we’ve narrowed our targets for fund distribution down to two categories: programmatic and applicant… We will continue to promote and assist other community leaders and local organizers that already have or are developing programs to help homeowners and displaced workers needs.  We are in the process of development for applicants to get direct assistance from our organization.  We are also working closely with local, state, and other government agencies to assist with housing displaced people.”

As for selection of specific projects, the group wrote, “[t]he community is our council.  The uninsured, the displaced homeowners and residents, the businesses, schools, community leaders and organizers are whom we will rely on to help inform our decisions for disbursement.”  Those looking to suggest projects or request funding can do so on their website, RebuildOurSierra.com.  Once the full organization is in place, they will be able to begin putting the money they’ve raised to work.

Given their current small size, Rebuild Our Sierra is looking for volunteers nearly as much as donations.  In particular, the group needs members with experience in accounting, legal, non-profits, marketing, graphic design, web design and social media, as well as those with connections to stakeholders in the community.  “[We] would greatly value having someone from the Huntington community as an active part of the team,” the group told us.  They also hope to partner with other groups, such as the Central Sierra Resiliency Fund, to coordinate volunteer efforts.  Those looking to get more involved can get in touch with them on their website, or by email at RebuildOurSierra@gmail.com.

While their effort is in the early stages, Rebuild Our Sierra is doing their due diligence and taking the right steps to build an organization that can support varied and large-scale projects for many years to come.  Once they have the resources needed to match their passion for helping the area recover, they’ll be in a position to make what they call a “massive” impact.  They are confident they’ll build the right team, as hard work and dedication come naturally to members of these communities.

“I think mountain people are cut from the same cloth,” Meisch said.  “That’s why I’m so passionate about rebuilding.  We all want to get back to that including those of us who were raised up here, those who live up here, those to escape to up here and for the generations to follow.”

Sean Wilson is the creator and administrator of the Raised at Huntington Lake project, and a fourth-generation cabin owner at Idylwilde Tract.  You can reach him at sean@raisedathuntingtonlake.com.