Supporting Estrada Courts Boys and Girls Club After the Boyle Heights Warehouse Fire

This summer, we provided emergency grants to the Estrada Courts Boys and Girls Club to address urgent challenges caused by the Lineage Warehouse fire, which created intense pollution in Boyle Heights and surrounding neighborhoods, making it unsafe for children and residents to be outdoors. With this funding, the Club was able to purchase air purifiers, expand summer programming, increase staffing and operating hours, and make the Clubhouse a safe and welcoming resource for the entire community. Read their story below in this update letter from the Estrada Courts Boys and Girls Club.

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Following the warehouse fire in June, the Estrada Courts community faced ongoing concerns about air quality and lingering smoke and odors. We made it a priority to ensure our youth had a safe place to spend their summer while continuing to enjoy meaningful experiences outside the neighborhood.

With generous donations from i.am Angel Foundation and will.i.am, and donated air purifiers from LA-based company Rabbit Air, we were able to expand our summer programming, increase staffing and operating hours, and make the Clubhouse a more welcoming resource for the entire community.

With this funding, we doubled the number of field trips we typically offer during the summer! We intentionally took youth beyond areas affected by poor air quality, giving them opportunities to explore new places and enjoy time outside the neighborhood. Our outings included trips to the movies, hikes, visits to Griffith Observatory, and beach days in Malibu. We also brought more youth than ever to our sailing program in Marina del Rey, where they learned sailing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. In response to teens’ interest in fitness, we added CrossFit visits and increased trips to the pool.

The donated air purifiers from Rabbit Air helped us improve the indoor environment at our Clubhouse during a period of poor air quality. They helped us maintain an indoor space where youth and families could continue accessing programs. This allowed us to keep youth engaged through indoor sports, games, and other recreational activities when spending time outside wasn’t always ideal.

With extended hours and additional staffing, we also opened the Clubhouse to more members of the Estrada Courts community, including adults and seniors. We hosted World Cup watch parties in our gym, providing food and a place for neighbors to gather. These events gave our team opportunities to connect with residents, hear their concerns, and better understand where support was needed. We also hosted workshops for adults and seniors, extending our programming beyond youth and creating more opportunities for community connection.

We are grateful to the i.am Angel Foundation and will.i.am for helping us respond to an unexpected challenge. Their support allowed us to expand opportunities for our youth while strengthening the Clubhouse’s role as a trusted resource for the Estrada Courts community.

What could have been a summer defined by disruption instead remained a summer of learning, exploration, and connection. We were able to give our youth more experiences than usual while ensuring families and neighbors had a place to gather and turn to for support.

Thank you for helping us care for our community during a difficult time and make the summer more enriching for the young people and families we serve!